We set off from Jávea in glorious sunshine on Thursday 28 November for our overnight SC&C Gastro-Cultural tour of El Maestrat, which was being led by Chema, the super guide who had given us such a great experience during the trip to The Corklands earlier in the year.
Our first stop was at the Centro d’Interpretació del Parc Natural del Prat de Cabanes-Torreblanca, a wetland of international importance. This extensive park is home to three main types of plant life: those of the salt marsh, the coastline and aquatic plants. Sonia, the specialist guide from the Parc, was very enthusiastic about her work and we enjoyed her explanation of their aims and plans for future conservation of this wetland area.
We then travelled to the Mas de Rander bioclimatic winery, located in a mountain area and a short distance from the Mediterranean Sea, which gives its wines a unique personality. After a tour of the vineyards and the winery, we tasted several wines accompanied by various tapas with bread, tomatoes and olive oil, local cheese and sausages and helped ourselves to their home-grown clementines.
Our last visit of the day was to a chocolatier, the innovative idea of a mother and daughter team who saw a niche in the market for their very special chocolates. They gave us a detailed explanation of the production process, whilst we tasted the raw ingredients from which their products were made, ending with tastings of the chocolates and dipping our marshmallow sample into the flowing chocolate machine!
We travelled to our final destination, Morella, for our overnight stay in the Hotel Restaurante Cardinal Ram, a delightful hotel, where we had dinner for the group before retiring to bed for our well-earned rest! Many of us agreed that we must return and stay longer in Morella, to visit the castle and its interesting buildings and narrow streets.
After a good breakfast and once again in glorious sunshine, we met Chema in Sant Mateu, the historic capital of the Baix Maestrat, with its medieval walls, fountains and palaces. The local guide gave us an excellent tour, with Chema translating for us.
Our next visit was to the Pou del Mas natural museum of ancient olive trees, an area with the highest density of millennial olive trees in Europe; “la Farga del Pou del Mas” dates back to the first half of the 9th century, when Islamic Iberia was ruled by the emir Abd ar-Rahman II.
We then travelled to a nearby restaurant in Canet lo Roig, for an EVOO tasting with a local expert, with 2 different endemic varieties. After an almuerzo lunch, we were each given a bottle of olive oil as a gift. Before boarding the coach for our return to Jávea , we thanked Chema for his expert guiding over the 2-day tour. We will be looking forward to his day trip with us in May!
Thank you to all of the members on the tour for making it such a fun and enjoyable experience, and to our photographers Melanie de Melker, Helen Page, Ian Cummings and Angela.
PS An umbrella was left on the bus, if it belongs to anyone in the group would you please send me an email so that I can return it to you!
Report by Angela Chantry
Group leader, Spanish Culture & Cuisine
