Category Archives: food & drink

full of beans

29 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by in food & drink, gastronomy, retail therapy, sevilla

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The other day I “discovered” Ultramarinos Alonso. I thought their display of beans was wonderful, so I asked the owner if I could take some photos. Then this lovely gent – obviously a regular customer – said, “with me or without me?”. And so of course I said, “Both!”

Apparently Ultramarinos Alonso has been around since 1935, though moved to its current location in calle San Luís in 2004. Now run by the grandson of the original owner (both called Alonso) they also have an active social media presence (which is how I heard about them) and an impressive online shop, in both Spanish and English. I wonder what the original Alonso would make of it.

on being pig headed

15 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by in food & drink, gastronomy, restaurants, sevilla

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WARNING: Look away now vegetarians!

Some people think that meat-eaters should have to either hunt their own food or watch animals being slaughtered in order to pass some sort of “carnivore test”. I am not one of these people. But while I am normally not squeamish about eating meat, I have to admit that I wouldn’t really enjoy tucking into this guy’s crispy roasted face, even though I am sure it is delicious. How about you?

floweries

01 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by in food & drink, friends, getaways, travel, trips, twitter, twitter friends

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Another treat during my San Sebastián Getaway was finally getting to meet Caroline (aka @floweries1) and her husband Steve. We’ve been Twitter pals for ages and they have already chalked up 11 visits to Donostia, so when I found out our next visits were going to coincide we made plans to meet up. It was a great evening out and now I am looking forward to when they are FINALLY going to visit Sevilla with friends in November.

katharine

30 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by in food & drink, friends, gastronomy, getaways

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On my second night in San Sebastián was taken out by Gabriella’s lovely colleague and “right hand” Katharine from Tenedor Tours. Katharine and I have “known” each other by email for awhile now, so it was nice to put a face to the name, but really especially nice to be in her company for the evening.

I was taken to bars I hadn’t previously been to with Gabriella, and the surprise dish of the night was the pork snout salad. We had a great time, talking about food and wine, and some of the history of San Sebastián and the Basque Country… but also about pets, hair, back problems and WHATEVER. You know, just like on the best food tours ;). Hoping that Katharine will visit Sevilla soon so I can return the favour.

becky’s back!

21 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by in food & drink, friends

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I first met Becky, Scott and their 4 kids in December 2015, after they had taken a We Love Tapas Tour with the fabulous Delia. And that Christmas Day I spent a wonderful afternoon with them. Then in the spring of 2017 Scott came back to Sevilla with a friend and took a Sherry & Tapas Tour with me. The family has been back to Spain a few times since then, but this time Becky was passing through Sevilla with three of her brood (husband and eldest stayed home this trip), and we got to meet up for a lovely lunch.

Wow, what a difference 2.5 years have made, as you can see from the two photos above. Honestly, I love these kids (NOT a phrase you hear me say often 😉 ). They are so inquisitive and fun to be with. And of course, it was great to catch up with Becky. After lunch we stopped at Rayas for ice cream and then it was time to say “hasta luego”. Plans are afoot for a return visit to Sevilla in October. Can’t wait!