Crumbs to Crunch

Have you ever wanted to travel all around a country but simply don't have time? Poble Espanyol in Barcelona is the solution to seeing Spain in a nutshell. This 'Spanish Village' is an outdoor architectural museum which offers the chance to see Spain in one hour. Poble Espanyol was originally built for the 1929 International Exhibiton to showcase different regional architecture from Santiago de Compostella to Seville but was so popular it is still open today. Strolling along the cobble streets really did give the feel of a village instead of a museum. Many of the buildings house workshops were you can see artisans creating beautiful pieces. Around every corner you can experience a different area of Spain and relax in the many squares. It was in one of these squares that I stopped off for the ultimate Spanish snack, churros. What a treat it was to sit out in the winter's sun on a beautiful Spanish square, dunking the deep fried dough sticks into thick...

One of my pet hates about Britain is that tea rooms close so early. Many a time have I been turned away at 4pm, gasping for a cup of tea! Spain is the perfect antidote to this as their whole day starts hours after ours. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across Tekoe , a tea bar in Madrid.  Hooray! I can finally have a late night cuppa if I wish! Tekoe is ultra modern yet cosy. They boast shelves upon shelves of loose leaf teas in bright green tins. I ordered an Evening Chai, an orange chamomile and mint concoction. It was a very light and soothing tea which was also a naturally sweet. For the real tea addicts, they also offer Earl Grey cake which is a lovely sponge with just hints of Earl Grey and a drizzle of icing. If you fancy going out one evening but don't fancy drinking then Tekoe is the perfect place for a chill evening with friends. 

Have you ever had the dilemma over whether to eat a doughnut or a croissant for breakfast? Then cronuts are for you! Well actually I have never had such a dilemma but surely they were invented for that reason. Whatever the origins of the cronut are, they do taste absolutely delicious!  I experienced the delight that is the cronut at  Chök  i n Barcelona. This chic Chocolate Kitchen produces a whole host of inviting flavours to choose from.  My friend went for an oreo cronut. I relished a pistachio one made out of a croissant style pastry filled with pistachio cream, dunked in chocolate and sprinkled in crushed pistachios. My mouth is watering, just describing it so you can imagine how it tasted!  I'm glad that I have finally tried this heart attack inducing treat but my advice would be to not eat anything before (and probably after)!