Galicia is a region where the land and sea work harmoniously to provide the very best natural produce. Add to this the mild climate and abundance of natural springs and you have the perfect ingredients for great food and fabulous wine.

Specialties are of course fish and seafood, wild boar, the excellent local beef or ox steaks and other meats on the grill; chicken roasted with garlic and the famous pulpo de gallego (octopus). There are top quality local hams, chorizos and empenadas (a kind of pasty filled wiith fish, meat or vegatables) and the amazing organic vegatables from the markets are not to be missed. The bread in Galicia is very special and the coffee is also very good. Almost anywhere you go the food is very reasonably priced and the restaurants are very accommodating.

The region is famous for its wine and liqueurs. The Albarino white wine from the Rias Baxias is excellent by any international standard and grows across the region on the lower slopes of the hills. The local Ribeiro reds & whites, usualy made with the Mencia and Godello grape, are also very good and well worth a try. A little further afield you have heartier reds from the Ribeira Sacra or to the South just over the borders in Portugal there is yet more to explore. All the mountain regions have their own liqueurs; coffee, herb and a sort of Bailey’s cream liquer, perfect to finish off any meal.