I found it hard to believe when my husbands Aunty (she is Spanish) recounted to me that whenever you visit a tapas bar in Granada city and order a drink you get a whole plate of tapas for free! She informed us that it was one of the main reasons that Granada was her favourite destination in Spain. So of course, we visited there to find out for ourselves.

Examples of Tapas in Granada:

• Chips
• Bread
• Olives
• Calamari
• Chicken wings
• Nuts
• Sardine
• Cheese
• Salad
• Chorizo
• Cured Ham
• Potatoes in garden mayonnaise
• Croquettes
• Anchovies fried in batter
• Meatballs
• Claims in wine and garlic sauce

After locating and checking into our lovely Granada hotel we decided that a glass of good Spanish plonk would be in order. Just across the street from our hotel was a nice little tapas bar which appeared to be very busy considering it was the midle of thursday afternoon. I ordered a large glass of the local house red (Vino Tinto), and it was far superior to what you would receive back in England, the taste was superb. Then, just as Aunty had said the owner started to serve up an wonderful assortment of fresh food. It certainly was not like back in the UK, where you may get a tiny bowl of ready salted nuts or crisps! These delicious tapas dishes were top class produce, the same type that you would pay cash for everywhere else in Spain and a lot of "hard earned" for in England. It is definitely worth visiting Granada just for the free tapas alone!

We were first served a cured ham which was freshly cut from the side of ham that had been hanging from the bar ceiling a little earlier. Next came pistachios, cheese (goats, I think), a couple of slices of fresh bread with virgin olive oil (better than butter). Happy with my free food, I finished my wine and enjoyed starting my Granada holiday.

We thought ‘why not have another drink’ we are on vacation after all, so along came the wine with yet another plate of, yes you have already guessed it, free tapas! This time though, with different dishes, including some tasty chicken wings with a Spanish tomato and oil based sauce, quick fried calamari (squid), lots of really fresh bread, and a few olives. Now I am usually excited getting something for half price, but to be served free top quality tapas thrilled me! As we were exploring Granada this lovely tapas bar became our ‘local’ and the people watching turned out to be as good as the wine and food. The locals were friendly and even the Spanish business men and women seemed so much more relaxed, a very unusual thing for a Londoner!

To find out a little more about Granada and all of the attractions there please see Granada