Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom

Etiqueta: tapas

  • Spanish Tapas Tour 2017

    The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain organised in June the first edition of the Spanish Tapas Tour, a new gastronomic event that brought to London the best flavours from Spanish cuisine.

    Based on one of the most important events in Spain, the week of the tapas, The Spanish Tapas Tour took place from 12th to 18th June. During that week, 10 of the best Spanish restaurants in London offered a Tapa and a drink at a fixed price, with plates that represented a wide range of regions from the country.

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    Arbina Offered a “Tazacorte” octopus ink tempura on a bed of Galician sand and planckton; Barrica, Aubergine, jamón & manchego ‘lasagne’ with an almond vinaigrette; Boquería, Suckling pig, aubergine torrija, quince and blood orange; Brindisa, smoked anchovies with mojo borage and crostini and Copita, sardines & beetroot – pickled egg with capers, membrillo & a black olive puree.

    Drakes Tabanco offered presa ibérica with Café de Paris butter; Ibérica, baby carrot tempura with homemade tartare sauce; Hispania, salmorejo with flavours of the sea; Sagardi, ‘Roxario’ ciderhouse-style salted cod omelette, and Tapas Revolution offered ham croquettes.

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    During that week, more than 350 tapas were sold and the public could try real Spanish flavours and felt just as if they were in Spain. The Spanish Tapas Tour also had its own passport, where people got a stamp after tasting the tapa of each restaurant.

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    The participants of the Spanish Tapas Tour had the chance to take part in two different contests. The first one gave them the opportunity to win a city break to Spain. They just needed to sample at least 4 different tapas and choose their preferred one. A raffle took place among the eligible passports and a lucky winner will now travel to Spain. We would like to thank Iberia Express and NH Hotels for kindly providing the flights and the hotel stay for two people.

    NHgroup_POS_V_GrisI2 LogoThe most highly valued tapa from the public vote was the Tazacorte octopus from Arbina. We want to congratulate and thank them for their active involvement on this event.

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    A second contest was held on Instagram. People should upload a picture of their tapa using the hashtag #SpanishTapasTour. The most liked picture won a hamper of typical Spanish products, thanks to Eatapas.

    etapas_logo_passion-sin-fondo.gifCesta para el ganador

    We would like to thank all the participant restaurants and the public that participated in the Spanish Tapas Tour. We hope to see all of you in the next edition!

    Please click here to see the official video for the Spanish Tapas Tour.

  • ChristMahou Jumper Party at Boquería Brixton

    On Monday 12th December, we had the pleasure of celebrating our “ChristMahou  Jumper Party”, organised in collaboration with Mahou – San Miguel, Patron of the Chamber. On this occasion the event took place at the Brixton location of Boquería, member of the Chamber, which provided the perfect setting for the last event of 2016.

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    Our guests fashioned their best Christmas jumpers and were ready for an festive evening.

    Mahou is a Spanish family owned company with 125 years of history and international presence in 70 countries, with United Kingdom being one of its main markets, where the company has had presence for more than 25 years.

    This Christmahou Jumper party marks the end of a mahougnificent year for our institution and allowed the members who gathered at the event to say farewell to fellow colleagues before the beginning of the festive season. On this occasion, our guests were requested to bring their best Christmas jumpers, which provided the perfect opportunity for a bit of a friendly competition to choose the most original among them.

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    The last event of the year allowed everyone to meet new members and enjoy the five-star taste of Mahou.

    In fact, with attendees clad in their most festive jumpers the evening was a fabulous setting to socialise and meet new members, catch up with new ones and wish a merry Christmas to them all while getting away from the freezing weather outside. To help guests get in the mood for the upcoming festive feasts, our member Boquería had prepared a delicious selection of tapas and bites, including longstanding classics such as ham croquettes and tortilla as well as chorizo and cured meats.

    To round up a perfect evening, we could not leave our guests empty-handed and so a prize draw allowed two lucky winners to go home with a case of Mahou beer, which will no doubt be a perfect match for any lunch or dinner in the upcoming Christmas celebrations.

    We warmly thank our members for sharing with us such a fun and relaxed evening, especially everyone who took up the challenge and proudly sported such original Christmas jumpers.

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    The two lucky winners of the evening went home with a Mahougnificent case of beer.

    Finally, we are grateful to the sponsor of the event Mahou – San Miguel and their representatives for making possible again a fantastic event for our members, and to our member Boquería for their outstanding support and delicious food.

    We are pleased to announce that in 2017 we will be organising another series of informal events in collaboration with Mahou- San Miguel. So if you do not want to miss out on any of them, subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be updated on the latest news and events.

     

     

  • MAHOU PARTY NOVEMBER 2016

    On Thursday 17th November, we were delighted to celebrate our third “Mahou Party” which was organised in collaboration with Mahou – San Miguel. On this occasion the event took place at Norte by Grupo Bilbao Berria, a restaurant located in Regent Street.

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    Mahou- San Miguel, Patron of the Chamber, our proud sponsor for the evening.

    This was the third edition of a successful series of informal events organised in partnership with one of the Patrons of the Spanish Chamber, Mahou – San Miguel.  Mahou is a Spanish family owned company with 125 years of history and international presence in 70 countries, with United Kingdom being one of its main markets, where the company has had presence for more than 25 years.

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    Cristina Oyartzun (left), from Mahou San Miguel,enjoyed the evening along with our guests.

    The event gathered over 80 guests who could escape momentarily from the bitter cold and enjoy the cosy atmosphere of the venue. The evening welcomed a host of new and old members, who could catch up with fellow professionals and friends in a relaxed and friendly environment, the perfect mood to experience the flavour of one of the most well-known Spanish beers along with Northern-Spain inspired tapas.

    We would like to thank everyone for sharing with us a lovely evening. As always special thanks to Mahou- San Miguel and their representatives for making possible another wonderful party. If you missed this or the previous “Mahou Parties”, you can still catch up and join us for the last one of the year, the “ChristMahou Party” on 12th December.

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    Our guest could enjoyed the 5 star-taste of Mahou beer.

     

    If you missed the event, you still have a last chance to join us for the last Mahou Party of the year: our Christmahou Jumper Party on Monday 12th December. As places are very limited, please click here to find out more about how to book yours for the evening. We look forward to welcoming our members and their best Christmas jumper outfits!

    If you want to find out more about it and the upcoming activities the Chamber is organising, we recommend that you have a look at our UPCOMING EVENTS visiting our website or subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

     

     

  • TAPAS – THE DEFINING INVENTION OF SPANISH GASTRONOMY

    If there is something for which Spanish food is recognised world-wide that is the invention of tapas. These little portions of food have made Spanish gastronomy popular in almost every corner of the planet, but there’s still much confusion about what a tapa is (or even isn’t). We have asked our member Mariscal & Sarroca, experts on fine food products, to shed some light on the topic. Here’s their view on the subject.

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    A tapa is truly an essential element of Spanish gastronomy. A tapa is defined as ‘any small portion of food that accompanies a drink’. Tapas bars can be found all around the world, and London is no exception. Experts do not agree on how the concept of tapa was created. Some people attribute its invention to the King Alfonso X, and some others to King Alfonso XIII.

    Legend has it that Alfonso X, who was King of Castile and Leon in the 13th c. had weak health, and he ordered that all the inns throughout his land had to always serve wine with a bit of food, so that the wine would be easier to digest. Cervantes, the great novelist from the XVII talks about this custom.

    However, there are those who think that the origin of tapas and the name must be attributed to Alfonso XIII. It seems that the King was visiting the province of Cadiz where he ordered a glass of sherry. It was very windy that day, often the case in this area, and to stop the beach sand from flying into the King’s glass, the waiter covered it with a slice of ham.

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    The King thought this was a fantastic idea, and he ordered all the next rounds of sherries to come with a ‘tapa’, word which in Spanish means ‘lid’ or ‘cover’. The concept quickly spread throughout the country, and as you know, going out for tapas and drinks is a very popular tradition in Spain, a fun way of tasting an array of different flavours, but not getting too full.

    The products from Mariscal & Sarroca are prefect to prepare the best quality tapas in no time. Do not take our word for it and give our products a go trying to reproduce the classic ham croquetas, an all-time tapas winner.

    HAM CROQUETTE (CROQUETA) RECIPE

    Croquetas are small, lightly breaded and fried fritters. They are a sure hit as an appetizer or an afternoon snack with a beer or a glass of wine. They are creamy and smooth and very tasty. You can make the dough ahead and freeze it. A very popular Spanish tapa!

    Ingredients (makes about 25)

    – 250 g Iberico ham Mariscal & Sarroca

    – 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Mariscal & Sarroca

    – 120 g unsalted butter

    – 115 g plain flour

    – 1 l full fat milk

    – ½ tsp nutmeg

    – Salt and pepper for seasoning

    – 3 eggs, beaten

    – 250 g breadcrumbs

    – 1 l oil for deep frying

    Directions

    Cut the ham into small pieces, heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and gently fry the ham for about 10 minutes until any fat has been largely rendered off. Stir in the flour and continue to cook, over a low heat, for a further 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

    Put the milk into a pan and gently warm to just below a simmer. Gradually beat the warm milk into the ham and flour mixture, stirring all the time to form a smooth béchamel. Continue to cook and stir for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and black pepper.

    Remove from heat, transfer mixture to a container and leave to cook slightly, cover with cling film, pressing it down to the surface of the béchamel to prevent a skin forming. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.

    To make the croquetas, have the beaten eggs in a shallow bowl, followed by the breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl, and a tray where to arrange the finished croquetas.

    Using your hands, form a golfball sized sphere with the béchamel. Dip it into the egg, coat well with the breadcrumbs and leave to rest on the tray. Repeat until all the mixture has been used.

    Heat the oil in a large pan or deep fryer and fry the croquetas in batches for about 2-3 minutes until heated through and golden brown. Remove from the oil, drain on kitchen paper and serve at once while still hot.

     

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    The content of this post has been sponsored by Mariscal & Sarroca, member of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain. If you would like to find out more about Mariscal & Sarroca, learn other delicious recipes or simply order the products to reproduce at home some tasty croquetas, please visit their website gourmetfoodspain.co.uk/ or click on the image below.

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    Mariscal & Sarroca will be taking part in the Speciality & Fine Food Fair, the quintessential trade event for fine food, that will take place from 7th – 9th September in London.  If you would like to drop in to visit them, please visit www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk for further details on how to attend.

  • Discover the New Flavours of La Tasca!

    On Wednesday 14th May we celebrated the spring weather with an informal party at the Covent Garden restaurant of La Tasca, member of the Chamber.

    To kick off, guests were welcomed with a glass of refreshing Spanish sangria upon arrival and were then led to a private area within the three-floor restaurant for them to enjoy the evening. The event was the perfect opportunity for our members to taste the new tapas menu and discover the Covent Garden restaurant, which has been recently renovated.

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    A glass of refreshing sangria awaited our attendees.

    Since it is well known that man does not live on tapas alone, La Tasca had a surprise in store. In fact, as soon as guests realised the tools to cook paella were laid out at the back of the room, they gathered with anticipation around the cooking area to find with delight that one of the chefs was getting ready to prepare this traditional Spanish recipe.

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    The chef from La Tasca while cooking the tasteful paella.

    With the paella slowly cooking, our members chatted and enjoyed the relaxing environment over a glass of wine. And it did not stop there. At the beginning of the evening our guests had entered a prize draw and minutes before serving the paella, our Secretary General Igor Urra was in charge of announcing that Ms. Anna Wu and Ms. Susy Calleja, both from Meliá White House, were the lucky winners of a dinner for two at La Tasca and a bottle of wine, respectively.

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    The winners of the prize, Susy Calleja (L) and Ana Wu (R) from Meliá White House with our Secretary General, Igor Urra.

    After the winners had been announced, the chef informed that the paella was ready and so guests made their way towards the cooking stand to have their share. Rounding off a perfect evening, attendees received a goodie bag which contained pimentón de La Vera and rice from Calasparra, two ingredients that would allow them to reproduce at home some of the recipes they tasted at the event.

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    Attendees could enjoy drinks and tapas in a pleasant atmosphere.

    If this had not been enough La Tasca posted a Club Platinum Dining Card to all attendees after the event, which gives them a wide range of benefits as exclusive discounts at any La Tasca restaurant in the UK.

    We would very much like to thank everyone who joined and shared this evening with us. We are also extremely grateful to La Tasca for having kindly hosted this event. If you would like to learn more about the brand, host your own event at La Tasca or just enjoy the taste of the new tapas menu with friends, please click on the image below to access their contact details.

    If you missed this event or just want to find out about other activities that the Spanish Chamber is organising in the coming weeks, we encourage you to keep an eye on our UPCOMING EVENTS section within our website or subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

  • Tapas vs. Stuzzichini: a Mediterranean tradition

    Despite the awful weather that we are having, Italians and Spaniards met up yesterday night to have a good time meeting new people.

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    The guests were enjoying the party all night long!

    For the second time, the Spanish Chamber joined the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UK to host a great informal party at the DSTRKT London Club.

    In this occassion, the guests could try the Spanish Tapas and the Italian Stuzzichini, during the evening, in a relaxed but also business aimed environment.

    Also, the club set up a very nice ambient with the projection of some slides with the logo of the two Chambers and the title of the event. Besides, the lights were showing the Spanish and the Italian flags.

    Estrella Galicia and Birra Moretti kindly provided our guest with refreshing Spanish and Italian beer, the perfect match for “el aperitivo”, this Mediterranean tradition which is basically a pre-lunch meal made out of tapas and finger food.

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    The amazing beers that our sponsors provided us with

    Once the event started, there was a raffle among the attendees with the amazing reward to win two VIP tickets for the 2013 Hertz British Grand Prix (Circuit of Silverstone).

    The President of the Italian Chamber and a representative of Dorna Sports gave the prize to the lucky, and surprised, winner of the night, who was Estel Romeu. So, we wish her and to her companion a fantastic time and experience at Silverstone!

    These two tickets were offered by our kind sponsor Dorna Sports, a member of the Spanish Chamber.

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    The lucky winner, Estel Romeu, with her prize!

    During the night, guests were in a really good mood, creating a very positive athmosphere, but also getting to expand their business networks. The party was really successful and very lively with everybody chatting, laughing and having a great time!

    Thanks again to all the attendees and especially to the Italian Chamber team for the collaboration and for that fantastic evening!

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    Some tapas and stuzzichini that our guests could enjoy.

    If you missed this event or simply want to know what we are up to next, sneak a peek at the UPCOMING EVENTS section on our website or subscribe to our electronic newsletter for weekly updates.

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