I love living on the edge. And there is nothing more exciting than experimenting with new recipe ideas with a dining-room full of expectant diners! The thrill of the unknown. The adrenalin rush. Will it be OK? Or not? And what would I do if it turns out to be a disaster? One of these …

This is a short video about how to make an incredibly simple but fantastically tasty dish that would grace any meal. Suitable for a first course, part of a tapa spread, or a snacky meal. Served with crusty French bread and a glass of fino wine, it is heaven. The important thing is the quality …

This blogpost will be of interest to lovers of: almonds, food anthropology, and etymology. The almonds are just out in the Alto Genal valley, their gentle white and pink flowers contrasting sharply with the wiry bare branches of the figtrees. Harbinger of spring, the almond is always the first to blossom and interestingly the last …

On the last day of 2011, a year of mixed fortune for many people and countries, we send greetings to all who happen upon this page and hope that 2012 will be better for everybody – healthier, happier, and less hungry. We walked up to the mirador to catch the last of the sun in …

On a late November morning, as soon as the sun rose and cast low rays onto Cartajima, the temperature in the new solar pipes rose 10 degrees in just a few minutes. Not bad technology! Unlike previous solar experiments, cobbled together from bits and pieces that John found in his pockets, the new solar panels …

We are fortunate to have an EDEN in our backyard! Just a few kilometres down the road from Cartajima is the Sierra de las Nieves, the snowy peaks, which has been named a European Destination of Excellence. 100,000 hectares of wild land where forests of rare pines and oak thrive, where otters, eagles and mountain …

The sweet chestnut trees that surround us – hence Hotel Los Castaños (the tree is masculine in Spanish, the fruit is quite rightly feminine) have performed their annual magic trick. Suddenly the green Alto Genal valley is red and orange and gold and yellow and all the colours in between. When the sun shines directly …

Should you be contemplating an Autumn escape, here are a couple of great ideas for breaks here in the undiscovered Serrania de Ronda. The annual Mosto Festival in Cartajima. Whilst the wine is not so great, the party is! And the accommodation we offer is of course second to none. Combine the Festival on the …

1492 is just another number but also a year redolent of change, not just in Spain but globally. In this year, in the small Andalucian town of Santa Fe, near Granada, occurred two momentous historical moments. You will pass by the town as you drive to Los Castanos on the A92 but will probably not …

Everybody who is interested now knows that the little pueblo blanco just four kilometres away from us is no longer a pueblo blanco but a pueblo azul. People are flocking to see the blue walls. The village is thriving. Restaurants and bars full to bursting. What a turnaround for an unknown village in a forgotten …

Breakfast in Andalucia – sounds like the title of a Hemingway novel! We were on the hunt for the perfect photograph of Ronda – an image that would capture the magnificence of this ancient settlement. Having scoped out the best location for the photograph evening before, we arrived early next morning at the terrace of …

The Spanish stereotype once embodied the fearsome Duke of Alva, the grotesque Franco, the horrendous Inquisition. But times change and Spain is now all about flamenco and flounces, Carmen and castanets, bravado and bulls. Both the bravado and the bulls are personified in the Osborne bulls, enormous black creatures that glare over the Spanish countryside. …

When a famous chef, a Spanish household name, stayed at Los Castaños, I was urged to have my photograph taken with him, get his autograph, publicise the event. But, unlike other hotels who make hay with their newsworthy guests, we at Los Castaños do not talk about the rich and famous who come to stay. …

From being an undiscovered, overlooked pristine Andalucian valley, the Alto Genal is really hitting the headlines. Not for all the reasons my guests and I are here: the untrampled beauty, the tranquillity broken only by birdsong, and the traditional villagers always ready with a smile. But because the Smurfs are here! How on earth did …

The Andalucians specialise in combining the sacred with the secular.  A quintessential example of this phenomenon is Cartajima’s annual romeria, a picnic with Jesus, which was celebrated yesterday. The original inference of romeria was a pilgrimage to Rome which was, of course, de rigueur but here in Cartajima they see no need to go so …

Mari, my expert on Cartajima food traditions, mentioned gachas the other day. Never heard of it, said I. What is it? I enquired.  Salivating, she described a porridge of wheat flour and water which didn’t sound exactly appetising. But, it had been a childhood food and as such held lovely memories for her. It turns …

Many cans of “pitufo* azul” paint are emptied every day as Juzcar’s old walls are prepared for the big event on an unspecified day but rumoured (Sony aren’t saying anything) to be 16th June in advance of the launching of the new Smurf movie on 5th August. The Juzcareños  smile and laugh – they have …

Behind Cartajima lies a strange wonderland of extraordinary rock formations. Called Los Riscos, meaning crags, these limestone outcrops are a dangerous place to wander without a local guide. Many of my guests long to explore the area but we always advise against it. There are four ridges and, once you are over the first, it …

In the seventies, the standard meal “out” was prawn cocktail, steak and chips, black forest gateau. The prawn cocktail was a simple affair – shredded iceberg lettuce, prawns and a yucky pink sauce. Last night I decided this humble dish was inspiration for something far more exciting. I imagined multiple ingredients  tumbling decadently over and …

Somthing happened the other day that is the stuff of poems – lyrically waxed in ode and sonnet. I shall however state it simply – THE CHESTNUT TREES ARE GREEN AGAIN!! Being deciduous, the sweet chestnut trees that fill the valley and after whom Los Castaños is named, shed their leaves every November after a …

She’s back! The gnarled and ancient vine is sprouting – first step on the road to the Mosto Festival in November.

I broke a long-standing vow today when I cooked an English breakfast for a guest – bacon and egg, tomato and mushroom. I have always believed that an essential part of travelling is sharing local food – it has always seemed to me one of the easier routes into understanding another culture.  So what persuaded …

I am very happy to annouce that we are now full members of muchbetteradventures.com and that Los Castaños is a muchbetter hotel! Not that it wasn’t much better before but we have passed all the stringent requirements to become part of this great collection of purveyors of adventure. It was a tough ride with many searching …

Recent guests of Los Castanos, whose visit was marred by concerns for their friends lost in Libya, sent this report which they have given me permission to reproduce here: It now all seems a distant but lovely memory of our stay at your fabulous hotel! I had a fantastic break and will continue to rave …

My daughter, who lives on the Costa del Sol, breeds Coton de Tulear dogs – a rare and exotic breed of small fluffy white dog from Madagascar. They are famous for their super sweet personality, anti-allergenic fur, and are called the “anti-stress” dog! For the whole story, you can check out her website here. In …

Once upon a time when we were very young and stunningly beautiful, my husband and I built a boat on the island of Lamu in Kenya where there was no electricity and no cars.  Just lots of boats and a warm climate with equally warm Islamic villagers. Life could not have been more minimalistic and …

His ambition was to get a star in two years. He achieved that dream in just nine months! While Baltasar’s wife was growing their son, he was heading for the stars. Not just Michelin’s “Rising Star” category but One Star. It’s fantastic news that young Baltasar, who was in put in charge of Martin Berasatagui’s …

I can quite understand why there aren’t any parsnips in Andalucia as it is too hot for this frost-loving root. What I cannot understand is why there is a Spanish word for it when they don’t exist anywhere in Spain and nobody has heard of them, let alone tasted this delectable earthy Christmas delight. If …

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about with Peter Jones. A day in the company of this (in)famous research biologist is entertaining and informative. If you are just a dabbler with birds, you will learn a lot. If you are a card-carrying twitcher, he can still teach you …

At last, “sin semillas” have arrived in Ronda! This may seem of little importance to those of you living in California or England where you have had seedless grapes for years. (how do they propagate?) But, here in Spain, where it is of the utmost importance, they have only recently appeared. Why important? Because the …