Re: Visit to Uk
 

There are still lots of places that offer fresh and traditional cooking in Spain, but you need to know where you are going - and be prepared to pay more.

My OH says you cant expect a good paella for less than 25 euros per head. How many people here would be happy paying that when you can get the cheap frozen one for 5 euros?

Re: Visit to Uk
 

Of course there are places like that, as you say, but I personally know of restaurants with a good reputation, that buy in frozen veggie canelones and lasagne for example, then they put a bit of homemade sauce on top and pass it off as "cooked inhouse in the traditional way"

One of the dead giveaways for this is the huge range of items on the menu, the more traditonal eateries in Galicia do give fresh home made food every day, because they have a limited choice and a lot do a great quantity of the special dishes, the callos for example. These dishes are usually sold with the day of making

A place that has a huge range, will most certainly use some sort of convenience food, which is generally frozen because of storage space , and lack of time to prepare, what could be a dish that sells only now and then.

Re: Visit to Uk
 

Yep, absolutely.

When in Asturias sometime we go to a house in a village where they cook food for you at the weekend (you have to book in advance , there are only 4-5 tables). There is a choice of 2 dishes, usually one seafood and one meat. The food is fresh, delicious and a little expensive, but then all the ingredients are fresh and top quality.

I do like that in Spain you spend the money on the food as the alcohol and wine in the restaurants is usually a reasonable price. In the UK, if you drink wine, then the alcohol can end up costing more than the food!

Re: Visit to Uk
 

Why do the smileys disappear when you most need them - thumbs up to both!

I go back maybe twice a year & usually spend half the time driving, because we have family in Somerset, Suffolk & Staines! - and never spend enough time with the family & friends I've attempted to see.

Always but always go hand luggage only come back charity shop suitcase stuffed to the gunn'ls with Tesco cheapies, charity cheapies (no, not the stuff you could buy in Primark cheaper, designer items & the like!!!) and stuff that the cheap & cheerfuls do do here but they never seem quite as cheap.

Notwithstanding not liking living apart, I think I'm really quite lucky that OH comes to & fro cos actually stuff like teabags & puffed wheat are easy peasy hand luggage items, & he tops up 8yo's MEGA expensive school uniform with George at Asda navy blue jumpers for £3, grey trousers for £4, shirts £2, shoes £5, etc!!
-- oh, and when in Suffolk, haddock & chips.

Re: Visit to Uk
 

Strange isn´t it, living here I´ve never been to a car boot sale and never frequent charity shops.:) Must be a woman´s thing, as the other half certainly likes the charity shops, but more often than not, she´s taking stuff to them rather than buying. :D Probably taking back those bargains she bought previously but never wore! I don´t know if she´s ever been to a car boot though, certainly can´t remember any. There´s a huge Sunday market near us, and I bet it´s at least 15 years since I´ve been there. Been to more Spanish markets then UK one's.

Re: Visit to Uk
 

I hate markets and car boots in both countries. Been round the Fuengirola one a couple of times, it's huge. Full of elderly ex-pats selling off their trinkets and tat to live the dreem:rofl: Went once with a Norwegian friend and she couldn't stop laughing at the stuff, she said they throw better stuff than that in the bin in Norway.

I do buy lots of books from charity shops but they go back there too...it's my green recycling contribution;)

If I haven't been in the UK for a while I like wandering around Boots and all the Department stores.

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I love the places that yo dont know what you are going to eat untill it is on the table.
We went to a place in Ponferrada not so long ago last summer, a huge place with no menu, if you know what I mean.

When I was a kid there were tons of places like this, but now very few and far between.
There were not "tables" for each groups of diners, everyone was packed ont long benches with trestle tables.
I did not matter if you did not like some of the food as a different course would arrive within a few minutes, usually embutidos to start, then empanada, etc.

Re: Visit to Uk
 

[QUOTE=jackytoo;9157141]Always go the same way these threads:rolleyes: Where is all the coffee at £4 in the UK:confused:
/QUOTE]

Local cafes here charge no more than £1.25 a cup, so no idea, presumably in the Hilton or Savoy.

Re: Visit to Uk
 

For those curious people worrying about the £4 coffee in the UK – if you come out of arrivals at Stanstead airport and look over to your left you will see a large place called something like Costa Coffee, staffed entirely by foreigners, and coffee is £4 a cup.

When I was last there some four years ago, I had some unpleasant business to attend to in the UK and even bought myself a packet of 20 Embassy No 1 (I haven’t smoked for years) at £6 and the £4 coffee which I then took outside to stand with the other rich addicts, shivering in the cold.

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An airport isn't representative of a whole country though is it. A croissant at málaga airport costs about 4 euro but it doesn't mean that they cost that everywhere. I use Gatwick and heathrow and can't recall having paid that for a coffee, I am sure I would have remembered:rofl:

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So which country is better? UK or Spain?

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:sneaky:

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Prices at Malaga airport are outrageous. I once paid 14 euros for 2 pints of lager...never again!

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I had a similar experience in AGP ,prices were printed in a very small piece of paper , I told to waiter to keep them as his boss was taking the piss and walked ,its difficult to pour beer back into the taps:rofl:

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You dont know what youre missing.


We are taking the bare essentials and lots of spanish spices,bollycao,2 paelleras etcetc for my daughter and then bring back clothing and my bargains from carboot sales etc.

I always have a plan B so if its raining we can go to Hatherleighs carboot which is in a slaughterhouse. Thers a vile death smell at times but I cant be picky.Not much time.:eek:

Im a toy collector. Always looking for that something.