At last, I have found the real difference between England and Spain!

It’s olive oil and salt. Yet, while a lot is said about the Mediterranean diet and how it is so much better than others, experience of living in Spain tells me otherwise.

Having now experienced Spanish meals (i.e. chips with everything, except paella), I’m starting to wonder what all the fuss is about. And, having done some research into olive oil and fats such as butter and margarine, it seems there is little difference in benefits, provided, of course, that you go for those important ‘polyunsaturated’ words on the wrappers.

Spanish people like fat meat. Okay, I like the skin off a chicken but I most certainly wouldn’t make broth with huge chunks of fatty meat, which often happens here in the north-west area of Spain.

Tortilla, the potato-laden omelette, is made by slicing potatoes thinly and frying those slices in olive oil, until the oil has disappeared and the potatoes are soggy and ready to hang around together.

Eating out is always followed with our return home and two or three cups of tea, as the excessive salt in the food may not have been noticed during eating but certainly makes its presence known about an hour or two later.

I’m so pleased that I landed in Spain with my abundance of magazine recipes and old cook books as, when it comes to home cooking, I’ve never yet made anything that is Spanish-orientated. Give me English cooking any time, as I am sure the Mediterranean diet doesn’t have that much to offer, other than lettuce and tomatoes fresh from the ground, which any English allotment owner could provide you with anyway!

And, as for dessert, a good one is so hard to find. If you’re not into ice-cream, fresh fruit, or yoghurt, make sure you have a biscuit in your coat pocket, just in case there is nothing on the list that tickles your fancy. Which, for me, is quite often.

All hail the English pudding!

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