Restaurant awards

The only convincing reason for this is, like Britain, the country once had a reputation for almost inedible food, drowned in oil and stinking of garlic, but, again like Britain, a new breed of chefs have pulled off remarkable turnarounds. Not all UK regions have shaken off decades-long poor reputations, and generally speaking it is best to ignore the north of the country.

Oddly enough, Spain is the reverse, and while Andalusian cuisine still has the 'opinion reserved' banner flying over it, the north of Spain and Catalonia have morphed into gourmet heavens.

A surprising number of Spain's establishments have recently been noticeable in the top international listings, so for better or worse it appears we must cohabit with these glorified inventories. But in truth, do we plan our dining out excursions accordingly?

WINE OF THE WEEK

• Vino rosado D.O. Rioja Arteso Clarete

• Not a vintage wine, but at this price a 'clarete' from Rioja that is drinkable and good value 'Claretes' may in other denominations be referred to as tintos or even rosados, anything but full-bodied reds. From Mercadona, a very acceptable everyday house wine. 3.80 euros.

Earlier this month, Disfrutar in Barcelona was named The World's Best Restaurant by the S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna team. Chef trio Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas credit their success to their dedication (what else?). Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Disfrutar's journey on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list began in 2018 at Number 19 and steadily climbed to Number 1 in 2024. The point of all this being to what extent are we swayed by these listings and the accompanying flim-flam? Hopefully to a minimal degree.