Tag Archives: Andalucia

córdoba getaway 2024

04 Monday Mar 2024

Posted by in academia sevillana gastronomy turismo, andalucia, getaways, travel, trips

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cordoba aagt

A quick overnight getaway (with dodgy knee) to attend the Premios Andalucía Gastronomía in Córdoba, presented by the Academia Andaluz de Gastronomía y Turismo. They actually had activities and events planned for the whole weekend but I’m saving myself for the main event today. Got into town yesterday and, thinking I might not be able to move around a lot, decided to splash out a bit in case I had to spend most of the time at the hotel…

cordoba hotel h10

Actually got a good “winter travel” price for one night so what the heck. It was also Peter’s birthday on Saturday so this trip is his birthday present. During the last Córdoba Getaway (June 2022) we walked through this square on the way to our pokey hotel and I had to stop in and have a look inside… vowed then and there I would stay at the H10 Palacio Colomera one day. Anyhow, more on Córdoba and the event after I get home.

better together

18 Tuesday Jul 2023

Posted by in andalucia, gastronomy

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meeting july 17 (2)Julio, me, Lola, María, Ignacio & Baptiste

Yesterday my new Academy and my new Association got together and it was fabulous. I say “my” but of course in the sense of proudly belonging to both now. This is teamwork at its finest. All of us working towards common shared goals without personal interests getting in the way, other than that I think for most of us the goals also feel personal as we have lived them for so long.

Anyhow, for years I’ve felt so alone doing this, being a one-woman (non-Spanish) Spanish gastronomy ambassador however I could, but now… I got these guys! And it’s great. Just sitting around a table, talking about ideas, sharing opinions – and not always agreeing but that’s okay. That’s called debate and a time to learn something. The Academy and Association overlap in many ways, though we also have separate goals, but we are very complimentary and it really is better together.

Can’t wait to see what happens next. Watch this space!

antequera getaway 2023

18 Tuesday Apr 2023

Posted by in andalucia, getaways

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antequera (1)

My last trip before Covid lockdown was March 11-12th 2020 when I went to visit some wineries in the Axarquía and also near Antequera, culminating with a visit to Bodega La Capuchina before heading home. Little did I know while I was coming back on the train that evening that the world was about to change.

Then a few weeks ago my friend Jeffrey and family moved to Marbella from LA and since then he’s been foodie-ing up a storm visiting bars and restaurants all around Andalucía. He hadn’t heard of Arte de Cozina (and I hadn’t been there since 2016 with Victor) so when he invited me for lunch I leapt at the chance to go back. As we had some extra pre-lunch time I got in touch with Susana at La Capuchina and she very generously offered to pick us up at the train station to visit her bodega and her assistant Mercedes took us to Antequera in time for lunch, dropping us off right in front of Arte de Cozina.

And what a lunch it was! Our friend Victor was supposed to meet us there but was a last minute cancellation, which was a shame not only because I was looking forward to seeing him again, but also because we really could have used an extra stomach (!!!). Jeffrey and I did the best we could but couldn’t finish everything. Chef Charo Carmona and her somm son Fran took excellent care of us, as they do with everyone, and it was a crazy delicious experience (listed below).

Afterwards we had to find our Victor-less way back to the Santa Ana station by taxi (he was going to drive us) and both of us ended up missing our connections, so a long wait ensued in the most charmless middle-of-nowhere spot imaginable. Even the Sad Café was shut. Oh well… it was still a fab day out. Lots of good memories.

antequera (2)

•Selection of porras: tomato, blanco and orange
•Croquetas de la casa (with ensaladilla): puchero, bacalao, gambas, espinacas y piones, queso de cabra, setas, chorizo
•Baby artichokes with crispy garlic and Pedroches jamón
•Pork-filled calamares a la malagueña with potato purée
•Traditional lomo de orza – a MUST HAVE
•Choto malagueña (baby goat) a la pastoril