All about Spain, I mean a list of food

So, Spain was lovely - after a flight stuffed to the gills with over-loud French children I arrived in Perpignan and was whisked south to Santa Margarida de Roses. And straight out for dinner - that's what I love about holidays, none of that fannying about - food. Croquetas, bacalao de Bilbao and fresas con nata (is that Catalan or Spanish??)

Sunday was spent dodging the unrelenting rain by shopping in Empuriasbrava and drinking hot chocolate (xocolata calenta) that was so thick you could stand a spoon up in it ... I imagine that's how the river in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory tasted! I needed a biscuit to "drink it" ... what do you mean, of course I finished it. Dinner was bought from the local take away - I know not very impressive if this was downtown Gillingham but this was spit roasted chicken that had been cooked with a handful of herbs and a lemon shoved up it's bottom and it was fabulously juicy.

Monday morning when the thunder and lightening finally stopped we headed north to Cadeques where seemingly every Spanish and Catalan artist there ever was visited - can't say I blame them ... it's gorgeous. We wandered along the front, bought some pottery - my mother can never resist and then sat in a cafe and drank cold beer (me) in the sunshine. On to El Port de la Selva* for lunch - mussels, fried fish - meant that there was very little energy left for anything but a late siesta.

After my siesta it was more than evident that actually I'd burnt during lunch so after Sangria at the local German bar - leather bound blonde waiters, such a stereotype - and a stroll along the beach I was ready for bed. And then just after 1am on Tuesday morning the pyrotechnics started. Bloody hell they know how to do a storm ... flash, flash, flash, rumble, crash, chunks of ice and unrelenting rain. I was waiting for us to be washed into the sea, by the torrents coming down the mountains. And then again at 4am. And at 8am. Do you think I'm a jinx? My father is beginning to wonder!

To avoid the rain we drove to Tossa de Mar - it followed us.

Eventually the sun began to shine as we walked along and I reminded my mother about the present I'd like when she wins the lottery. Lunch - escalivada, hake and crema Catalana - followed by more wandering in the sunshine. After the broken sleep the night before we were all in bed early.

To be continued - yes, there'll be more talk of food.

* We've been holidaying there on and off since 1979 and I still love it.