matthew Bayley at Paco tapas, Bristol

Matthew Bayley enjoys a trek down the tapas trail in Bristol

‘Spanish food? it’s just paella and stuff, isn’t it ?’ So says my cab driver when i mention my spectacular lunch at paco Tapas.

i mean, sure, paella is an ancient and wonderful dish whose correct preparation is fiercely argued over, gloriously celebrated and so jealously guarded that when Jamie ol iv ersug- gested putting chicken in it, he provoked a diplomatic incident.

But my taxi guy doesn’t mean that. he means the sort of paella you get peas in.

of all the injuries inflicted on Spain by the cheap package holidays of the 1970s, the insult to the reputation of its food was perhaps the most grievous.

But from the ashes of the Benidorm fry-up and chips has rise na culinary phoenix. albeit a phoenix made of chorizo, paprika and jamón.

Spanish cuisine–its ingredients, recipes and manners–has arguably had a more profound effect on the way the British eat than any other in recent years.

Sharing plates; food picked up and eaten with hands; the casual dipping in and out of the menu – all of these are now commonplace.

Spaniards’ passion for their cuisine is perhaps harder to incorporate.

i was once generously given an entire leg of jamón which i greedily consumed over t he course of a long and joyous summer, piece by gorgeous piece.

The leg came with along sharp knife, a special stand and a dvd with