“George be careful. Don’t wear any jewellery and make sure you have your eyes wide open. Peru is dangerous.”

That’s what I was told before arriving in the incredible, magical and wonderful city called Lima. I now want to throw that person under the bus! I love them, but geez, they got it wrong. I fell in love with Peru. Well, not when I think of the time they beat my beloved Socceroos at the World Cup two-nil, but the food and the people are 100 per cent wonderful.

In a nutshell, you will never taste ingredients anywhere else like those native to Peru. The flavours are complex and interesting; I felt like a baby tasting watermelon for the first time. It’s why I love this foodie life I lead so very much. Experiences like this challenge me; continue to make me think, dream and sometimes feel like I know nothing at all.
• Stay at the Country Club Hotel in Lima. They have a cool old-world bar called Bar Inglés. Treat yourself to a pisco sour or two, but be warned, I learned they contain 90ml (three shots) of pisco (a Peruvian brandy). A couple will have you dancing on the tables! (Calle Los Eucaliptos 590)

• Be sure to visit the Surquillo produce market for an understanding of the amazing local food. Seriously, it will blow your mind. I have been consuming maca in powdered form for years, and for the first time I got to see the real deal. There is so much to do and so much to eat. (Block 53, Paseo de la Republica)
• The food scene is going off in Lima and massive cred must go to three great chefs at the top of their game: Gastón Acurio, the godfather of Peruvian cuisine, Virgilio Martínez of Central, who is super cutting-edge and massively interesting, and Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura of Maido, who is cooking some of the most delicious Peruvian- Japanese dishes I have ever eaten.
• La Mar Cebicheria is owned by Acurio  and this place is so much fun. Be sure to
order the amazing Peruvian doughnuts made of sweet potato. (Av. Mariscal La
Mar 770)
• Astrid y Gastón is the flagship restaurant of Acurio and his wife, Astrid Gutsche. Gutsche is an extraordinary pastry chef; her potato, saffron, kumquat and honey dessert, La Papa, is mouth- wateringly delicious. (Av. Paz Soldán 290)

• Martínez, at the helm of Central, is not only a lovely man but an incredible chef. The food is challenging, new and so interesting. Visit with an open mind for a journey out of this world. (Av. Pedro de Osma 301)