One of our most idyllic (and romantic) little lunchtime retreats arrives in the form of a 500 year old Catalan mill. Not only is the mill as pretty as a picture but is steeped in culinary history (which gets us really very excited). A visit here is as much about the passionate and knowledgeable owners, Gloria and Joseph Llavina, as it is about the cheese. Oh, the cheese….
In Calella de Palafrugell and other Costa Brava ports, to warm up after a day’s fishing and keep the conversation going, fishermen used to drink the classic cremat made with Cuban rum brought from Spain’s colonies. Cremat is prepared by heating rum and sugar with a stick of cinnamon, lemon peel and coffee beans. Then it is flambéed until the flames burn off the alcohol. The best time to try it is during the traditional havaneres singing in Calella de Palafrugell in July.
The weather is warming up and what better than a delicious Suquet- Catalan fish stew when the sun is starting to shine but the wind is still a little bitter! This recipe is delicious and you need serve it only with a green salad and some crispy bread – perfect for lunch or dinner and even better with a delicious glass of Spanish Wine – perhaps something from Emporda DO?
Tradition Spanish Suquet Fish Stew Recipe: Read more
I was in Barcelona recently and amongst other things during a very busy day had the fortune to meet two of our clients after their Gourmand Breaks Secret Barcelona Tour. Gwenn Weiss and her husband Phil are ardent cooks and Gwenn has a nowadays internationally respected website, www.cookinginpajamas.com
It seems the magnificent legend of Restaurant Celler de Can Roca in Spain has no boundaries!
We are thrilled to confirm that Spanish restaurant Celler de Can Roca, our own very precious Girona based Michelin 3* restaurant, has been confirmed, yet again, as No: 2 Restaurant in the World, at the much-anticipated World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2012, which was held tonight, Monday 30th April at the historic Guildhall in the City of London, in the company of the world’s finest chefs, international media and the world’s most influential restaurateurs.
In the heart of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona our Clients have been tasting local Catalan cheeses with Katherine – a specialist in her field, who is delighted to explain the local cheese and its background to all of our clients when they visit with a private guide. Read more
Where are Gourmand Breaks’ clients today? Having just spent a few heady days in San Sebastian, they are on their way to the Emporda Region in Northern Catalonia, but are stopping overnight in the ancient walled City of Carcassonne in France. Read more
Everybody in the “foodies” world in Spain knows Spanish chefs Ferran & Albert Adria’s Tickets restaurant and 41º coctail bar next door in the bohemian Parallel avenue of Barcelona. Now, from April 20th the lucky (or well connected) ones who will be able to get a booking, will enjoy the “Frosted Rain” futuristic dining experience there. Read more
We are delighted to hear that our good friends at Spanish Restaurant, Celler de Can Roca , have received yet another award! Yesterday, in Paris, The International Academy of Gastronomy, formed by 22 individual countries, held its General Assembly and Spanish chef Joan Roca of our beloved Celler de Can Roca in Girona received The Grand Prix de l’Art de la Cuisine 2011.
Madridfusion, the highly influential three-day gastronomic conference,brings together elite chefs and experts in the culinary field to discuss avant-garde trends, the evolution of tastes and new Spanish food habits.