Leave your shoes behind

FOR me the word “resort” immediately rings alarm bells — not my kind of holiday.

So when I was invited to cook a Slow Food dinner and give a cookery class in exchange for a few days’ holiday on a remote island resort in the Maldives called Soneva Fushi, I was a bit “iffy”. The name meant nothing to me but when I mentioned it in passing to a well-travelled friend he was adamant that this was not an opportunity to pass up — after all it was chosen as Resort of the Year and Best Island Retreat 2010 By Condé Nast Traveller.

One can fly directly from Gatwick to Malé, an easy 10 hour flight.