Evelyn Hannon

One of the questions my pals always ask when I come home from a journey is, 'How was the food?' And that makes sense. Food is such a lovely part of a destination's cultural experience and as a solo traveller I always seek out restaurants where I can discover new dishes prepared in innovative ways.

Recently, as a member of the press, I was invited on a five-day Trafalgar Guided Vacation in Northern California (San Francisco, Sonoma and the Napa Valley). This time I had no seeking to do as our group of writers sampled culinary goodies from itineraries listed in their 2013 catalogue. What a treat!

For foodies, bus tours probably conjure up images of meal stops at large restaurants by the highway or brightly lit rooms in hotels where guests are seated uncomfortably at one long table and served mediocre food.

Quite the contrary, on this press sampling itinerary each restaurant we stopped at was a popular place the locals dined at as well. Our choices generally included dishes listed on the regular menu and in true California style the emphasis was on local produce acquired within a 60 mile radius. Service was excellent and each meal was topped off with a gorgeously decadent choice of desserts.

Here is my Journeywoman album of the delightful desserts I tasted in California. After you scroll through the photos you'll understand why my scale berated me when I got home. I didn't listen. It was worth the extra pound or two.