We are delighted to hear that our good friends at Celler de Can Roca Restaurant in Girona have received yet another award!    Yesterday, in Paris, Continue Reading »

January in Northern Spain can be lovely!   This weekend it was so beautiful – yes, a little on the chilly side, but oh with a big and strong sun shining down on the whole garden, that we decided that a barbecue was in order, albeit we were definitely going to eat everything inside!!! Continue Reading »

Madridfusion the International Gastronomy Summit, brings together elite chefs and experts in the culinary field to discuss avant-garde trends, the evolution of tastes and new food habits.

The latest culinary creations are launched, Continue Reading »

Gastronomy and products distinguished with the food quality mark are taking part in the 15th Extra Virgin Oil Show and the 49^TH Les Garrigues Fair, which will be held from 20 to 22 January 2012 in the Les Borges Blanques Oil Pavilion Lleida, The Fair promotes Continue Reading »

The celebration originates from the New Testament where it is stated that the kings, Melchor, Gaspar and Balthasar, travelled by night from afar to bring gifts to Jesus, whom they recognized as the Son of God. As well as being regal, the Three Kings are depicted as wise men, whose very wisdom is proved by their acknowledgement of Christ’s divine status. Arriving from three different directions, Continue Reading »

Feliz Navidad from Gourmand Breaks!

Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and a Healthy & Prosperous New Year 2012

Christmas is really a rather religious time in Spain. It officially begins on December 8, with the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is celebrated each year in front of the great Gothic cathedral in Seville with a ceremony called Los Seises or the “dance of six”.

A very important Christmas symbol in Spain is the Nativity scene, which can be seen in plazas in both cities and small towns throughout the country and which are also displayed prominently in the doorways and entrances of many Spanish homes.  In many small towns there may even be a live Nativity scene, with actors and actresses playing the parts of Mary and Joseph and the three wise men Continue Reading »

Barcelona was chosen to celebrate the presentation party of the new Spain Michelin Guide 2012, which took place last night at the Palace in all its splendor.  The party continued at the bar “Rien de Rien” – a coincidence or a very appropriate joke under the circumstances? The closing of many restaurants, including El Bulli, resulted in the Michelin Guide Spain 2012 showing poorer results than ever this year. As expected, there is no new 3 star restaurant in Spain Continue Reading »

The Spanish makers of extra virgin olive oil, Castillo de Canena, based in Canena (Jaén, Andalucia), have received yet another award, one more to add to the many they have received over recent years.  This one is just about the most prestigious yet!

In the 2012 edition of the  Flos Olei, the definitive Italian olive oil Guide headed up by Marco Oreggia, Castillo de Canena  receives an amazing 97 points out of a possible 100 – the highest number of points given to any of the 1000 olive oils reviewed.  Flos Olei, considered the olive oil equivalent of Robert Parker’s guide to the world of wine, had already awarded the Jaén based olive oil 96 points in its 2011 edition.

Marco Oreggia’s well known guide to the world’s best extra virgin oils has a very strict evaluation process, which is based on detailed tastings of oils produced in as many as 20 different countries.

How many people we wonder would love to cook like famed Spanish Chef Ferran Adria, but really wouldn’t dare.   Now comes your opportunity with a new Cookery Book just published, The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria. This book does not contain the spheroids, foams and Continue Reading »