Go in search of the world’s finest cuisine as we unveil hidden culinary gems...A holiday doesn’t just have to be about escaping from everyday life. Choose your destination carefully and a vacation can actually lead you to some of the world’s best culinary hotspots. Top50Ranches.com unveils some culinary experiences that will make your vacation as stimulating and inspiring as it is relaxing.It may not be the most obvious choice of destination, but going Stateside can offer up a surprisingly diverse choice of culinary experiences. Take Triple Creek Ranch in Montana, USA, where Executive Chef Jacob Leatherman embraces a variety of global influences in his culinary creations – from traditional French dishes to innovative Southwestern, West Indies, Central American and other international fusion.Eating dishes prepared by the best chefs in the world doesn’t have to come with a price tag if you know where to look. Hidden in the wilds of Colorado at Zapata Ranch is the restaurant of award-winning chef Mike Rosenburg, whose resumé includes Personal Chef for the Carnegie family and JFK Jr.'s wedding, guaranteeing diners an unforgettable culinary experience.But great cuisine doesn’t always come from of Michelin-starred kitchens. Some of the best food you’ll ever taste is often cooked by the family, for the family, and served family-style around the dining table – like that at Latigo Ranch, where owners Randy and Lisa George prepare hearty, healthy and delicious meals themselves. Feel like part of the family as you feast on all-American dishes around the family dining table – including steak fry, sweet potato muffins and peanut butter pie... or more adventurous pairings such as swordfish with watermelon. Just don’t forget to leave room for the homemade caramel corn waiting for you back at your room!Be inspired by Top50Ranches.com’s Top 5 Recipe IdeasSampling unique and creative cuisine is a great way to glean inspiration for menus to create when you return home from vacation. Top50Ranches.com has chosen its Top 5 Vaca Recipes guaranteed to enthuse your tastebuds…1. Add sweetness to your savories – try Kettle House Beer Braised Pork Shoulder with Calimyrna Figs and Melted Leeks, a seasonal favorite on the menu created by Chef Joshua E Drage at five-star dining spot The Ranch at Rock Creek, located in Montana, USA.2. Hearty and homemade doesn’t come better than Free Rein Ranch’s exotic-inspired grilled fish with mango salsa served with baby spinach salad and cranberry vinaigrette... Or travel to this British Columbia hotspot for its simple yet elegant Wild West Salmon with baby new potatoes and asparagus. Who said homemade had to mean boring?3. Get all nostalgic on a trip to Majestic Dude Ranch, Colorado, where all-American fireside treats such as smores, fresh baked cookies and milk take centre stage. Then huddle up with a bag of freshly-popped popcorn to make that outdoor movie extra special.4. Seasonal and traditional creations by Danish Chef Henrik Mortenson and Evelyn Chrystal at Snowy River Horseback Adventures, in the wilds of Australia, are sure to inspire. Try prime cut of Cattleman’s served on roasted root vegetables and topped with a red wine sauce… Rack of Lamb Tarragon, creamed garlic potatoes, seasonal fresh vegetables… Finished off with apple and rhubarb crumble with ice cream.5. Be brave with beef and take a leaf from the recipe book of Estancia Los Potreros, in Argentina. 'Asado' is this culinary hotspot’s special beef barbeque, while European-inspired dishes ¬like ‘Osobuco’, a Milanese specialty of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth, will have you itching to try your hand to some adventurous beef recipes.Where the wine is as good as the foodChoosing the best wine to match your meal just got easier, thanks to wine tasting vacations at Estancia Los Potreros. Sample the resort’s own-label wine, which uses the traditional Argentine Malbec and Torrentes grapes, and be advised on the best varieties to pair with the local Argentine dishes gracing Los Potreros’s extensive menu – which also features a full range of vegetarian options sumptuous enough to tempt even the most ardent meat eaters.Continue your wine journey with a trip north to Vista Verde, in Colorado, which offers a plethora of wine tasting vacations. Use your new-found knowledge to match your choice of wine with any one of the restaurant’s delicious dishes, which take influence from Western and Southern American, Italian and regional Mexican cuisine.From guilt-free food to guilty pleasuresEthical menus created around locally sourced produce are becoming ever more popular, just like that served up at Free Rein in British Columbia, Canada. Advocates of the "100 Mile" diet, Free Rein buy as much produce as possible from local suppliers within a 100 mile radius. The result? Fresh, healthy and delicious food as clear on the palate as it is on the conscience.
Echo Valley Ranch and Spa in British Columbia, Canada, grows and produces much of its own food, which is then created into a variety of healthy, gourmet meals. The ranch even accommodates special diets - life-style dishes such as 'Eat for Your Blood Type' are often incorporated into the menu plan. Intruiged? Have your blood type identified at the ranch, before being advised as to which foods are the most beneficial - and detrimental - to your health. This is one ranch vacation that really could change your life!For a culinary experience less easy on the conscience (and the waistline), The Hideout Ranch in Wyoming, USA, offers the ultimate in guilty pleasures with chocolate clinics held by visiting Belgian artisan chocolate-makers. Taste some of the finest chocolate in the world, then learn how to use it as an ingredient in some unusual yet delicious savory recipes.Inspired by Top50’s selection of foodie getaways?Whichever you opt for, your foodie vacation is guaranteed to take your tastebuds on a culinary journey – but you might be surprised to discover that the food isn’t the only highlight of these vacation hotspots… Because they are all, in fact, western ranch vacations! From luxury dude ranches, to guest ranches and authentic working ranches, each of Top50Ranches’ hidden culinary gems will allow you to saddle up cowboy style for a real ranch experience. And what better way to work up an appetite for some of the best culinary experiences in the world than a day in the saddle, living the Western dream and taking in some of the most breathtaking scenery the world has to offer?Go on, satisfy your gastronomical expectations and take a once in a lifetime experience, with a western ranch vacation from Top50Ranches.com.