Well it came and was fantastic. On the 11, 12th and 13th of June in Majuelo Park in Almuñécar, the Gastronomic Fair took place.

I took a little wander down with my family and some friends to spend a warm Saturday afternoon passing a few hours sampling some of the very best dishes, the local restaurants prepare, and then wash it all down with a glass of vino or two. And I was not disappointed; in fact the opposite I was spoilt for choice and it took me several circuits of the feria to make my first decision. However once into the swing of it all I quickly learnt to travel from stall to stall, order my tapas and enjoy.

The food was presented beautifully and all freshly prepared. We had a great selection on our table of paella from Chambao de Joaquín , to a selection of warm meat dishes from Reina Sofia, caesar salads prepared by Los Laureles and much more.

It was early evening when we finally left and started the long walk home, which we surely needed to work off some of the calories.

(Ed.) Mari and I also descended upon the park, like a swarm of locusts and stallholders fended us off with savoury dishes to stop us nibbling at their awning canvas and leering at passers-by with plates of goodies.

Seriously though, the concept of the gastronomic fair is a brilliant one, because it allows you to combine dishes from your favourite restaurants, all in one sitting.

Some of the tasty dishes to be had over the weekend on which the fair was held were: Arbol blanco’s rabo de toro, the Mirador de Cerro Gordo’s croquetas, La Trattoria’s omni-present pizzas and Mari & Miguel’s grilled meats.