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At certain times of the year in the garden – after hours of watering, talking to the plants and pruning – it’s time to act. With basil, that means pesto. There’s no need for us to buy it and anyway, the shop-bought packets and jars here are invariably way too sweet. With our own olive … Continue reading
[This event is now over.] Following our previous post about Venta Maria reopening, we continue the food theme but this time a post with an ‘eat by’ date – IV Ruta de la Tapa 2018. Running until next Sunday (2 December), it’s a chance to savour different tapas offered up by the bars and restaurants … Continue reading
There’s been an American in Paris, an Englishman in New York, and now; an Italian in Órgiva – a bar, that is. The much-missed Venta Maria bar closed down a couple of years ago only to be reopened by the World’s most miserable owners who would greet you, arms folded, as if you’d shot their … Continue reading
Head for Capileira – one of the ‘pueblos blancos‘ of the region – and a restaurant awaits offering something more spicy than traditional Spanish food – and in a place you’d least expect. El Jardin de los Sabores (‘Garden of Flavours’) is a lovely spot with spectacular valley views. You can wile away a leisurely … Continue reading
La Alpujarra is simply beautiful as anyone who lives here – or has visited – will testify. It’s not the first time we’ve stumbled upon a TV programme about the area and here’s another. It’s basically a long, but lovely, advert focusing on the food typical of the region. In short, a chef – ‘Atleta … Continue reading
A day rarely passes without a coffee at some point. It’s either a café con leche (with milk), a solo (like an espresso) or a cortado (a solo with a splash – or ‘cut’ – of milk). Like Italy, it’s hard to get a truly awful coffee in Spain, but it can happen. Here’s our guide … Continue reading
The sleepy and genteel town of Lanjarón is peppered with both fountains and bars, several of which we visit regularly. A favourite over the last year is Restaurante Asador Parque on the road out of town, in the direction of Granada. We watched its construction and thought ‘not another restaurant – how can they all compete?’ but … Continue reading
The Spanish generally don’t like chillis; the only dish we see them in is gambas pil-pil (prawns in olive oil, garlic and chilli, often served in small terracotta dishes – cazuelas). Spicy hot dishes rarely feature on menus which is a surprise seeing as Spain has been influenced for centuries by those who have arrived here: the … Continue reading
We cook most evenings and try different dishes when we can. As fans of Moro (here’s our post about their restaurant in London) we often delve into their fabulous first cookbook, published in 2001. Last night it was the turn of croquetas con jamón and berenjenas con ajo, hierbabuena y chile (aubergine with garlic, mint and … Continue reading
On our frequent trips along the old Roman road that stretches from Cádiz to Almería – first the Costa Tropical, then the Costa del Sol – we discover new places to eat. Sometimes we just keep driving with the music blaring and arrive in Málaga to enjoy its maze of streets, plazas and, a favourite spot, the … Continue reading
This isn’t a food review but to report back about a fabulous little seafood bar we discovered just off the beach in Almuñécar. It’s called Lute y Jesús, one of several outlets in the town. This place is more a fish ´n chip shop than a restaurant – the only seats are outside. We ate just … Continue reading
A snaking road just past Torvizcón takes you on a stunning journey up the Sierra de la Contraviesa. In 16km only two cars squeezed by us as we headed for Europe’s highest vineyard. At 1400m above sea level this was the first time in Spain we experienced absolute silence; no breeze, no dogs, no flies, … Continue reading
To Lanjarón in search of a damn fine cup of coffee – and we found it. Having lived in London where the choice of coffee establishments – from the old, formica-tabled cafés of Soho to the muffins and chrome of Costa – can be overwhelming, here it’s easier to plonk yourself down with a cortado and … Continue reading
We awoke early and headed to a friend’s olive grove, the oxalis – yet to show its yellow flowers – was crisp underfoot in the cold air. Two gigantic nets were laid beneath the first tree and off we went, agitating each branch with bamboo sticks to remove the olives. Hitting and shaking the branches resulted … Continue reading
Such is the joy of discovering a ‘new’ city that stumbling across things – fountains, alleyways with exquisite balconies, bohemian bars and pop-up bookstalls – means there’s always something you’ve not seen before. Just an olive stone’s throw away from the cathedral we were drawn through the entrance of San Agustín market – a vibrant … Continue reading
con jamón spain 