Cheesy chips Québécois style

A lovely post from Steph - rather than freezing our butts off in the UK, we could be getting uber-cold in Montreal. Sounds so good though!

Today, while wandering around Soho looking for an appetising lunch, I found myself far removed from the elbow-shoving, bustling masses intent on finishing their Christmas shopping, as I stared wistfully up at the sky. What a gorgeous day. And it’s fresh, wintry blue-sky days like today that take me back to a two-week Christmas break in Montréal.

OK, so the freshness of a Montréal winter day differs from a London winter day by about 30 or so degrees but you see where I'm going with this. The air is in fact so cold that inhaling becomes almost euphoric in its freshness and you can't help but marvel at the magical frozen stalactites that have formed in your nostrils. After ten minutes you begin to suffer a lesser-known ailment known as face ache and after fifteen minutes... well, who knows because by this point you're indoors gasping.

It is cold in Montreal.

So you will often spot chilly Montréalers warming their tummies with a bowl of local delicacy poutine. This holy trinity of fries, gravy and cheese curds is the quintessential Québécian comfort food and is best enjoyed with a mug of beer.

And what more could you want from a winter break? Check out these bars as recommended by Vicky Baker in today’s Guardian and I defy you not to Google ‘cheap flights Quebec’. Let me save you the trouble: head straight to Zoom Airlines or Canadian Affair. Don’t forget your mittens.