Game in the castle of Medina Sidonia

Medina Sidonia is your typical white-washed Andalusian hill-top town. It is easily accessible from the A340 motorway on your travels north towards Jerez, Cadiz or Seville or your travels south towards Algeciras, Gibraltar or Malaga. Once inside the medieval walls of the town, make your way ever upwards, past la Plaza de España, towards a small restaurant known as 'El Castillo' (the castle [Castillo s/n - 11170 Medina Sidonia - Tel 956 410823]). This restaurant oozes in Andalusian charm. It proudly demonstrates whole cured hams that mature by hanging from the ceiling above the bar area, as well as sporting all sorts of salamis and traditional Spanish chorizos. Yet, this style of restaurants are all too common in Andalusia. What distinguishes 'El Castillo' from your other typical restaurants in the region is their, dare I say it, magnificent selection of game. Not only is the selection good and fresh, but the way the food is cooked is something that I could not merit enough through explanation, so I will not. Lets just say that you will continue to eat it way past the point were you are too full and should stop, just because of how good it tastes. If you like pomp when eating out, then do not come to this restaurant. If you are interested in food, good company, a good glass of tinto and a bit of history to boot, then this is certainly a culinary must.

There is all types of game to be had, venison, rabbit, partridges, goat, lamb and wild boar. The wild boar is divine and may bring out the child in all of you Asterix aficionados. After your meal, why not enjoy a traditional home-cooked desert, from their extensive list. Better still, why not have them all! And you can. It is called 'pijama' (pyjama), which consists of a selection of all of their deserts on a platter to share amongst friends or family. I have been disappointed in the past when eating game in other restaurants, El Castillo has never disappointed me, well unless I measured my waist size afterwards.

This is definitely one to try!!!

Wild Boar from 'El Castillo,' in Medina Sidonia

Roast Lamb from 'El Castillo,' in Medina Sidonia

'Churros' in Seville

First of all, what are churros? Churros consist of a thick batter which is fried into a spiral wheel. They are very doughy and when dipped in to sugar, coffee or thick hot chocolate are truly delicious. As a Gastronauta, for me churros means the ideal Saturday breakfast material. They are a worthy alternative to the English fry-up for those of you who enjoy a bit of grease first thing in the morning.

You can have churros in many 'churrerias' in Spain. But, if you want to have the best churros in Seville, then you have to try 'Churreria Criado' . This establishment, located in the outskirts of Seville in San Lucar la Mayor, was first set up in 1914 and five generations have been making churros there ever since. The churros were originally made by the women in the family using their very own secret recipe, but today you will see the men doing most of the cooking. What can I say, I have had churros all my life, these ones from Churreria Criado are among the best I have ever had. The service was great, the price was even better and the people who worked there were very nice and very proud of their little enterprise. This a definite must for all true Gastronautas especially those of you who are not calorie counting.

Churreria Criado, Glorieta de la Carcava, SanLucar La Mayor