Some stories begin at our kitchen table or on the road. Others begin with a question that deserves careful research. Both can be useful to a reader; the important thing is not to pretend they are the same.

• First-hand accounts draw on meals we have prepared, ingredients we have used, places we have visited, people we have met and experiences we can describe directly.
• Research-led guidance draws on reliable sources, official information, local providers and other evidence suited to the subject. We do not present a researched overview as a personal visit or review.
• Family and community knowledge may include recipes, memories and context shared by relatives, friends or other contributors. We use contributions with permission and keep their source and meaning clear.

Experience belongs to the person who had it. Oliver and Natalia have travelled both individually and together; when a story reflects one person’s journey, we do not turn it into a shared family experience. We also avoid making one person’s memory stand in for an entire region, culture or household.

Food is at the heart of what we do. We share dishes we cook at home, family favourites, recipes shaped by memory and the food traditions we encounter along the way. Our ingredient guides look at flavour, uses, storage, substitutions and the people and places behind what we eat.

When we describe a recipe as tested or prepared, it has been made in a real kitchen using the method presented. That does not mean every ingredient brand, appliance, dietary adaptation or substitution has also been tested. Where we have adapted a recipe or followed a family version, we explain its basis when that context matters.

Recipes change as they pass between households and generations. We share the version we know and make room for other regional and family variations. We do not claim to have cooked a dish, handled an ingredient or tested a method unless we have.

Some travel pages are personal notes from places we have visited. Others are researched guides designed to help with planning. We make that distinction clear and do not imply that we have stayed at a hotel, eaten at a restaurant or used a service unless we have.

We check changeable details such as opening times, prices, transport, access and entry requirements as carefully as we can. These details can change after publication, so readers should confirm important information with the provider or relevant official authority before travelling or booking. Where timing matters, we give the date or context of the information when available.

A recommendation is not a promise that a place will suit everyone. Payment, a complimentary experience or an affiliate arrangement does not buy a favourable opinion. We describe what we know, explain the limits of that knowledge and leave readers room to make their own decision.

We choose sources to suit the question. For food handling, public health, travel requirements and safety, that usually means checking relevant official guidance or recognised specialist sources. For cultural history, ingredients and local practices, we look for sources with a clear connection to the subject and take care not to flatten different traditions into one simple account.

Where a claim matters to the reader, we identify useful sources in the article so the information can be checked. A family memory, a personal observation and a published fact are not interchangeable. When we draw on another person’s work, we add context where it helps and do not simply reproduce someone else’s reporting.

Information changes and mistakes happen. When a reader reports a possible error, we review the detail and check the evidence. We correct a page when a correction or meaningful update is needed. We change the visible update date after a substantive editorial change, not simply to make a page appear new.

To report a correction, email [email protected]. Please include the page address, the detail in question and a reliable source where one is available.

Mangoes & Palm Trees is co-founded by Oliver and Natalia Mayerhoffer. Oliver leads the writing and publishing. Natalia is a co-founder, teacher and dentist by training; she contributes to recipe development and cooking, cultural and ingredient research, writing, editing, photography and planning family journeys.

Natalia has a long-standing personal interest in nutrition, but she does not hold a formal nutrition qualification. We do not describe her as a nutritionist or dietitian. Where a page touches on health or nutrition, we distinguish personal interest from professional expertise and use suitable specialist sources for claims that need them.

Our son Victor sometimes offers his own view of food and family travel. We may include it when it gives readers a useful child’s perspective, but one child’s preferences are not a test standard or a rule for every family.

When relatives, friends or other contributors share a story, photograph or recipe, we seek permission, agree how it may be used and take care not to change its meaning. We credit contributors where appropriate and respect any agreed attribution.

Read more about Oliver, Natalia and the family behind the publication.

Mangoes & Palm Trees is a human-led publication. Public-facing articles, recipe text and first-hand travel accounts are written and edited by the family or named human contributors. We do not publish generative-AI-written editorial copy, and we do not use AI to draft or rewrite public-facing stories, invent memories, visits, interviews, quotations, cooking tests or results.

Digital tools, including AI-assisted tools, may help with behind-the-scenes technical or administrative work such as website maintenance, formatting, accessibility checks, schema implementation and workflow organisation. They do not replace the people responsible for reporting, cooking, research, judgement and the final published words.

The family remains accountable for what appears on the site. We check factual claims, review the finished page and correct it when needed.

Some pages contain affiliate links. A retailer or affiliate network pays us a commission when a reader makes a qualifying purchase or booking through one of those links. We may also receive a product, meal, stay, ticket or service at no cost or at a reduced rate, or consider a paid collaboration.

When a commercial relationship is connected with published content, we identify it clearly where readers encounter the related recommendation. If only particular links or recommendations are commercial, we make those parts identifiable. If a page is primarily promotional or built around affiliate-linked products, we make its advertising nature clear at the start. We use plain labels such as Ad or Advertising and explain the relationship; we do not rely on a note buried at the bottom of a page or on vague labels such as “gifted” or “affiliate” alone.

A gift, payment or invitation does not guarantee coverage, a link or a positive assessment. We retain control over the subject, research, wording, images, links and final decision to publish. We do not publish a client’s pre-written article as though it were our independent editorial work. If we proceed with a collaboration, the family develops and edits the content and makes the final editorial decisions.

Paid and affiliate links should also carry appropriate link attributes, including rel="sponsored" where applicable. That technical signal does not replace the plain-language disclosure readers need to see. For details of commissions, gifts, advertising labels and commercial enquiries, read our Affiliate Disclosure.

Some pages include interactive features such as recipe scalers, ingredient tools, maps, checklists and practical calculators. They are provided as general information to help readers explore options. Their outputs depend on the information entered and the assumptions behind the tool; they should not be treated as a guarantee or a personalised assessment.

Our tools and general articles are not a substitute for individual medical, dental, nutritional, legal or travel-safety advice from a suitably qualified professional or relevant official authority. Where a decision has health, safety or legal consequences, check with the appropriate professional or authority.