The Best Mediterranean Destinations For Fresh Ingredients

Fabio Bragagnolo says: “I use local marjoram in a passata of green beans, morels and port wine. And because the flowers and herbs of Corsica are so fragrant, the honey is wonderful. The Valentini family, based near Bastia, has been keeping bees for 20 years – I serve duck glazed with this liquid gold.

“The seafood found off the coast of Corsica is some of the finest in the Mediterranean. There is a sea bass I use in a cannelloni with spider crab, caviar and bergamot. And one of my favourite dishes uses red tiger prawns with a shellfish sauce and crispy algae on top of gnudi (a pasta dish similar to gnocchi or the inside of ravioli) of chard and brocciu – a local cheese.”

Need to know: As well as wonderful food Corsica is also a wine-lover’s paradise with a great selection of family-owned estates.

Marc Fosh says: “The soil is fertile and there’s a great micro-climate year-round, so Mallorca produces some of the best olive oil in the world. I use an arbequina olive oil in a chocolate truffle, with a roasted red pepper jelly.

“I’ve also never had prawns as intensely flavoured as the red gambas de Sóller, named after the fishing port in the north. I often use them for carpaccio to accompany our yellow gazpacho. The way I create dishes often starts with one tiny ingredient – for example, I was looking at aloe vera in my garden and ended up with a dish of traditional salt cod, poached in milk, glazed with aloe vera, accompanied by a pea and lemongrass soup.”

Need to know: If you are a fan of gin, consider a visit to Ginbo at Passeig de Mallorca in Palma where they have more than 100 gins and all sorts of tonics.

Antonio Mellino says: “Lemons, tomatoes, walnuts, courgettes and olives of the Amalfi Coast are incomparable to those I can find anywhere else in the world. The courgettes, for example, are smaller and have a much more intense flavour. I grow them myself and use them in my signature dish, linguine alla Nerano – the only other ingredient is parmesan – as well as my sea bass in courgette cream.

“The cuisine of Campania is simple but full of flavour: dishes such as gnocchi alla Sorrentina – baked in tomato sauce with buffalo mozzarella – or paccheri (large pasta tubes) with tomato and scorpion fish. The fish I use most is red snapper, caught within a few hundred metres of the restaurant. You must finish your meal with the best digestivo: our home-grown and home-made limoncello.”

Need to know: Some of the best markets to pick up fresh produce are in Piano di Sorrento, on the northern coast of the peninsula.

Giancarlo Morelli: “I use Sardinia’s amazing wild herbs with soft cheese as a filling for fried panzerotti to accompany cold meats. Myrtle is the flavour that sums up Sardinia for me and I serve a panzanella (Tuscan bread salad) with tuna that has been lightly smoked and perfumed with myrtle.”

Need to know: In Abbiadori, outside Porto Cervo, there is a very good bakery and pasticceria called Sa Conca, as well as greengrocers and other shops that are supplied by local farmers and shepherds and offer real freshness and quality.