The Catalonian sauce for this dish is more famous than the main ingredient itself but in the last decade they have raised in popularity to the point that these particularly sweet and large spring onions have become quite a thing in Spanish restaurants outside of Spain.

Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables because of their unique and incomparable flavor. It is so particular that there is no other like it out there with that licorice flavor.

I love the less loved cuts of any animal – you need to treat them skilfully to get the best out of them. I often find that the result is so satisfying that I keep coming back to it and this oxtail stew is no exception. It’s not a recipe that was handed down by my Mum, but is actually something I have worked out and developed myself through investigation and real passion.

My family has a house in the mountains near Madrid and it is where we all congregate every Christmas. We are completely spoiled in that you only have to walk out of the house to come across wonderful natural ingredients: mushrooms, asparagus, thistles, game, fish, nuts, wild fruits and berries.

Christmas in Spain last until the 6th of January, Ephiphany Day. It is the biggest day of Christmas and when we open all the gifts that The three Wise Kings brought to us overnight.

This dish has all the elements to be the perfect Christmas centrepiece, if it wasn't for the fact that it is just too easy to make, and you know how complicated we like to make it when it comes to Christmas – nothing can take half an hour.

A simple, quick and delicious soup that we have as a starter for dinner at Christmas with my family. We are so many at the table that this is only one of the few starters there is to choose from. I have to say I always choose them all and have a bit of everything!

Back in Spain, we eat a lot of shellfish and crustacea on Christmas Day, anything from crab to barnacles to langoustines. Every Christmas Eve we go to our family house in the mountains of Madrid to spend Christmas together.

In Spain we do have turkey for Christmas as well. In my family we prepare it in this really different and very special way and of all the turkeys I have tried in my life I can assure you this is the best by far! We Botox de turkey with brandy and we massage the turkey after some yoga exercises. When I say that something is the best and special is for a reason. Be prepared for a very unique Christmas turkey recipe with all the trimmings.

In my family we eat this dish of braised red cabbage with apples as a starter on Christmas Eve. I’m a born and bred Madrileño and this is a very traditional Christmas dish; in fact I can’t recall a Christmas without it. My great aunty Tere is always in charge of this dish but I am the one she gives it first to try, to check if it’s missing something. I have learned from the best.

Even though these are traditionally Christmas biscuits, that has never stopped me from making them all year round. They are not too sweet and, of course, I love anything with almonds in...

Let’s talk about Christmas. In England you have lots of traditions that include clothes, Christmas songs, food, mulled drinks and sweets. Who doesn’t eat mince pies over the Christmas season?

On the 26th of December, it is a tradition in Catalonia to get together with the family and feast on Canelones.

This tapa is truly a Spaniard’s favorite. You will find these plump marinated anchovies on the counters in tapas bars throughout Spain.

As we get deep into the Autumn the variety of mushrooms you can find in markets multiply and as well the first Jerusalem artichokes start appearing on restaurant menus.

This super quick dish relies on fresh clams and monkfish and little more as this is how fishermen would cook them while out on the boat. But it’s just as popular on land!

You’ll find this dish in pretty much every tapas bar in every coastal town in Spain, as well as in all the major cities. We love our fish and shellfish so much that the capital Madrid (which is in the middle of mainland Spain) is a major fresh fish importer, second only to Japan.

What a simple thing this is and what a success it has had in Spain. We have this for breakfast, as an accompaniment for charcuteries, we serve it just to nibble on the table and we dress in the same way our sandwiches (in other countries people use butter). Remember garlic wants to be your friend, don’t forget to love him back.

n autumn, I love foraging for mushrooms and there is never a year when I don’t go to look for them on a few walks. As well no year goes by when I don’t enjoy a good mushroom mellow rice made with mushrooms stock. The reason is that I like to feel the earthy special flavour mushrooms have that sometimes gets lost in between other ingredients. I love a good risotto but unfortunately they abuse so much of the Parmesan and butter that mushrooms get behind those bold flavours. I like my mushroom dishes to taste very pure as if I was tasting and smelling the forest.

When trying to cook with a bit more flavour it is inevitable in lots of different dishes the need to resource to a home-made rich and flavoursome stock. In some dishes it is fundamental to use them as water just doesn’t quite cut it. At times we all resort to the quick and ready stock cube, but if you want to eat a more natural diet or have restaurant tasting dishes that are incredibly satisfying when you serve them at the table then there is no way around it as to make your own. The difference will make you proud and your chicken paellas will taste better than ever.