Spain on Show

Food & Drink

Some people claim that these days London offers the best choice of food anywhere in the world – that may be so but the Costa Blanca must run it a close second.

On the one hand it has everything London has – from full English breakfast through fast food, take-away and pizza, to Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and all sorts of Mediterranean cuisine, not to mention fish & chips and the classic Brit Sunday roast.

On the other hand everything is typically Spanish. The seafood and fish are brilliant with some great beachfront restaurants where long lunches tend to become things of legend. Of course the Spanish are also famous for their love of red meat and the steaks in particular are absolutely fabulous.

Spanish mealtimes are a bit different to those in the UK. Breakfast is a scant meal of coffee and doughnut-like pastries around 10-ish, lunch is at 2.00 o’clock followed by a siesta. Dinner never usually starts until around 10 pm.

And that makes a perfect space around seven o’clock for tapas – that singularly Spanish institution of nibbles and a drink that you’ll actually find available throughout the day in any number of bars. If nothing else, grab a few slices of ‘jamon’ – the wonderful Iberian ham carved paper-thin off the bone in front of your eyes.

Tapas bars and Bodegas make great places for a drink, but one thing we Brits have brought with us to the Cost Blanca from the UK is the pub. You’ll find a great selection of friendly pubs and English and Irish bars, staffed by Brits, throughout the area.

Pubs are great places to meet like-minded people to catch up on the news, and even better for local knowledge – whatever your question about anything under the sun you won’t be the first person to ask it, somebody in the pub will have been there before and know the answer.