Can you explain the healthier food bit, I'm always mystified why something grown in, say Alicante, can be so much healthier than something grown in Lincolnshire. Unless you are buying really local produce, most of the vegetable and fruit will be grown under plastic, in completely artificial conditions and pumped full of chemicals and pesticides. There have been lots of cases,especially in Germany, where Spanish produce has been taking off the shelves due to unusually high levels of pesticides, and high nitrate levels leeching into the water course near Doñana from the strawberries. I realise all producers use chemicals to some degree, but huge areas of Spain are covered in plastic, more so than any other EU country. I just struggle with the picture that people paint of perfectly healthy, fresh produce, almost as if it all comes from someone´s back garden, and has never seen a chemical.

agoreira, you misunderstand the situation here...

The vegetables grown under plastic are destined for export to UK (and other countries) supermarkets. That's why tomatoes grown in Spain and bought in Tesco taste like plastic.

Tomatoes for the domestic Spanish market are completely different - they are much bigger and tastier. Same with all the other vegetables. The Spanish won't put up with artificially grown vegatables that taste of nothing

So there are essentially two different markets. The best veg grown in local farms stays in Spain and the cr*p industrial stuff goes for export. It is the same with chrizo, jamon seranno, eggs etc. The Spanish wont let the good stuff leave!

Are you seriously expecting people to believe that there are 2 distinct industries in Spain?

One growing stuff under plastic loaded with chemicals watered with radioactive water destined for the export market and the other tended by locals in sombreros organically grown, no chemicals used whatsoever and watered with filtered spring water?

And as for Spanish eggs, a dodos egg would be fresher.

Yes.Although I am not saying they dont use chemicals, but the produce is at least grown in soil and sees the sun!

Of course it depends where you shop and what produce you choose to buy. The produce is way better in Spain (although in some areas more than others) and I used to shop at Waitrose in the UK (which was v.good except for vegetables).

The best food in Spain can be found in the local specialist shops -pescaderia, charcuteria etc or at the markets.

Spanish eggs are actually yellow are taste like eggs. We tried buying all kinds of eggs in the UK, organic, free range etc, and our tortillas always came out an anaemic white and didnt taste right.

Here the eggs are yellow, juicy and delicious. We make sure we buy eggs from happy hens though (huevos camperos)

Spanish supermarkets buy the lower grades of produce, that's a fact. The best goes to Northern Europe. My neighbour's Son manages a fruit and veg export place in Elche, Alicante. He claims they use less chemicals than Almeria! Spain are also deep in to GM crops.

Back to pensions I don't think I would want to stay here forever on the low exchange rate. Even if it gets back to 1.20 as some have predicted it is still low. Being in the UK for a month opened my eyes, you don't have to be savvy to get offers and bargains, they are everywhere. Not thinking about moving just now as property is not selling around here, even cheap deals! If the market picks up would consider it.

Absolute nonsense... if by that you mean the UK of course...

I have no idea what they sell in Germany or Scandanavia

It could just be that I shop at different/better places than you lot. However, I'll tell you a couple of things:
1. The UK has the reputation of having the worst food in the world (certainly in Europe)
2. All my Spanish friends have been to UK and hated the food. As do Spanish uni and school students who go to learn English there
3. My Spanish side of the family are big into cooking and have quite a reputation locally and they were very disappointed with the quality of produce in the UK supermarkets; though they liked the wide range of stuff you could get

In any case if you dont like the good stuff here, never mind, more for me

LOVE IT !!! Mitzy just state your case - don't beat bout the bush !!

I am beginning to wonder if you live in a parallel universe.

Firstly you should give the names and locations of the wonderful shops you buy your produce in.

I doubt for one moment there are better shops where only you can go

1. The UK does not have the reputation of having the worst food in the world.

2. All my Spanish friends have loved the English style food served at my house and absolutely loved the food in England.

3. Without a shadow of a doubt the quality of food in UK supermarkets is far superior to the wilted old out of date rubbish sold in Spain where of course there is no choice at all either....

I suppose the punch line will be that that you shop in a sponsors store....

I said FACT, not hearsay. My spanish friends love english breakfast, fish and chips, fresh cream cakes, most things really.

Nearly impossible to get fresh veg in a restaurant on the CDS.

Funny, that is exactly what I am thinking about you!

In Barcelona we shopped in Santa Catarina market and local shops
In Oviedo every single shop was awesome, but we went where friends suggested
In Benalmadena we have to make do with Eroski and Hypercor as we dont live so close to the markets and the local shops in the pueblo arent so good

It is true that the food isnt so good in Andalucia, Murcia, Alicante as in the rest of Spain, but once you work out where to go you can find stuff you can only dream about in the UK

As for the other stuff you said:
1. All the European people I know (mainly Spanish and Italian) and publications I read have very poor opinions on UK food. Bland, poor quality ingredients, they put sauce on everything cos they dont know how to cook the meat etc etc
2. If you're a good cook then of course they'll enjoy it as its something different. Although they would hardly tell you if they didnt like it anyway
3. You havent got a clue!! Though I have to say Mercadona depresses me and I cant go in there

We live in paralel universes too it seems

My Spanish friends hate English food and most have lived in the UK for at least a few months. There are the odd things they like of course

90% of the restaurants on the CDS are cr*p it has to be said.

Best restaurants are in Malaga city itself or El Palo where they have a huge line of amazing seafood restaurants.

El Higueron near Benalmadena is OK though a little pricey. The problem I have in the CDS is actually finding a restaurant where it is run and cooked by Spanish people. Last time I went to a restaurant that had a Spanish menu, I found out the owners were English. They then put gravy on the morcilla de Burgos and ruined it! Travesty and it ruined my day

I'm afraid that both of these statements can be correct (although they seem to contradict each other). I taught at a language school in London a couple of years ago, and the students came from all over - Belarus, Thailand, France, Spain, Hungary, Chile etc. They all had a very poor opinion of British food. Of course they were basing their opinion on stuff bought from take-aways or cheap meals in pubs (the microwaved pre-produced stuff). Home-cooked food is a different matter entirely. Unfortunately a lot of visitors to the UK don't get to sample the decent stuff, which results in Britain's very poor reputation.

As for the difference in produce sold in Britain v Spain. I don't think that anyone who buys (for example) tomatoes would be able to claim there isn't a huge difference in quality. However the stuff sold in UK supermarkets is designed to last longer and be more resilient (whether by gm or irradiation etc) as it spends more time in getting shipped to Blighty. You do get a bigger range of produce in the UK, but I wish the supermarkets would concentrate more on promoting local goods in season (which can be fantastic), rather than flying veg in from Africa or Asia; however that's just a personal opinion.

I agree 100%

Cricketman it was you who wrote the above but now you are back tracking and saying well actually the food isnt that good in well .......most of Spain !!!!!!!!!!!!

No I'm not. Just saying that the food in some parts of South of Spain isnt as good as in the North of Spain

Especially in "new" areas with lots of holiday/expat homes that might dont have the tradition of local shops and restaurants supplying local produce and cooking local dishes

I went to some restaurants in the Sierra Nevada this week, the food was spectacular!