At a meeting earlier this week, the Andalusian Federation of Hoteliers & Hospitality think that they have found, dare I say it, a "loophole"! 

 

The hoteliers believe that if say garlic, peppers and herbs such as thyme or rosemary are added to the extra virgin olive oil, it could then be classified as a condiment or dressing instead and therefore not breach the Spanish legislation. 

 

The new legislation only applies to extra virgin olive oil and fines for infringement and violation of the new rules range between 600 and 600,000 euros... no I didn´t slip up on those zero´s! 

Sources consider that so long as there is a label on the bottle stating it is either a "dressing" or "salsa" then that is sufficient and will not breach the law. In Spain there are 350,000 catering establishments of which my guess is that the majority would be affected by this new law. 

 

On the subject of gastronomy, the first event of the Benidorm food calendar takes place next week - "Jordanas de la Cuchara", which loosely translates to "Hot Dish Days". The week long event, starting on Monday 17th and ending on Sunday 23rd February has been organised by the Town Hall and Tourism Association. 16 restaurants are taking part with the aim of promoting a broad range of dishes on offer in the town - from the traditional to the modern. 

 

Each of the participating restaurants will offer a different 3 course menu on each day, for a fixed price of 20 euros - which also includes half a bottle of quality wine. The Tourist Information office has produced a booklet listing all the restaurants with a map and what the menu´s are on.