Cheryl Gatward interview
Cheryl Gatward is the designer behind a Taste of Spain. Recently Andalucia.com caught up with her to find out what it's like to work with such gorgeous food photography - and great recipes!
AC- What was the most rewarding part of the project?
CG- The same as with all my projects - seeing the finished product!
AC- What was the greatest challenge you faced in putting this book together?
CG- Making it easy for the user, i.e. the person cooking. Making something look good is one challenge, but then thinking how the product was going to be used, you don't want to be turning over pages in the middle of a recipe while your hands are all gooey etc. Also choosing colours for each section. You have to be careful with food. Some colours just don't go with food...
AC- Did any recipes jump out at you? If so, which ones?
CG- Yes, the fried ham and cheese sandwhiches. The minute I read it, I knew my kids would love them. So I made them the day I read the recipe, and sure enough, they were demolished in about two seconds... very popular! Also, the potato bombs - fantastic!
AC- What are your favourite Spanish tapas?
CG- I adore all tapas, especially anything fried and anything with plenty of garlic. Some of the fine "pata negra" always goes down well with a glass of "fino", and Catalan Toast has been a favourite snack in our house for years.
AC- Can you recommend a favourite restaurant or tapa bar in Andalucia, where we can try tasty examples of the type of food we find in Janet Mendel's new book?
CG- The new Taberna in Estepona Port is great and most of the tapa bars in Málaga that I've been to are brilliant. It's the atmosphere that makes tapas bars fun to go to. Tapas are not formal, which helps to make them fun... and you can pick and choose rather than having to plough through a large meal. It's very conducive to good conversation!