Travelling, for me, is always a combination of intense preparation and let’s just see what happens. You plan some of it, you make random choices, you change your mind and end up going in a different direction. You see some something in a guidebook or on a menu that catches your eye.

Will the plans come together? Or will you miss out this time?

That’s liquorice panna cotta.

What on earth does that have to do with anything, you may well ask? And it’s a good question. With a long-ish back story….

Back in 2015, we found ourselves in Fox Glacier on the South Island of New Zealand. We’d added it to our itinerary for a couple of reasons, not just to explore the glacier but also as a base to visit Lake Matheson, famous for its clear reflections of the Southern Alps (I’d passed this way before in 2004, but didn’t get to visit Lake Matheson – time, weather and access got in the way).

Fox is a small town with a few different dining options, as well as the fall back of the kitchen at our very cosy hostel. On our first night, we went for a little wander, checking out the different menus. We were intrigued by the concept of liquorice panna cotta on one menu, but we settled on the pizza place across the road.

Maybe we’d go back for dessert later? But we didn’t.

Repeat over the next three days… we kept coming back past the liquorice panna cotta restaurant but never quite made it through the door. By the time we were absolutely convinced we would give it a try, the restaurant was closed for lunch that day.

And then it was time to leave.

No liquorice panna cotta.

Not this time. Maybe next time?

You arrive a day too late for a theatre performance. Or pass through somewhere on a Monday, which just happens to be the day the museum is closed. The train leaves at 11 but the gallery doesn’t open until 12. It takes 2 hours to hike to the lookout and back but you only have an hour to spare. The bus doesn’t run on Wednesdays. The weather just isn’t kind and the plane can’t fly. It looks interesting but not quite interesting enough. You can always do it next time.

I’ve been collecting liquorice panna cotta moments for as long as I’ve been travelling… they’ve just only had a name since 2015.

Sometimes, like with Lake Matheson, the chance comes around again. And it is definitely worth the wait.

But not always – we’ve still not tried liquorice panna cotta!