NEW VENUES FOR 2012!

GALICIA, the top Northwest corner of Spain, is a wild, green, Celtic wonderland.

As far removed from the traditional idea of Spain as it's possible to be, Galicia is a mysterious land, a land of mists, craggy coaslines and lighthouses. Visually, it has touches of Scotland and Brittany. Culturally, it holds on fiercely to its strong Gallego roots. For gastronomes it is a paradise.

It is home to the best seafood in the Iberian peninsula, including the amazing percebes (goose barnacles). Percebes are the most expensive shellfish in Spain, and are gathered from the rocks where the water is at its roughest, especially along the wild Costa de la Muerte - The Coast of Death!

The region also boasts fabulous cheeses, wonderful wines, including the delicious Albariño, the famous chorizo Gallego, the strong liquor 'orujo', still homemade and sold in all the local markets, and the exquisite pimientos de padron. These small green peppers are quickly fried in olive oil and sprinkled with rock salt. Nine out of every ten are sweet and delicious, the tenth gives a fiery chilli kick. There is no way of telling which is which!

We are lucky enough to have reserved time for workshops at my great friend Andrew Platt's wonderful house Golmar 13. Near the town of Cedeira in La Coruña province, it is a stunning site (the picture on the bottom right above is the view!). We will be working with renowned Galician chefs to produce wonderful dishes for our lenses....and our stomachs! 

Or how about Madrid?

Spain's vibrant capital was Tim's home city for 7 years in the 90's, and is one of THE foodie destinations at the moment.

Packed with fantastic tapas bars and restaurants, it is the city that never sleeps.

We are arranging a 5 day tour through the best of Madrid's many food hot-spots. Our photographic odyssey will encompass a vast range of gastronomic delights, from the Mercado de San Miguel, formerly a humble fruit and veg market, and now transformed into a paradise of the city's finest food, wine and tapas, through to humble late night bars serving the best late night pick-me-up in the world, sopa de ajo (garlic soup).

The tour will also include a session at Daylight Studios, Madrid's top photographic studio. Here we will pick up top tips on digital processing, workflow, and digital printing from Freddy Frisuelos and his dedicated team.

All in all, food and photographic heaven in one of Europe's most exciting cities!

We will post more information about our workshops in these two fascinating destinations within the next few months.