An obvious way of avoiding another cold British winter while not straying too far from home is to fly to the coast of southern Spain between Jerez and Cádiz. This region yields particular charms for
the food and wine lover, most notably the opportunity to tour the numerous sherry bodegas in historic Jerez de la Frontera, followed by a refuelling stop at one of the sherry town's many tapas bars for that refreshing glass of fino and a bowl of bright green olives. Then lunch, of course, before that essential siesta after which this ritual can start again. On my last trip to the region, I also paid a visit to Barbate, 75 minutes by car to the south, which is the principal source of Europe's tuna.
Val de Pepe
Calle Paraiso 3, Jerez
Located in a small side street close to the central park, this recently opened tapas
bar takes its name from a reworking of that of its owner, Jose Valdespino Romero, a member of one of the city's principal sherry families.
It has already established a loyal following as
a place where Jerezanos can relax and tourists can feel like Jerezanos. Val de Pepe is composed of several different areas: an outside counter that looks on to the bar, a terrace dominated by smokers and a cool, modern, indoor area. The long menu serves most dishes in tapas or larger racion
size. Highlights of what we ordered were a
cold leek soup served in a martini glass with diced shrimp, salt cod with tomatoes and olives, an escalope of pork with raisins and
an ice cream liberally doused in sweet Pedro Ximénez sherry. With more sherry, dinner for
two came to €28.
El Bosque
Avenida Alcalde Álvaro Domecq 26, Jerez,
+34 956 30 70 30
This landmark restaurant in the heart of town boasts one great physical attraction — it is located right next to the park in which the
Jerez Feria lights up the city during May. The rest of the year it serves as testimony
to the qualities of those long established restaurants that are the places to go to for classic Spanish dishes. We began with plates of long, filleted anchovies in olive oil before moving on to blue and white bowls full of deep red, creamy gazpacho — the simple tomato soup that comes in myriad forms across southern Spain — before finishing with plates of grilled lamb cutlets.
La Carboná
Calle San Francisco de Paula 2, Jerez,
+34 956 34 74 75, lacarbona.com
La Carboná was once a sherry bodega distinguished by thick, white walls and lots of dark wood designed to keep the sherry butts cool under the scorching sun. Then Javier and Ana Garcia took it over 20 years ago and
today their son, also Javier, is in the kitchen. Our first course was a plate of glistening ham from acorn-fed pigs — one of the best I have ever enjoyed. This was followed by two exciting fish dishes: a langoustine and two red prawns, simply cooked and simply served, and a more intricate version of mackerel picapina, a local recipe that involves peppers and tomatoes.
The final triumph was a single rib of grilled beef to which only sea salt had been added at the very end, alongside a plate of the most moreish thin chips. Without wine, €70 for two.
Club de Pesca Deportiva el Atún
Calle Ancha s/n, Barbate, +34 956 43 23 19
The seaside town of Barbate is not far from the battlefield of Trafalgar and is surrounded by a nature reserve, but it is most notable for its tuna. In May and June, the almadraba sees the herding and catching of 200kg bluefin tuna as they swim by en route to the Mediterranean. The rest of the year the smaller yellowfin tuna are brought in and processed for Europe's chefs. While El Campero is widely acknowledged as the town's most respected restaurant, we headed to the smaller and more atmospheric restaurant that serves as bar, eating and meeting place
for the association of local tuna fishermen.
We enjoyed tuna loin, its eggs, the neck and, finally, the most expensive version, its fatty underbelly — lomo in Spanish. With Tio Pepe
fino sherry, €50 for two.
BA flies to Jerez de la Frontera via Madrid from London City and Heathrow airports. Visit ba.com
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