Thought for Food: Spanish Eden

Every now and then I come across a really special place, a gem so special that I have mixed feelings about revealing its whereabouts. Should I write about it, or will I keep this discovery all to myself? What if gets unbearably busy, expands, loses its magic?
Pink-washed Finca Buenvino emerges from the oak and chestnut woods at the end of a winding country avenue, in the middle of the Sierra de Aracena Nature Reserve in Andalucia in Spain. We had travelled since before dawn to get to Seville, rented a car, followed the map painstakingly and turned off at the 95km sign on the road between Seville and Aracena.

Every now and then I come across a really special place, a gem so special that I have mixed feelings about revealing its whereabouts. Should I write about it, or will I keep this discovery all to myself? What if gets unbearably busy, expands, loses its magic? Pink-washed Finca Buenvino emerges from the oak and chestnut woods at the end of a winding country avenue, in the middle of the Sierra de Aracena Nature Reserve in Andalucia in Spain. We had travelled since before dawn to get to Seville, rented a car, followed the map painstakingly and turned off at the 95km sign on the road between Seville and Aracena. We arrived close to midnight, almost too tired to eat, but the warm and spontaneous welcome revived us almost immediately. Jago and Sam carried our bags upstairs, a huge fire crackled on the hearth in the drawing room, Bucket and Teaser rubbed up against our legs. Would we like a whisky or how about a little bowl of soup? We had a delicious leek and potato soup with homemade breads, a selection of Spanish farmhouse cheeses – a Cabrales, Manchego, a creamy melting Torto wrapped in its traditional band of lace and the famous Tetilla. We arrived in the dark, so couldn't wait to draw back the curtains when we eventually woke the following morning. The view across the hills, thickly wooded with sweet chestnut and cork oak was spectacular. Here and there are olive groves, walnut trees and orchards of plums, peaches and figs. Wild, rocky escarpments are covered in cistus and tree heathers. Stone-walled mule tracks meander from village to hamlet, perfect for walking or riding. Breakfast is served in the dining room or conservatory, thick, unctuous homemade yoghurt, local honey and crunchy granola, dried fruit, homemade jam and Seville orange marmalade, freshly squeezed orange juice, lots of hot toast and bacon with eggs from their own hens. The tea comes from a friend's tea plantation in India – the coffee a very good Spanish brand. After Sam and Jeannie Chesterton were married in Scotland, they left for Spain where Sam had been living in a remote candlelit cottage. Drawing on their experience of running shooting lodges in the Highlands, they wanted to make their home in a wild yet accessible place of great natural beauty; there to receive guests, enjoy conversation, good food and genial company, and to raise their family in unspoiled surroundings. After six months, they discovered Finca Buenvino set amid 150 acres of woodland in the Huelva area of South Western Spain and started to build their dream. A happy combination of Latin and Anglo-Saxon influences, the house is filled with an eclectic mix of furniture, paintings, pottery and books. There are five bedrooms reserved for guests, all are charming and distinctive, whether due to hand-painted walls, oriental hangings, a bath tub with a view or a fireplace. The small, winter dining room is pine-panelled and entirely candlelit, and dinner is eaten together with fellow guests. Sometimes neighbours come in to join the guests for dinner. There are huge log fires, and cosy rooms which make one feel at home. It was beautiful in December, but I've been told that in spring, the valley below the house is filled with white heathers, primroses and the song of nightingales. In summer one can dine late under the stars, while the crickets chirp and the jasmine unfurls its scent. Tapas are served approximately an hour before dinner. Most weekend nights there is a village fiesta nearby. Summer days can be spent beside the spectacular pool; with advance notice they can serve a barbecue lunch at the poolhouse. For me the whole experience was most exciting because I could at last learn first hand about the rearing of the famous black pigs and the production of Pata Negra, the finest cured ham in the world. The village of Jubugo, famous for the production of jamón ham, is just a few miles from Buen Vino, but there was no need to venture that far because Sam and Jeannie's pigs were gorging on the acorns under the corn oaks. Sam cures the hams himself, slowly and painstakingly in the time-honoured way. We ate slivers of jamón with salted almonds, delicious Aracena potato crisps and picos for tapas every evening, never tiring of the exquisite flavour. We donned our walking boots and walked across the hills to Linares de Sierra, a little village with narrow cobbled streets and patterned stone mats outside every house. In the little central square, the village ladies washed their clothes in a communal well, chatting contentedly in a wonderfully relaxed and convivial way, may not be everyone's cup of tea but infinitely more sociable than flinging the laundry into the washing machine. We had a delicious simple lunch at the local Los Arieros restaurant. Several memorable dishes, including ijado al aceite – very thinly sliced pig's liver, cooked with sweated onion and extra virgin olive oil – tiny vol au vents with black pudding mousse and fresh mint, succulent pigs trotters and quese del cabra con miel. The latter can be easily reproduced at home using a soft Irish goat cheese, such as Ardsallagh. We did another six-hour walk through breathtakingly beautiful terrain. We stopped for lunch of jamón, salsichon and local cheese in the village pub in Cortelazor. This part of rural Spain is unspoilt, the people are friendly and welcoming, the food honest and delicious. Though it's deep in the countryside, there's lots to keep one occupied. And if you crave urban adventure the city of Seville is just an hour and a quarter away.p ? More: Sam and Jeannie Chesterton, Finca Buen Vino, Los Marines, 21293 Huelva, Spain. Tel 00 34 959 12 40 34, fax 00 34 959 50 10 29 email:buenvino@facilnet.es