This blog is dedicated to my mother Juani. She who was born in 1945 in a Spanish town called La Línea de la Concepcíon by the Straits of Gibraltar. At the time, Spain was impoverished and had not commenced its ‘economic miracle’ and many people struggled even to feed themselves. Yet with the hardship, mum talks with great fondness of simpler times – the freedom of playing on the beach and in the sea; the fishing boats; the milkman and his goat; dancing flamenco whilst her brothers practiced on guitar; and of course Mama Maria’s cooking.

In 1964, mum married my English father and moved to the UK where they raised the family. My siblings and I grew up in a truly Spanglish household where mum spoke Spanish and we spoke back in English. Intermingled in the typical English meals of the eighties, mum also cooked dishes like paella; lentejas (lentil stew); and puchero (chicken-bean hot pot).

This site is a ‘recuerdo’ – a way of capturing and celebrating part of my Spanish heritage. Dishes handed down from my grandmother to my mum and now to me and my sisters. If anyone finds this remotely interesting then all the better!

The recipes I will gradually add to this blog are humble but tasty. Most of them will be simple stews or soups known as ‘platos de cuchara’ (spoon food) and although they are not technically challenging, they do require time and love to allow the flavours to develop. The methods come directly from Juani hence the name of the site! As with all recipes, there are variations to the theme, so don’t expect this to be a definitive guide. This is one way of doing it and each recipe can be adapted to taste and what’s available in the kitchen cupboard.

My aim is to write down the recipes from Juani, try them out myself and then add them to the blog. I’ve always wanted to record mum’s recipes and now I think I have found the right way to do it. I hope these pages will remain a companion for years to come. Graçias mama!