Rick Stein's Spain

Rick’s journey begins in Galicia - famous for pilgrims, rain, fog, fresh seafood, empanadas and more rain. He eats ‘tortillas de patata’ in the King of Spain’s favourite restaurant and meets up with a couple of cool dudes who run a little restaurant in the old market of Santiago de Compostela. In neighbouring Asturias, he enjoys a cider festival at Gijon; samples the famous fabada - a hearty bean stew with sausage, belly pork and black pudding; and explores the making of Cabrales cheese in secret caves. Finally, in this program stuffed with goodness and jollity, Rick enters the Basque Country, where they like nothing better than to cook great fish dishes, drink local wine and sing.

One of the great delights of Basque food are 'pinxos'; huge tapas portions. In this two-part episode, Rick learns all about them in a crowded bar in San Sebastian. In Ordizia, he marvels at how the toddlers from local schools all come to the market to see the various wares on display, while the teacher explains what things are. Battling through the rain he arrives at La Rioja, one of the richest regions of the country, stuffed with fabulous vineyards. Then it's on to Navarra and its most famous town, Pamplona - known for its bull running and Ernest Hemingway - and the Catalonian town of Lleida - which is crazy about snails.