Guest blogger Núria from Spanish Recipes here. Since my blog became 3 years old, find today 4 recipes for the price of one ;D.0

Pictures are courtesy of Becky Lawton.

Toasted noodles with fresh Shrimps

Snails & Mint Tapa

Zucchini Puree with Iberian Acorn ham

Stuffed potatoes with grated allioli

Get them all at my blog and find there a personal Interview too!

Its springtime, the weather is actually good for a change (and even reminding us a little bit of Spain!) and it seems like the perfect time to enjoy some lovely, fresh Tapas! So, to give you an incentive to come and visit, Tapas Tapas have re-released their mega-popular “50% off Tapas” offer until the 30th April.

To take advantage of this excellent offer, simply click on the following link to download your voucher, print it off and bring it with you to either their Liverpool city centre or Waterloo restaurants.

DOWNLOAD “50% off Tapas” voucher

An exciting new series for Channel 4

‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’ is an exciting new series dedicated to celebrating the finest restaurants in the UK. Restaurants nominated by the public will be tested to the highest level by Michelin starred chef Gordon Ramsay and the series will culminate in one culinary hero being crowned ‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’.

Gordon’s journey will see him travel the length and the breadth of Britain in search of brilliant restaurants that deliver gastronomic perfection and wonderful customer service. He’ll meet restaurant owners who refuse to be daunted by the threat from ubiquitous chains and who are determined to survive the recession on their own terms and with their exceptionally high standards intact.  He’ll seek out culinary heroes working in the kitchens and front of house at independent restaurants across the UK whose brilliance deserves to be recognised.

Each of the eight heats will focus on a different type of cuisine including Italian, French, Indian and British categories and this year there’s a new category – Fine Dining. Will one of the big boys of the restaurant world come out on top? Or will a small local restaurant take down the Goliaths of the kitchen? The chef’s culinary abilities will be tested as Gordon sets the kitchen brigades some of the toughest challenges they’ve faced in their careers. The pressure will truly be on as the competitors could face anything in their heat, in the super tough semi-finals and in the head-to-head cook-off that is the series final. Only one brilliant contender can win the title of “Ramsay’s Best Restaurant.” Who will it be?

The series will follow the highs and lows of the passionate chefs, restaurateurs and of Gordon himself as he tries to find his worthy champion.

Restaurants can only take part in the competition if they’ve been nominated. We’re looking for restaurants of the highest calibre so if you know a fantastic restaurant that is worthy of the title then please visit www.bestnominate.com and nominate them now.

The makers of Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word are this year launching an exciting new programme dedicated to the Restaurant Search that was featured last year called ‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’.

The restaurant search was one of the most popular sections from the series and Gordon is really excited about unearthing some new gems and secret talent. They are looking to spread the word to every corner of the UK so as many fantastic restaurants as possible will be brought to light.

This is a great opportunity for brilliant local restaurants to get the recognition they deserve and the producers really want to boost the number of traditional and cutting edge Spanish restaurants that get nominated this year.

Nominations have been opened up to the public for them to nominate their favourite restaurants in this years competition, but restaurants can also nominate themselves. This really is a going to be an exciting process and will benefit a lot of small restaurants who don’t often get the publicity they deserve.

Visit www.bestnominate.com to nominate your restaurant now.

DO YOU KNOW BRITAIN’S BEST RESTAURANT?

Gordon Ramsay is looking for Britain’s best restaurant and he wants to know where you love to eat.

Tell us about a hidden gem or a local culinary landmark. Who do you think deserves to be crowned Ramsay’s Best Restaurant?

Following on from the success of 2009’s search, nominations are now open for ‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’ 2010.

Visit www.bestnominate.com to nominate your favourite restaurant now.

And please spread the word – we want the whole country to get involved.

Please let us know who you’ve voted for by leaving a comment below – let’s see who the Spanish Food UK community is supporting?

Michael Gledhill, Director of Tapas Tapas restaurants in Liverpool, recently challenged his head chefs to a BBQ rib recipe challenge. Here are the are the resulting recipe´s for you to compare (or try at home if you´re adventurous).

Diego´s “Costillas en Adobo” – Tapas Tapas Liverpool city centre

Marinate the rack of ribs in extra virgin olive oil, paprika, thyme, bay leaves & garlic overnight. Make the BBQ sauce with a white wine (fruity not dry), white vinegar, crushed tomato sauce, with a dash of HP sauce to colour. Let the ribs absorb the flavour & season to taste. Part cook the ribs on a charcoal grill until the surface becomes slightly crispy, then let them settle in the BBQ sauce. Finally, cook them through in an oven at a low temperature for several hours, which makes the meat falls off the bone when finished.

Miguelín´s (Michael´s) “Costillas de cerdo en una salsa dulce” – Tapas Tapas Waterloo

Crush some fresh pineapple & orange, add fennel seeds, crushed tomatoes, golden syrup & a hint of good quality ketchup. Season the ribs in salt & black pepper, then marinate for 24 hours in the BBQ sauce. Slowly braise them in the oven for five hours to make the meat as tender as possible.

You can see the finished dishes on their Facebook & Twitter pages, where there are links to photos!

According to the ‘Consejo Regulador’ of Valencian horchata, the drink is about to be presented as a serious alternative to alcohol at this year’s ‘fallas’.

The organisers of the ‘Mircle’ falla – Nou i Cabanyal de Alboraya – have decided to substitute the typical alcohol binge that accompanies the night’s festivities for a much healthier alternative: Valencian horchata. What’s more, in order to achieve their objectives, they have organised a mobile disco – the ‘Horchateca’ – in which only complementary horchata will be served.

The objective of the organisers is to promote the drink – the star beverage of Valencian gastronomy – by presenting it as a healthy option for nights out on the town, since, according to them, it brings together all the necessary requisites: it’s refreshing, full of energy, can be safely drunk in large quantities and actually brings the reveler a host of positive health benefits.

This public event will take place in Calle Milagro, Alboraya, Valencia, and is supported by the regulators of the ‘Denominacion de Origen’ of Valencian horchata, given that such initiatives are considered to promote the drink and present it as an alternative to the alcoholic drinks that tend to accompany most after-dark social activities.

Horchata has, without a doubt, converted itself into the official drink of the fallas and we will continue to see events where the drink takes centre stage: tonight’s Horchateca, followed by the 3rd installment of the ‘DO Origen Chufa de Valencia’ prizes, and then the first ‘Gran Horchatada Fallera’.

Good news for customers.  To coincide with our recent warehouse move, we’re pleased to announce new delivery options and charges avaialable immediately.  The main changes are as follows:

• Customers have asked for lower delivery charges for small orders consisting of just one or a few items.  We’ve done our very best to find the cheapest service possible and are now able to offer a service for orders under 1 Kg at £4.99 – that’s £1 cheaper than our standard rate.  We hope to offer a new Royal Mail service soon – this will mean even cheaper rates for smaller orders and the chance for customers in northern Scotland to avoid the surcharge.
• New faster service to Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland introduced.
• All European destinations are now £14.99 for up to 25 Kg.

Of course, we’ll continue to do our best to keep shipping charges down and keep introducing new and innovative delivery services for our customers.

Here’s a quick summary of our new schedule of delivery charges. For full information, please visit our delivery information page:

We’re pleased to announce that we have now moved from our location in Old Woking to a new warehouse in Snetterton, near Norwich.

The move was undertaken to enable us to continue expanding smoothly.  In conjunction with our new fulfillment partners, Johnston Logistics, we will now be able to offer you a more comprehensive, accurate and economical service because,

• we’ve got loads more space in which to store fantastic new products
• we’ve got an expert team picking and packing your orders
• we’ll be able to offer a wider range of delivery options, like small-parcel rates and Royal Mail (coming soon)
• we might even be able to make some savings on delivery services, which we’ll happily pass on to you

If you used to come and visit us at Old Woking, we’re really sorry we won’t be in your area any more, but we hope you’ll continue to use us in conjunction with our efficient next-day delivery service, which means you can have your order almost as quickly as coming along to collect it yourself.

To all our new neighbours – we’re looking forward to seeing you!  Feel free to come along and collect orders if you’re nearby.

For details of our new location, please visit our contact page.