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She wonders if she should be investing elsewhere in the meantime. She also has no protection policies.While she has been renting in south London for the past two years, her fianc?Alex, 26, owns a flat in west London that is being rented out while he studies in the US. It will write to those customers affected by 22 June to explain its actions.Abbey is also to re-examine its overall handling processes.The bank's supply of "potentially misleading" information relates to the months of April and May in 2002, when it told the FSA that it was already applying advice given to it by the regulator regarding the complaints-handling process. Abbey said it would now review all mortgage complaints from 1 January 2000 - a total it put at around 50,000 because some have already been resolved - and pay redress where appropriate. Although the 1990s war is rarely mentioned, its ghost lingers. Some effects are obvious: farming techniques were put on hold, vineyards and olive groves left untended. Considering these challenges, Istria has come a long way in a very short time.GIVE ME THE FACTSHow to get thereRachel Spence travelled to Istria as a guest of Hidden Croatia (0871-208 0075; ).
The company offers seven-night gourmet tours of the area from £799 per person, based on two people sharing.The price includes return flights from London Gatwick to Pula, car hire and b&b accommodation in a classic double room at the Hotel San Rocco.Further informationContact the Croatian National Tourist Office (020-8563 7979; ).. Mr Michelin should pay a visit here.After a weekend in Istria, it's impossible not to be impressed by the energy and talent of a generation determined to do the best they can with a land blessed by nature, yet cursed by conflict. Course after course of exquisitely crafted dishes with black truffles - the white season is autumnal - take centre stage: they arrive diced into a croquette of celery; shaved under duck foie gras; grated into a , saffron risotto; flavouring the marinaded raisins with our cr? br?. Left by irresponsible hunters, they are a symptom of the ruthlessness that has infected this once serene activity. The smuggling trade across the Italian border is thriving; good dogs are at risk of poisoning from rivals.Time to taste truffles at their best. A five-minute ride up the hill brings us to Enoteca Barbacan in Motovan, the medieval hilltown that overlooks the forest. The process of finding them, however, is much more down-to-earth.At 8am, we trot obediently into the Motovan forest behind Marica.
She in turn is tracking Baffo, a nondescript mongrel whose snub snout skims the undergrowth like a canine vacuum cleaner. That morning, he draws a blank but Marica is more irritated by the uncovered holes she finds. It took a group of Italians laying water pipes in the Motovan valley early last century to recognise the muddy roots for the money-spinning edibles they were Now truffle-hunting is big business. The black sell for around €300 (£220) per kilo; the white for a staggering €5,000 (£3,600). In the distance, a band of forest stretches down to the sea.That night, we head to Porec, a Romanesque-Venetian coastal town. Our restaurant, Sv Nikola (St Nicholas), lies on a harbour as pretty as any on the Riviera yet deserted save for oneyacht. Waiting on the terrace is Roman, a young man whose model-trendy looks belie his proprietorial status.
