Olive oil masterclass

Working in catering, we love to explore the world of local produce and the amazing gastronomy that Andalucia has to offer. On Saturday, Alex and I went to a fascinating Masterclass in olive oil at the beautiful delicatessan boutique in Marbella Old Town DOliva http://www.dolivaonline.com/
At home we try and follow a Mediterranean diet, and this is reflected in our menus at FiestaSol. Spain produces the majority of olive oil in Europe and 80% of this is produced in Andalucia. The health benefits are amazing, and extra virgen oil is know both as the "liquid gold of the Mediterranean diet" and the "artery fairy" for its amazing cholesterol-lowering propeties.
Olive oil should be extra virgen for these properties to be at their best. We hugely enjoyed our tasting session, which taught us to appreciate the taste differences present in oil, similar to a wine tasting.

Once our locale is finished, we hope to provide a similar Masterclass, taught by Dr Francisco Tapia, the impressive nutritionist who hosted the session.

Vintage-style weddings

 

Vintage and shabby chic weddings are all the rage at the moment. I adore this style and have been doing some redecorating at home, using pictures and websites like http://blog.loulouandoscar.com/ and http://www.cabbagesandroses.com/ to inspire me (and make me drool) I recently bought a great vintage cake stand on http://www.ebay.co.uk/ for my kitchen and thought it would be perfect for cupcakes at a wedding. We also did a beautiful wedding in this theme with Laura from http://www.reviva-weddings.com/ a few years ago and she and I were in heaven. See image below.

Tarifa

We work so hard over the summer that its important for us to get away and switch off completely. I absolutely love Tarifa as it is stunningly beautiful and the perfect place to chill out.
We are renting a beautiful villa over Easter with a bunch of friends. Have a look at the photos and also some of the boys last summer and our picnic on the sand dunes.
Louis and Oscar are total beach bums and as Louis recently told me - "If we dont go to Tarifa soon I will lose my temperature...!!" We cant wait and plan to go whale watching, sand dune quad biking and hiking in the national parks. I may leave the nude sunbathing at Bolonia to my crazy friend Robbie - I will take photos!

  

On a personal note

These last five years have been a roller coaster for me, mostly because I have combined a very fast-growing business with the not unsignificant task of having two babies! Louis is now 4 and Oscar nearly 2. I have shifted tables and chairs while 8 months pregnant, sent emails from my hospital bed and told them goodnight stories over the phone while weddings rage in the background! They have always been and continue to be my inspiration. Thanks to http://www.jeremystandley.com/ for taking so many beautiful photos of them over the years

Exciting news...

We are thrilled to be building our new commercial premises right on the seafront in Marbella. As well as an industrial kitchen and new offices, it will have a wedding showroom and menu tasting area. Clients will be able to come in, have a glass of cava and look through photos of our weddings and events, meet suppliers and sample our menus. My friend Laura at http://www.reviva-weddings.com/, decorator extraordinaire, has offered to help turn the space into mini-wedding world with fairly lights, floral centreprices and much more. We will also be putting together themed weddding ideas in the showroom and posting on the blog to give brides some real inspiration.

Business news for 2011

Image: http://www.jeremystandley.com/

I never cease to be amazed how much our business grows each year. From our humble beginning six years ago planning the odd wedding and catering our neighbours´ dinner parties, we now have 52 villa weddings booked for 2011 and enquiries are still coming in all the time. Many people ask me what the secret is, and I always says its not rocket science: treat your customers with respect, forge positive relationships with all the other suppliers in the area, don´t overcharge and turn up on time! Our team enjoys every job, we work with smiles on our faces and treat every event with the importance it deserves. I will keep you posted on all the exciting plans afoot, such as media interviews, a coffee table book and a fabulous new season opening party.

New Year, New Blog!

A wise and trusted friend (you know who you are are!) has encouraged me to give my blog an overhaul. 2011 is going to be an amazing year, and I want this blog to document the dreams and ambitions of our life in Spain, not just as business owners, but as a family who loves living in this beautiful part of the world. I hope to inspire people to do what we did and be brave and change their lives and achieve as much as they can.