Have a Christmas Tipple at Spanish Trading Co!

Christmas this year is a very exciting time for us here at Spanish Trading Co.  We have just been granted our alcohol licence and we have started to take delivery of some lovely wines from Spain. We have some reds, whites and rosé wines as well as a fantastic dry Cava for those looking for  some festive fizz!  All are available by the glass to drink in or by the bottle to drink in or take home.  Our very popular coffee can now be enjoyed with a glass of Spanish Brandy - a real festive treat to keep out the cold on those Christmas shopping trips! We are also really pleased to have two delicious dry ciders from Asturias in the north of Spain.  We have a still cloudy cider which is traditionally poured into a small glass from a great height to aeriate the cider and release the full flavour.  Our Sparkling cider is presented in a bottle which is sealed with a champagne cork.  The cider is clear and dry with a crisp apple flavour.  Both ciders come in very generous 700ml bottles!

All of our wines and ciders go particularly well with our deli platters which can be enjoyed at our little table in the shop.

Autumn at Spanish Trading Co

We are working hard at Spanish Trading Co. this autumn to bring you some great food for the cooler days ahead and some delightful ceramics to cheer up the darkest of dull days!

The leaves are now falling from the trees next the shop and our thoughts are turning to warming stews,comfort food and the longer nights.  Spain  can be quite cool in Autumn and winter, especially in the north and there are some lovely traditional Spanish dishes that are ideal for cooler weather.  In our family, we always enjoy Fabada at this time of year.  It is a dish from Asturias in the north of Spain, made with white beans, morcilla and chorizo.  It is tasty and filling and ideal for serving to family and friends.  Our family recipe is on the website and ingredients for this and many other dishes are available in store and to order on line.

With the festive season fast approaching, we have just taken delivery of some more beautiful hand painted ceramics from Spain.  The vibrant colours and textured finishes will really brighten the darker days of autumn and winter. We have added two beautiful new designs to our original range and they are proving very popular.  The pieces are all practical as well as beautiful and can be used or just enjoyed as decorative items.  We have included some gorgeous little jugs for serving Sangria, wine, water or fruit juices and some lovely serving bowls and platters to show off your food to maximum effect.  They all make wonderful gifts:

Our "Big Olives" range has a vibrant wash of yellow with beautifully painted black olives and green leaves. This has a real Mediterranean feel.
The New "Gem" range is a wonderful cobalt blue with green and yellow decoration which is hand piped on for a tactile effect.
Our "Carmen" pieces are washed with a subtle yellow shade with ocre and again, these pieces are hand piped in a beautiful pattern.
The ever popular "Alegria Verde" has a base wash of deep green and red with an intricate pattern piped on in green and yellow.

Spanish Blend Coffee

We are very excited today because our new coffee beans have arrived and we are now serving even better coffee than we did before!!
Roasted in Asturias, up in the north of Spain, our coffee is a blend of 70% Natural Roast and 30% Torrefacto.  Torrefacto means that the natural roasted beans have a little sugar added right at the end of the roasting process.  This coats the beans in a delicious caramel like coating.  The Torrefacto beans are then mixed 70/30 with natural roasted beans.  The resulting coffee when ground in our shop is rich and dark with a luxuriously dark crema.  The coffee does not taste sweet at all, so no need to worry about that.   If you ever wondered why coffee tastes so fantastic in Spain, this is probably the reason why.

A perfect cafe con leche to start the day!

Our Coffee Shop and Sandwich Bar

I cant believe where the time has gone.  our new shop is six weeks old already!  It has already changed from our original idea of just a small delicatessen.  We have added a wonderful coffee machine which even though I say it myself, churns out some extremely good coffee.  We also have started to make Spanish bocadillos and have a few regular customers who seem hooked on them.  I must say that they are a fabulous change from the usual lunch time sandwich on offer in Lincoln.  The most popular one is the Serrano ham with Manchego cheese. We make them just as they do in Spain.  We start with a freshly baked half size baguette which is split open and drizzled with really good Spanish Olive Oil.  We then freshly slice the ham, cut the cheese into little thin wedges and fill the baguette. Of course, many people choose their own fillings from our deli counter.  We have beautiful salamis, chorizo, cured pork loin and a really fabulous dry cured smoked beef from Asturias in the north of Spain.  Our cheeses also make wonderful fillings, the soft creamy cows milk cheese called Tetilla is very popular, especially with the early birds who get to us whilst the bread is still warm!!

Spanish Snacks for the weekend

If you are planning on seeing a film over the weekend either in town or at home, or if you are still keeping up with the football,  why not try something different form the usual snacks on offer at your local cinema or corner shop?  We have a large selection of Spanish snacks available in our shop in Lincoln.  We have loads of different nibbles such as fried broad beans, with or without chilli, some fried corn and salted sunflower seeds.  These make a real change from the usual nachos and popcorn. We also have some sweet turron, chocolate treats or how about a natural wedge of dried figs with almonds, just made for when the munchies strike.

For the carnivores amongst us! (we fall into this category!) we have some great tubs of mixed snacks that include corn, nuts and Spanish pork scratchings.  And for the pure carnivore..... A simple bag of fried pork rinds - try keeping them to yourself!

Fresh Boquerones for a hot day!

Today we have some beautiful award winning Boquerones on our deli counter.  These large white achovies come from the Mediterranean and won a two star gold medal in last year's Great taste Awards.  They are not salted like many canned anchovies.  They are simply marinated in vinegar and oil with the addition of a little salt just to season. Delicious with some crusty bread and a salad.

Our delicious boquerones

Our Shop On Lincoln High Street!

Spanish Trading Co. 391-392 High Street, Lincoln, LN5 7SS

Our Deli Counter stocks a variety of  hams, chorizo, olives and cheeses as well as boquerones and fresh Padron Peppers (when available). We also have cooking chorizo, morcilla & Fabada meats. 

Our Coffee shop serves freshly ground coffees, Speciality teas from Spain , Cola Cao hot chocolate, sandwiches and salads.  All available to take away if you prefer!

The other side of our shop has Spanish groceries, spices and sweets.  We also have a very large range of terracotta cookware & steel paella pans together with some beautiful hand painted ceramics from Andalucia.

You are very welcome to come in and Browse!

New Shop Opening 31st May 2014

Our new shop on Lincoln High Street is nearing completion.  We are working hard to make sure that customers will get the best possible experience from shopping with us. We have decorated the shop in an Andalusian style with ochre colours, Spanish tiles and dark wood shelving. We will be stocking a range of cured Spanish meats, cheeses and olives which can be bought by weight so that customers can buy as much or as little as they need from a slice or two of Serrano ham to a full leg of magnificent ham on the bone.  Our grocery section will stock some of the famous Spanish goods  such as smoked pimenton, olive oil, sherry vinegars and turron. All  our products are carefully chosen for taste and quality.  We will also be offering a wide range of traditional terracotta cookware, steel  paella pans and ham carving equipment. Our hand painted ceramics are imported by us from a little factory in Andalusia.
Our sandwich bar and coffee shop will offer traditional Spanish Bocadillos and fresh salads as well as British favourites and we will offer a full range of speciality coffees, teas and of course, the famous Cola Cao hot chocolate all to take away.  We will have a small seating area for customers who wish to eat in.

We open at 8am on 31st May!

Great Spanish Doughnuts!

One of the many great things about Spain is the delicious churros, traditionally served for breakfast.  These thin doughnuts coated in a little sugar are dipped into thick hot chocolate.  Surprisingly easy to make, the churro mix is simply mixed with water and placed into a piping bag to be piped directly into the hot oil.  The little churros are fried until golden before being drained and sprinkled with just a little sugar.  That's it! They are now ready to be dipped into thick hot chocolate!  A handy churro maker makes life even easier!  The interchangeable nozzles mean that you can make a variety of different shapes.
Why not give them a try!

http://www.spanishtradingco.co.uk/Spanish-Groceries/Tea-Coffee-Hot-Chocolate-and-Other-Drinks/Vira-Spanish-Drinking-Chocolate-180g-Tin

Enjoy good food with family and friends!

The Post Christmas period often leaves us feeling a little deflated.  The party season is over for another year and many of us have a few pounds to lose after the excesses of seasonal food and drink. Our wallets have often taken a bit of a beating in December and we often make savings by staying at home instead of going out to eat and drink .This time of year finds us longing for the summer, lighter nights and a bit of warmth in the sun. 

Whilst the longer, warmer days may still be some time away, we can all still enjoy good times with family and friends. We know of no better way to do this than to cook up a delicious paella, plonk it in the middle of  the table and tuck in. The recipe is simple and the end result is tasty and nutritious.  All it needs to accompany is a nice salad, some crusty bread and something good to drink! The paella can be made for as many or as few people as you like and serving it up in the pan makes for less washing up!  This certainly beats the winter blues in our house!

Ingredients, pans and other equipment are all available on the web site!

http://www.spanishtradingco.co.uk/Mixed-Paella-info

Well Folks the 7th January has arrived and Christmas has been packed up and put away for another year. Sadly, we are now getting to the end of our lovely Iberico Ham.

We have spent many a happy hour over Christmas slicing and sharing this magnificent ham with family and friends. As we reach the bone, the little tasty scraps will be put to good use.  They can be added to lentil dishes and are lovely in a cheese sauce poured over some lightly steamed cauliflower.  We love them folded into some softly scrambled eggs.  Take a look at the recipe on our web site for details .http://www.spanishtradingco.co.uk/scrambled-eggs-with-jamon
There is a lot to look forward to as we enter the new year and we at the Spanish Trading Co. wish all our customers a very happy and prosperous 2014.