FIVE KEY SPANISH AND VALENCIAN INGREDIENTS

Extra virgin olive oil

“Until I was 16, I had never used vegetable oil. In Spain, extra virgin olive oil is used for every bit of cooking: salads, dressings, deep- or shallow-frying, and as the base for any stew or sofrito. It gives a completely different flavour – that Spanish background on your palate in everything you cook.”

Smoked paprika

“Used for many dishes, and a key ingredient in paella. Usually, the type of smoked paprika we use in Valencia is sweet. You have sweet or hot paprika, or a mix of the two, called agridulce.”

Bomba rice

“Valencian rice is grown in Albufera and exported across Spain. You cannot make paella with any other rice. Little and round, bomba absorbs flavour while holding its shape, and doesn’t release starch like other rice. For paella, you don’t want a creamy end result, like in a risotto.”

Saffron

“Expensive, but you use so little (it overpowers if you’re not careful), it’s always worth having available. Spain grows some of the best saffron in the world.”

Garlic

“In every recipe in Spain – you can get away with no onion, but you cannot cook without garlic.”