Something quick, filling, hot and spicy on a freezing day in February? Who could resist, and the ever-popular tapas dish ‘Patatas Bravas’ fits the bill perfectly. I recently succumbed to a shop-bought jar of Bravas sauce. Don’t make the same mistake, make your own for a fraction of the...

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“Even if it didn’t produce one of the best extra virgin olive oils in the region the Almazara Fuente la Madera would be well worth a visit.  This olive mill is set in the most beautiful location at the foot of the highest mountain in the Sierra de la...

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To most people the province of Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, means either holidays or oranges.  But hidden away in the hills behind the coastal orange groves and the popular resorts of Benedorm and Denia is the Polop valley and here olives and olive oil reign supreme. ...

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Despite the scary morning thunderstorms on Saturday it was a very lively weekend. I was discovered in my little Spanish deli corner by some very discerning olive oil fans, and making a successful debut on the streets of Christchurch was my Dad’s newly-imported cooking chorizo, my top seller. But...

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I am delighted to introduce you to my first online contributor, the industry expert and writer on world olive oils, Judy Ridgway. Read her potted history here and look forward to news and views on everything olive oil as well as her experiences of the Spanish olive oils I...

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It was great to get out into the fresh air of Poole Quay and pitch up in the lovely courtyard garden of the Hotel du Vin. As you can see I now have a pretty awesome range of oils and vinegars which greeted visitors with as they walked in,...

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I won’t pretend that spending two days this week tasting some of the finest (and some not so fine) foods at the Guild of Fine Food headquarters in beautiful Somerset was an out-and-out chore. But it really was hard work on the taste-buds, especially by the fourth 3 hour...

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You may have bought a product recently with a Great Taste Gold Award sticker on it and given it little thought other than someone else in the know thought it tasted great. This week, I will be spending 2 days in Wincanton finding out exactly how that sticker gets...

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This article by food writer Edward Owen has been regurgitated a fair few times in print and online since it’s publication in The Times Food Supplement back in 2006. Find it here published in February 2011 on the Foods From Spain website and see that it’s still a brilliant...

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Measuring the value of Businesslink by the impact of  it’s website is a depressing sign of the times – it’s the practical, regional services, the human beings, you know, the ones that the Government are dropping like stones, that make Businesslink great. Interesting article for small businesses though… National...

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Watching ‘The People’s Supermarket’ on Channel 4 – very impressed with this gutsy enterprise. I would love to be a part of something that shoves two fingers at the big supermarkets, rewrites the meaning of ‘loyalty scheme’ and tries to get people working together and creatively to make something...

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If you missed today’s episode and you want some fine inspiration for tapas, you can watch it on 4OD or get the recipes on the link below. Seriously mouth-watering stuff, especially the honey-glazed chorizo, though I do know my Dad would have a thing or two to say about...

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Two quick, simple, sweet and suprising ways to have a delicious, light yet fulfilling breakfast – so important when you are trying to cope with a January. Whenever possible I try to use natural ingredients in their raw state to give oodles of energising goodness for the day ahead....

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This week I’m looking forward to my third visit from my Mentor from Dormen, arranged through Business Link, the Government support network for businesses. The service happens to be spectacularly good in this region, which is lucky for me. I can’t praise highly enough the support that Business Link...

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… is to get the starting day of your course correct. I’ll be attending Business Link sessions all day tomorrow (not today obviously, as the smartly-dressed men in the meeting I interrupted told me) and Thursday and Friday this week, and after that you will be able to say...

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Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! Will you forgive me if  I start the year with a bit of a gloat? I doubt anyone will remember me tweeting from my volcano-stranded visit to the Madrid Gourmet Feria in April last year that Oro de Bailen was one of my...

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This is the first Christmas that I have felt both inspired and prepared enough to make many of my own foodie christmas gifts, and for a first time effort I’m proud to say the results are pretty good. I’ve made a traditional Spanish dessert to serve with cheese called...

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Getting great dry-store ingredients for great Paella is not a simple task according to your feedback so far, nor is it easy to find a really smart and user-friendly paella gift set.  Treat a foodie you know to a  ‘Posh Paella in a Bag’ and you will excite them...

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…..and off we go again

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Please all, do come in, browse around, maybe grab a drink – you’ll have to make it yourself though, sorry – and put your feet up. More products (especially ready-made hamper selections where I’m starting to get really creative), and more foodie links and interesting blog posts coming very...

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And all that needs to be said right now is ABOUT TIME DAMMIT!

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