Get your castanets; 'Casa Dudley' is in Spain!!
Amateur cooks from around Wales battle it out for a place in Casa Dudley's cookery school in Andalucía. At the school in Ronda, the eight successful candidates will face numerous cooking challenges; it will be an exiting and emotional journey with the eight having one of the most amazing gastronomic experiences of their lives. Who will be dancing the flamenco and beating the bull?! The heat is rising once again in the Casa Dudley kitchen.
Ronda
Ronda is the sole city in the Serrania de Ronda, a mountainous region of the Málaga province.
It's located around 100km from Málaga itself, and has a population of around 35,000.
The Rio Guadelevín runs through the city, splitting it in half carving out the impressive El Tajo gorge.
Although the Celts were early inhabitants of Ronda, it was the Romans and later the Moors who had most influence on its physical appearance, before the town was taken by the Catholic King Ferdinand in 1485.
Three bridges span the El Tajo gorge:
- Puente Romano - The Roman Bridge, or Puente San Miguel
- Puente Viejo - The Old Bridge, or Arab's Bridge (Puente Arabe)
- Puente Nuevo - The New Bridge.
The New Bridge was completed in 1793, and is the tallest of the three, standing 120 metres above the floor of the gorge. The architect José Martin de Aldehuela, fell to his death from the bridge, apparently attempting to catch his hat, which had been caught by a gust of wind.
Several other people have also fallen into the gorge to their deaths, usually as a result of strong winds.
Another notable landmark is the Plaza de Toros, which is one of Spain's oldest bullrings and was built by the same architect responsible for the Puente Nuevo.
Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway, who were both huge bullfighting fans, were regular visitors to Ronda, and the Plaza de Toros is mentioned in one of Hemingway's books, 'Death in the Afternoon'.
Another one of Hemingway's books, 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', describes the murder of Spanish nationalists when they were thrown from the cliff tops into the gorge and to their deaths during the Spanish Civil War - this is reputedly based on events at Ronda.
Every September the residents of Ronda dress up in 17th and 18th century bullfighting costumes (as they appear in the paintings of the Spanish artist Francisco Goya for the 'Feria Goyesca de Pedro Romero') to celebrate the famous matador who was responsible for forming the modern style of bullfighting.
Cortijo Salinas
We had a lovely warm welcome at Cortijo Salinas from Isabelle and her family. And this year, the 8 competitors were staying, cooking and competing under the one roof! The hotel's location was stunning and the views breathtaking. If you would like to see more of this amazing location head for the website, www.cortijosalinas.es
Alwen and the Prize
With so many top cookery schools to choose from, we decided this year that the winner of Casa Dudley could choose their own venue. Alwen McConochie, winner of Casa Dudley 2007, went to Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Raymond Blanc's famous establishment outside Oxford, and had a fantastic experience...
I learned a lot about the rules of cooking and was shown how to make things from scratch. Emphasis was put on local produce and to make sure that the food used was top quality, loads of tips on how to cut down on time in the kitchen - lots of really useful hints!
What was your impression of Le Manoir?
A beautiful location, luxurious rooms, everyone was kind and went out of their way to make sure you had a good time. I was lucky enough to meet Raymond [Blanc] himself, or RB as he is called, and he was very friendly. The cookery classes were amazing, it was heavenly to be able to talk about food and eat food every day, which didn't do much for my diet! I was looking forward to the 10-course meal on the last night, a meal that my husband Huw was able to share and enjoy with me. I never thought I would say this but I'd had enough of food! After coming home I just had to eat fruit and nothing else.
Have you done more with your cooking since appearing on Casa Dudley?
Since the programme I have done numerous shows to raise money for the school that my children attend as well as visiting various Merched y Wawr evenings, Women's Food and Farming at the Lampeter Show, The Abergavenny Food Festival and am looking forward to much more over the coming months.
Has your cooking changed at all since being on the programme and at Le Manoir?
Since coming back from Le Manoir my cooking has changed a lot, I'm always looking for ways to vary recipes. The programme itself made me feel more confident in the kitchen and even more so after the classes at Le Manoir. Since working in a larger, tidier kitchen I am much more organised and not so messy - even my husband Huw has noticed this, which says a lot!
If someone was thinking of competing but not sure of what to do, what would you tell them?
Go for it!! Nothing to lose and a lot to gain. It was wonderful to enjoy and make new friends that had the same interest. Going to Italy was an amazing experience, the area was stunning, great food, warm sunshine, Dudley, friends and a lot of fun. Believe me, it was great - what more can I say?
For more information: www.manoir.com
