Like a creme brulee, but Catalan. So the cookbooks of history tell, crema catalana actually came first; in 1324 in the medieval Llibre de Sent Sovi, compared to the first French mention in Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois in 1691. The main difference is that Catalan cremas use thickened milk flavoured with cinnamon, orange and lemon, whereas French cremes use double cream, and are usually flavoured with vanilla and cooked in the oven. Of course in this day and age there are many variations of both recipes, and you can flavour your milk as you please. Some people also like to add other fruits or nuts, or flavourings such as coffee or chocolate.

Our list of where to stay, what to do and most importantly where and what to eat!

There is a winter obsession in Catalunya. An obsession with onions. More specifically, a type of onion called the calçot. This obsession runs so deep that there is a name for the rampant Dionysian gatherings celebrating these onions: the calçotada. Catalans gather together and imbibe hundreds of thousands of calçots every weekend, roasted until blackened over an open fire then slurped up with a rich nutty sauce similar to romesco, paired with lashings of local wine, and followed by an array of barbecued meats.

Squidgy, sweet and nutty with a bitter jammy edge, somehow simultaneously soft and light, definitely absolutely delicious. Maria is the much loved housekeeper at Torre Ronsat where we run our retreats, always smiling and hard working, and an exceptional cook.

Some of the questions that we often get asked are - Can you cook with olive oil? (YES!) Isn’t that bad for you? (NO!) Which fats are best to cook with? (Extra virgin olive oil!)

In the world of nutrition, specialist and public opinion waxes and wanes on subjects such as this. However, we would like to settle things once and for all, and to back it up with some scientific evidence.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a delicious cooking medium, full of flavour, the fats in there are good for you, and the other “purities” even better. EVOO is a stable oil that can be heated to relatively high temperatures, without impairing flavour and health.

Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, homemade croquettes are a delight. Arguably the best ones you can make are made from that most famous of Spanish ingredients: Jamón Iberico. A salted and cured leg of ham made from the Iberian pig, the best of which finish their lives roaming around acorn strewn forests, giving a deep marbling of rich fat which has the flavour of the forest.