Mark visited Badajoz, Spain, for the transnational partner meeting of the Cook It Forward Erasmus+ Project. The meeting took place over two days, and it was a wonderful way to find out what the region are doing in terms of culinary heritage.
On our first day we visited and explored the Convent and Oil Mill of the Martínez Hoyas Brothers in Orellana la Vieja. After our visit we worked on the project outputs and learning resources. We were very well looked after by the Cooking and Gastronomy students of The Restoration Services of the IES San Fernando de Badajoz, we enjoyed beautiful Spanish dishes, which fitted so well with the ethos of Cook it Forward – where we have challenged students to propose innovative ways to lift the culinary traditions, ancient recipes, forgotten regional ingredients and traditional cooking techniques to 21st century demand.
On the second day of the project, we explored Mérida, and discovered more about the cultural and archaeological heritage of the area. The archaeological site in the city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. In the evening we visited The Parador de Mérida, a beautiful hotel and restaurant, located in an old Baroque convent. The building has preserved a large part of the main elements such as the wide corridors, the cloister, and the orchard, today transformed into the Garden of Antiquities, where some valuable archaeological pieces can be seen. We enjoyed a wonderful meal, which focused on traditional Extremaduran gastronomy, with its Roman and Arab influences.
We’d like to thank our wonderful hosts IES Hospitality and Tourism of Orellana la Vieja. We’d also like to thank Manuel Domínguez and his students from the CFGM Restoration Services of the IES San Fernando for their hospitality.
You can find out more about the project over on the website: https://www.cookitforward.eu/
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