Family Travel in Lassi - Kefalonia

My wonderful family in the sea at Makris Gialos Beach, Lassi, Kefalonia

We enjoyed our second holiday in Kefalonia earlier this year – a fortnight at the end of May and early June, and yet another celebratory holiday for my parent’s 30th wedding anniversary. The four of us and my parents had the full two weeks in Lassi, with my brother and his partner joining for the second week; half term.

We absolutely adored Lassi back in 2015; even though it is a completely tourist resort, which would usually put me off, there are so many beautiful spots and the local people are just so charming and friendly and made such a fuss of Bridget who was only nine months old at the time, and we resolved we would return.This time Bridget was just over three and a half and Beatrice 15 months and once again, we had a fabulous time.

Lassi for us is an ideal family holiday spot and I’ve shared some insights and useful tips for enjoying it with your family.

Accommodation

Most of our party stayed in the Irilena Studios; and the accommodation was outstanding, especially by Greek standards. We had a spacious wo bedroom apartment for the four of us including travel cot, with a separate kitchen and dining area, all spotless and fairly modern.

The fantastic views over the resort and bay really made the Irilena Studios stand out for us. Also the lovely hot tub lounging area which was a huge draw for the whole family in the early evenings before heading to our rooms to get ready for our nights out. The apartments are set is lush surroundings, well-kept grassy areas and covered in pretty floral blooms – really picturesque. 

View from our balcony at Irilena Studios, Lassi, Kefalonia - cameo from Mum

View from Irilena Studios, Lassi, Kefalonia

The hottub the girls loved at Irilena Studios, Lassi, Kefalonia

The staff at Irilena Studios were absolutely lovely too, and loved the girls, especially Bridget who used her Kalimera (good morning) and Pos se lene (what’s your name) to great advantage in the charm stakes.

The only downside to this accommodation was the stunning views came at the cost of a huge climb each evening. Based at the top of a steep incline, this was quite exhausting with the buggies, especially at the end of the night. It wouldn’t put us off of returning, but is worth noting – especially if you have a double buggy.

Beaches

Our daytime entertainment was mainly in beach visits – and we didn’t need to venture far from Lassi to enjoy the charms and beautiful scenery of several different beaches. I know some people love a kids club on holiday, but as we work, our days on holiday are best spent enjoying time together and the girls, like most children, love everything to do with the beach; from making sand castles or bigger sculptures, digging holes for Daddy to lay in, paddling in the sea and generally rolling round in the sand with an odd ice cream thrown in – bliss.

My favourite beach is Makris Gialos which is where the Costa Costa section is, the soft, cushioned beds and cabanas. Slightly more expensive than the other beaches, but I’d personally rather pay that little bit extra for the added comfort and the waiter service of food and drinks – their frappes, cocktails and club sandwiches are great. 

Me and Dan at Makris Gialos Beach, Lassi, Kefalonia

Paliostafida Beach

Beach fun in Kefalonia for Bridget and Beatrice

As a Mum of an under two, what I also found great here is there are wooden walkways around the beach to different spots which as well as making it easier to navigate with a buggy – means you can take little ones for a buggy walk to encourage them to have their daytime nap, which is really important in the Greek sunshine to ensure a happy tot.

Paliostafida Beach, by the Mediterranean Hotel is one of the busier beaches, another golden sanded, clear blue sea beach, which is easy for the children to paddle into, not too many rocks as you enter the sea. There is also a beach bar here within the hotel, and many people seemed to bring their own supplies onto the beach – great if you’re on a budget.

My Dad’s favourite was what we called the ‘grey beach’, actually named Gradakia Beach, and slightly closer to Irilena Studios, if a little off the beaten track to get there down a bit of a dirt track. It’s really pretty with grey sand and pebbles and slightly more quaint than the other, more commercial beaches. There’s a lovely little beach bar- very Instagrammable, and caves to explore which are in paddling height, so that was fun with the girls. 

Gradakia Beach, Lassi, Kefalonia

There’s a lovely, Greek taverna on the walkway back to the main road which has spectacular sea views and I can vouch that after a day on the beach offers the perfect pit-stop for a Mythos or a carafe of wine.

There are also some beautiful little coves of beach along the Fanari Road, which is the walk you take if you head to Argostoli on foot from Lassi. Some of them do take a bit of a climb up and down, so aren’t ones to take a buggy to, but great for exploring.

We did enjoy one day in Skala, as many had recommended the beaches there but found we preferred Lassi. You can get a return taxi to Skala from Lassi for 100 euro or there are buses from Argostoli.

Pools

We enjoyed a few days around a couple of the pools in Lassi too with the children. As long as you buy a few drinks or a meal around the hotel pools, most are more than happy for you to visit.

The Princess Hotel had a lovely big pool for swimming in, and a reasonable restaurant within too. We had a lovely gemiste (stuffed tomato) meal there for around 6 euros – all homemade and really delicious. There was also a huge grassy area out the back of the hotel, which was great for the girls for running around and burning off some energy.

We spent quite a bit of time at The Marianna Studios pool too; the staff here were really friendly and welcoming with the girls and they made a lovely frappe too. There was a little park area here too, but all metal, which wasn’t ideal in the sun.

One afternoon when the girls were having a snooze with Glen in the room, I had a lovely couple of slightly boozy hours at Logos Grand View with my brother and Chris, up another hill of Lassi. We enjoyed a cocktail in the sunshine at the infinity pool which had some fantastic views over the bay. Slightly more expensive than most of the bars in Lassi, but worth it for the views. 

Logos Grand View, Lassi, Kefalonia

Logos Grand View, Lassi, Kefalonia

Family fun

Exploring in general is always a great activity with children and the rather long walk along the Fanari Road into Argostoli from Lassi provided plenty of interest points, from climbing down to harder to reach beaches and coves, discovering pine cones and other natural items on our nature trail list, and of course exploring the St. Theodoros Lighthouse, spotting the waterwheel and the Italian war memorial. 

Dan and Bridget at the St. Theodoros Lighthouse, Argostoli, Kefalonia

Once into Argostoli the activity that Bridget and Beatrice probably enjoyed the most was spotting turtles in the lagoon, of which there are plenty. The joy of seeing one pop his head out or just floating just beneath the surface meant that we came home with a bounty of turtle-themed tut – a turtle bag a wooden turtle toy and even a dress with a turtle on it! 

Bridget and Beatrice with Nanny Vicky, turtle-spotting at Argostoli Lagoon, Kefalonia

Even more fun was the various activities at Arostoli Lagoon Activities. We enjoyed an afternoon on a pedalo just the four of us which was super fun, and another afternoon, my brother, Mum, Chris and I took the girls on a motorised boat around the lagoon turtle hunting and all having a go at driving and steering the temperamental boat. Lots of fun and both were around the twenty euro mark, with free bottled water, so not badly priced. 

Pedalo fun at Argostoli Lagoon Activities, Kefalonia

One of the days we took the ferry over to Lixouri and enjoyed an explore around there, including the huge adventure playground – we were quite lucky in that we chose a slightly cooler day, so the girls were free to enjoy the slides, swings, climbing frames and roundabouts – mingling with local Greek children which was lovely.

We also enjoyed the tourist train trip around Argostoli which pointed out various spots to us and kept us out of the mid-day sun for half an hour.

Eating out and evenings

Restaurants all around the Mediterranean are super accommodating of small children and babies and Kefalonia is no exception. Most places carry children’s menus and if you wanted a smaller portion of an adult’s dish, most places will oblige happily.

If your kids are fussy, you will find things like pizza and chicken nuggets on most children’s menus, but Greek food is so fab for kids, so I do urge to try and get them trying different things. Mine both enjoyed moussaka, pastitsio, pastichada and souvlaki, to name a few as well as various nibbles off of a few fish platters we enjoyed on afternoons at Makris Gialos Taverna, which had beautiful views overlooking the beach. As we tended to eat later as a whole, what we tried to do, was when we came off of the beach and fancied a beverage (Mythos for me) was order for the children, and then perhaps a dessert later when we were eating so they weren’t over-tired.

Lassi and Argostoli are both packed with restaurants and bars, so you’ll be spoilt for choice of where to eat and drink.

Stand-out meals and food venues for us in Argostoli were the Kefalonia Grand Hotel where we enjoyed some wonderful breakfasts, The Captain’s Table for traditional Greek food and a lovely head waiter who was very patient with my rarely used Greek, and Spathis Bakery for fantastic pastries, coffee and gelato. 

Breakfast at the Kefalonia Grand Hotel, Argostoli

In Lassi, we really liked Kefalos, which is a huge venue with a little playground at the back and really friendly staff – Bridget and Beatrice had more moussaka here then I can remember (they call it Greek meat pie) and we tried most of the Greek dishes on the menu. My parents really liked the English breakfast here too. Also the Makris Gialos Taverna is great for easy lunches with a great view. Also Mel’s which is like a little American themed diner style restaurant very close to where we stayed, was great for breakfast, home-made cakes and pastries and the girls absolutely loved their pancakes here too.

In Lassi, there are music bars with live acts, and traditional Greek bouzouki and dancing, which is fun, but if you are looking for non-stop evening activities for children, this isn’t the resort for you. Our children tend to nod off fairly early after jam-packed days in the sunshine and early evening meals, so the more laid back atmosphere here really suits us, and we enjoyed a few beers, wine or cocktails in the evenings before having relatively early nights.

Happy 30th wedding anniversary Nanny Vick & Grandad Les

 

We must call out Eden Bar which is so pretty, with loads of flowers and water features all around but the star attraction here is lovely Tina, who runs the place with her husband. She was such a gem with the girls to the point Bridget cried when we had to say goodbye to her, but we promised we would return. They also did great pizza and ice cream here. 

At our favourite Eden Bar, Lassi, Kefalonia

Lassi is a great family holiday destination if you love beach days, and easy nights like us. There are tons of trips around the island to various tourist spots, some of which I mentioned here such as Melissani Caves, Myrtos Beach and the Robbolo Winery if that is your thing; but if you like kicking back and enjoying some well-earned relaxation in beautiful surroundings whilst enjoying hearty, delicious, home-cooked Greek food and drinks, then give Lassi a whirl.

Moussaka - our Greek Meat Pie

Mousakka is a fantastic family meal and a great alternative to a cottage or shepherd’s pie but one which is equally devoured by my little ladies. Bridget calls this ‘Greek meat pie’ and her and Beatrice had it at least 7 times on our recent fortnight in Kefalonia – a firm favourite.

I favour the version which seems to be more prevalent in the Ionian Islands (Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos) which has a layer of potato in a creamy white sauce enriched with egg, rather than the more well-known layer of aubergine. If you would rather include aubergine instead, just slice an aubergine into 1cm slices, and dry fry for 30 seconds before layering on top of the meat.

I use beef, which again seems to be the norm in the Ionian Islands, but again in some parts of Greece, Turkey and he Balkans this is more traditionally lamb mince, it’s totally adaptable and down to your own personal preference.

It is very much a Greek cooking method to ‘enrich’ a sauce using a beaten egg, which is done here, but please do ensure you wait until the sauce has completely cooled otherwise your hard work will be reduced to scrambled egg.

You’ll be hard pushed to find a more satisfyingly rich meat sauce than a slow cooked Greek one. Greek food often gets a bad rap in the UK, but I think it’s fantastic and my family certainly agree.If you tried and liked the Patsitsio recipe recently - this is up there with that for delivering on flavour, comfort and pleasing all of the family.

Feeds 4-5 and I serve with salad.

Moussaka - our Greek Meat Pie

Here’s how:
The meat:

• Drizzle olive oil
• 500g steak mince
• 1 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
• 1 pinch salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 200ml red wine (I used Chianti as we had a bottle open)
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• Handful bay leaves

The topping:

• 4-5 white potatoes (I used desiree)
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 300ml whole milk
• 50g Grana Padana or Kefalotyri if you can get hold of it
• Nutmeg

I make the white sauce first by melting the butter into a non-stick pan, then slowly adding the flour and mixing the whole time with a wooden spoon to make a roux. Now slowly add the milk, mixing in the roux the whole time, pressing it down until it takes the form of the sauce rather than a big lump. Repeat until all of the milk is added, then add the grated cheese and a little nutmeg and continue cooking and stirring the whole time for a further five minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Now set aside away from the heat and allow to fully cool.

For the meat sauce, add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan, and place on a medium heat.

Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan. After a couple of minutes, add the mince, cinnamon and oregano and season generously. (You can leave out the salt if preparing for a small baby.)

Use a wooden spoon to break down the meat so it doesn’t clump together and once browned add the flour and mix well. This will help to thicken the final meat sauce.

Now add the red wine, passata and tomato puree, stir well and cook for 30 minutes until it has reduced down to a thick and unctuous ragu.

While the meat sauce is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut into slices about 1cm thick. Give them a good rinse then pour over boiling water add a pinch of salt and cook for five minutes, then drain.

By now the white sauce should have cooled sufficiently, so beat an egg in a separate bowl and then combine with the white sauce, mix well and it should add an extra glossiness to the sauce.

Once you are satisfied with the meat sauce, remove from the heat and spoon into an oven-proof dish.

Now layer the potatoes over so all of the meat is covered.

Now spoon over the white sauce, using the back of the spoon to spread out evenly and ensure everything has a coating of the sauce. The addition of the egg means this should help the topping to ‘hold’ well so once the dish is complete and you’re ready to dish up, you should be able to slice into neat squares of moussaka.

Scatter over the remaining grated cheese and a smidge more freshly grated nutmeg and this is ready for the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Moussaka - just out of the oven

Moussaka - a firm family favourite

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before portioning and plating up for the family. I serve with salad and this was enough for my family of four plus a generous portion for the following day’s lunch.

Here’s some of our other favourite Greek dishes:
Prawn Saganaki
Pastitsio
Briam
Gemistes
Feta & Spinach Open Tart
Greek Salad
Greek Chicken One Pot
Souvlaki
Tzatziki
Greek Yoghurt and Honey Baked Cheesecake

Travel with your children – it’s the best!

Reading this week about Karen Edwards and Shaun Bayes travels around the world with baby Esme I was filled with admiration – what an utterly fantastic experience for the new family of three.

The story stuck a chord with me – there’s nothing better than travelling with your family for introducing your little ones to rich new cultures and experiences. What a fantastic and fulfilling way to spend maternity leave too.

My own daughter, Bridget, is a month younger than Karen and Shaun’s daughter, and we have enjoyed several holidays in her sixteen months, when work has allowed; travelling to places such as Greece, Egypt and Hong Kong; for up to a fortnight at a time. We have streamlined ‘travel essentials’ for baby on each trip so I applaud Esme’s parents – how clever they must have had to pack.

Five month old Bridget in Egypt

Bridget aged nine months, Kefalonia

Bridget in Kowloon Park, Hong Kong aged 14months

During my pregnancy, I was warned against travelling with children by several people especially with young babies. When I mentioned at a baby shower that I was thinking of booking a trip abroad in the new year, with my four or five month old baby, an acquaintance laughed and said ‘good luck – you’ll change your mind when you realise how much stuff you’ll need.’ I didn’t.

I’m keen to dispel the myths surrounding travel with a baby or toddler – of course it can be challenging in terms of the actual journey – but the output far outweighs an only, potentially, troubling journey. Quality family time together, minus any at-home or work distractions is priceless; and introducing new types of places, food and people to your child will surely only shape the type of person they will grow into and teach them the importance of embracing different cultures. Most importantly the feel-good factor of travelling with the people you love most in the world is an incomparable high.

Here are my top tips having visited Egypt, Kefalonia and Hong Kong with Bridget aged at 5 months, 9 months and 14 months respectively:

• Nappies are universal. You might not get your usual brand – but unless going somewhere remote, you probably will. So save on space and just pack enough for the journey and the first day or two. This saves SO much space. 
• Get a new toy or book for the journey – this will hopefully capture little one’s attention long enough to avoid any mid-air/ on-road/on-water tantrums. Equally remember boarding a plane or boat is very exciting for little ones so make it into a real adventure for them.
• Travel with Calpol – there’s nothing worse than a screaming baby or child on a flight, especially when it’s your own. Bridget had a nightmare flight on the way back from Egypt with teething – luckily a quick dose of procured from the flight attendants calmed her right down.
• Research the cities or resorts you’re visiting – not everywhere will be baby/child friendly and some places will be a no-go with a buggy or pram too. Plan ahead and list the places you can go to. That said, if travelling with a partner or companion, you can take it in turns to do some of the non-baby-friendly activities. 
• Embrace the food for little ones too – providing little one’s aren’t just taking their very first solid mouthfuls – you’ll be likely to find things they can eat. We discovered Bridget absolutely loved moussaka, feta cheese and fresh pitta in Kefalonia and not a day went by in Hong Kong where she didn’t have a Char Sui Bao but we also let her try lots of other things including octopus! Introducing them to a wide range of foods from a young age will (hopefully) avoid them becoming a fussy eater.

Bridget enjoying octopus tentacles in Hong Kong

• That said, if you do have a fussy eater, or are worried take a good selection of little one’s favourite snacks.
• If travelling to warm climes, 100% make sure you have plenty of factor 50 for the little ones - the last thing you want is their skin getting sore from the sun. Also don't forget you'll be carrying/cuddling your baby or child so don't slap on the oil yourself or this may rub off on them and in turn lead to them burning!
• Don’t stress – the more you overthink or panic about the journey or the actual trip the more stressful it’s likely to become. By being as laid back as you can, will, at least in my experience make for a more enjoyable journey for all.

Captivated by Kefalonia

In June my partner Glen and I took our little, then nine month old, daughter Bridget on our first holiday as just the three of us – destination Kefalonia.

If you regularly read this blog, you will know I’m heavily influenced by Greek cuisine in my own cookery – I adore the flavours and I adore the Greek islands too. This was my first trip to Kefalonia and I can safely say it won’t be my last and I jotted down a few things to share, should anyone want any pointers if visiting the island.

We travelled with Olympic and stayed in the resort of Lassi at the charming and quaint Irilena Hotel. The hotel was named for the owner’s daughter, who in her early thirties was regularly seen at the hotel bar – however this was primarily the domain of her fiancé Aggi, and Tasos, both local men from Argostoli. We got on so well with both of these, they were just the friendliest people and my daughter adored both of them as they were constantly making a fuss of her. We would have a tipple in the bar each evening – sometimes until 2am and then Tasos would have to get up and go to work in his 9-5 job too in the town – but you never heard a word of complaint from him.

In terms of the rooms – they are fairly basic and typically Greek to be honest – although kept spotlessly clean and they have everything you could need as a base if you’re not spending too much time in the room. Athina – the owner was around each morning and again made such a fuss of the baby and was always checking did we have enough of everything in the room. She even gave up her own personal room on our last day so we could get Bridget and ourselves showered before our late flight. Nothing was too much at this hotel.

Lassi in general, as we learned, is a purely tourist resort – but this couldn’t take away from its’ charm. With a scattering of tavernas serving all of the local delicacies, such as Kefalonian meat pie, moussaka, stiffado and kleftiko there really was something for everyone. I won’t go through each and every restaurant as we did have good meals everywhere – but some of the restaurants in the resort of note, include Veronika’s, Butler’s House and Nefelli’s. We also had a fabulous night at Zorba’s where traditional dancing took place and the food was fantastic too. 

Feta topped Mushroom 

Kleftori Mushrooms

Beef Stiffado

Moussaka

Feta Saganaki and mix plate

Feta in the oven

We kept our week fairly low key, being as it was warm and we obviously had Bridget in tow. However this didn’t stop us venturing into Argostoli three days of the week. The bustling capital has some fabulous sites and was just an eight euro taxi ride away – I was very excited to see the fishermen selling their wares to local on the harbour-side. Argostoli is full of shops, bars and restaurants and if you were looking for some nightlife this would be the place to find it – on this part of the island at least. 

Argostoli harbour

Mid-way through the holiday we’d booked onto the island tour trip with Etam Travel and this was an absolute highlight. We took in some wonderful sites that are frankly must-see; Myrtos beach is that beautifully picturesque bay that is seen on postcards, in films and the like, and the view is truly spectacular. We were rowed through the Melissani Cave, a natural wonder, and traipsed down the Cave Drogarati too – a strangely eerie experience where you manage to feel incredibly cool, despite the outside temperature being over 90 degrees. Another highlight was visiting and tasting a selection of wines at the Robola Wine Co-Operative – where we also bought four bottles to bring home. We also visited the Monastery of St Gerassimos which was a moving experience – the people of Kefalonia call on this saint when in need even to this day and it brings back what a deeply religious place Greece can be. During the island tour we stopped for a couple of hours for lunch at Aghia Efimia a little fishing village where we enjoyed a lovely lunch and yet more beautiful views.

Myrtos Bay

Mellisani Cave

At Myrtos 

Aghia Efimia

I celebrated my 31st birthday whilst on the island and we took this opportunity to visit Lixouri – you take the ferry from Argostolli and on such a warm day, this was a pleasure in itself. We visited a little beach (I’m afraid I don’t recall the name) and had some cold drinks after about a thirty minute walk to find it. We then had a beautiful lunch in the main square of Lixouri – a platter of Greek specialities including Kefalonian meat pie, moussaka, dolmades, stuffed tomato, giant beans and a selection of dips – heavenly. 

Greek mix plate

My favourite experience of the week though has to be one we stumbled upon thanks to a female taxi driver we met – once again an example of how friendly and helpful a people the Kefalonians are. We asked to go to a different beach and Maria recommended one in Svoronata – she said it would be perfect as the water is shallow there for baby and slightly cooler as a result – she also told us the taverna there was so good that her family went there on special occasions, which we took with a pinch of salt wondering if she was recommending a friend or family’s business.

The beach was Avithos, and the restaurant To Enetiko – our best meal of the week by far. The beach was small and less busy than Costa Costa where we’d spent most of the week, it was perfect for Bridget – especially when she had a couple of naps. Peaceful and tranquil would be accurate descriptions. The food at the taverna was exceptional and makes my mouth water even thinking about it. We were greeted with home baked bread, olives and a tapenade and ordered a couple of Mythos beers to quench the thirst built up in the gorgeous sunshine. We shared the squid starter and it was the freshest, most tender, and flavourful version I have ever had – it literally tasted of the sea, in a good way. Glen had the special of the day, a slow-cooked rabbit dish in a tomato stew and I had my favourite prawn saganaki. Both were gorgeous. 

Calamari

Prawn saganaki

We did spend a fair bit of time on Costa Costa Beach too and if you have little ones or like some proper shade from the sun, they hired out gorgeous white cabanas for 30 euros for the day which were ideal for keeping Bridget out of the sun. And another tip off if you can manage an uphill walk, is to visit Logos Beach Bar in Lassi – logos meaning hill means a beautiful view up there and perfect for watching the magnificent sunset – the perfect setting for a boozy cocktail.

Me at Logos Beach Bar

Having got to know Aggis and Tasos throughout the week and making friends with them, I had expressed my disappointment at not finding a good place for gyros or souvlaki in Lassi – having worked in Corfu previously this is a favourite item and I was so looking forward to it. They told us that you had to have a special licence to cook ‘on the spit’ and that the best place by far was To Karvouno and that they would happily deliver to the hotel. So on our day of departure we had a pita gyros with pancetta belly pork. We had one each, some chips and a feta salad and the entire meal cost 15 Euros and was one of the most enjoyable meals of our week in Kefalonia.

Pork Pancetta Gyros 

Kefalonia is the most captivating island I’ve ever visited and I’ve been raving about it ever since and cannot wait to return. If you haven’t been – I strongly advise you do.

Greek Briam - Glorious Summer Vegetable Stew

Briam is a wonderful Greek vegetable stew that can be adapted according to what's in season - or in the larder. It's a great vegetarian main course that takes very little preparation but tastes fabulous and is economical too.

I've experimented with recipes from several online sources as well as one from The Food and Cooking of Greece - a wonderful book which gives lots of information about ingredients used in Greek cookery and the history and origin of many dishes. With a little trial and error, the below recipe is the one I believe most resembles the delectable dish I associate with my beloved Corfu and glorious hot summer nights. 

This will serve four people with rice and some fresh, crusty bread. 

Here's how:

200g peeled potatoes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Handful fresh cherry tomatoes
1 courgette
1 onion
1 green pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 bay leaf
1tbsp dried oregano
1tsp sea salt
Pinch of peppercorns
1/2 glass of red wine 
Couple strands of celery
1/2 pint of vegetable stock

Firstly peel the potatoes and chop into small cubes, rinse then parboil. 

In the meantime slice the onions and garlic and add to a deep casserole dish. Halve the courgette and then halve again and chop into equal discs about the thickness of a pound coin and throw into the dish.

Cut the pepper into similar sized chunks as the courgette and cut the tomatoes in half and add both. 

Peel the carrot and chop into fine oblongs. Chop the celery and add both to the casserole dish.

Add the tin of tomatoes, the drained potatoes (drain when you can pierce the flesh with a fork easily) and the red wine.

Add the bay leaf, seasoning and oregano and pour over the vegetable stock and 2 tbsp olive oil and give a good stir. Place the lid on and pop into the oven for 2.5 hours at around 150-160 degrees. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking and stir every 40 minutes or so.