Monika's Spanish Food Picks

Bright, crisp, and fruit-forward vinegar. Unoaked, unlike classic balsamics. Perfect for fresh dishes. Único Fino Balsamic Vinegar is a rare gem from southern Spain, made from dry white Fino wine, typical of Montilla-Moriles. This distinctive vinegar skips the oak ageing process, allowing the clarity and freshness of the wine to shine through. A touch of concentrated grape must adds natural sweetness, creating a beautifully balanced flavour profile. Pale in colour and delicately aromatic, this vinegar brings notes of sun-ripened fruit, fresh bread, and golden pastries. Its elegant acidity and gentle sweetness make it a versatile ingredient — ideal for salads, seafood, and anything that calls for a bright, clean finish. A refined, terroir-driven alternative to traditional balsamics. Available in 25cl and 75cl.

Dried fig, raisin and plum flavours from sweet Pedro Ximénez grapes. Aged for 12 years in oak barrels. Pedro Ximénez vinegar is one of the most distinctive tastes in Spanish cooking. This example is made with sweet PX grapes exclusive to the area where the winery is located, in the heart of the Montilla-Moriles Protected Denomination of Origin, in the province of Córdoba. Made in the balsamic style, with grape must (boiled, reduced grape juice) added to the vinegar, and aged in American oak barrels for 12 years, resulting in a delicious vinegar with a wonderful acidic balance. Available in 25cl and 75cl. A 1-star Great Taste Awards winner in 2025 Note from the judges: "...The flavour is bright and fruity, with caramel notes, and would be wonderful soaked into raisins to add to salads."

The freshly crushed floral Picudo, sweet Hojiblanca and robust Picual olives from the Prado family's organic estates are cold-pressed. The result is an organic oil with tropical flavours of passion fruit and papaya.

Single variety, not mixed with other varieties. Bahía rice is a round grain, which has a great ability to absorb all the flavour from the stock. “Ila de Riu” Bahia rice is a variety that has been considered one of the best rice of Spanish gastronomy from the sixties. Grains are grown from the Trías del Romero family’s own selected seed, and the rice is harvested and packed with great care. This rice offers consistency, flavour and quality to anyone cooking with it.  It is highly recommended for traditional “caldoso” (soupy) rice dishes, as the cooked grain is creamy, but is also ideal for traditional “seco” (dry) recipes.

The freshly crushed floral Picudo, sweet Hojiblanca and robust Picual olives from the Prado family's organic estates are cold-pressed. The result is an organic oil with tropical flavours of passion fruit and papaya. *Please be aware the 5 litre olive oil tins are fragile and can experience dents in transit. However, the seal is sturdy and the quality of the oil itself is not compromised. We will therefore not refund or replace any dented tins unless the seal itself is damaged or the tin is leaking.

Grown in the Ebro delta in Tarragona, this Bomba rice is capable of absorbing up to three times its weight in liquid, which means that it takes on the flavour of the cooking stock most effectively.  It makes a perfect paella, not only flavoursome, but with each grain of rice separate from the other. Illa de Riu is a third-generation family company, who grow exceptionally high quality rice. They have channelled their resources into improving the seed stocks of the rices they cultivate, and hence are responsible for growing some of the best rice in Spain.   

Sweet & delicate in flavour. Silky, melt-in-the-mouth tuna ventresca. The ultimate tuna cut. Ventresca is the rich, succulent belly fillets of the tuna, the most desirable part of the fish. Ortiz bonito is caught by rod and line. A 2-star Great Taste Awards winner in 2025 Note from the Judges: "The judges were surprised and delighted by the soft, silky texture of this tuna. The oil had a sweet, clean flavour and the level of salt was really well judged. If only all tinned tuna was as delicious as this!"

Produced in the centre of global olive oil production in Baena, Andalucía, by a family that has been cultivating olives on the same land since the 18th century. The "flower" of the oil is made using a blend of Picual, Picudo and Hojiblanca olives and is organic, unfiltered and unpressed with delicious tropical fruit flavours.