Considering how well winter treats us when it comes to food, we certainly complain a lot about it and the cold weather it brings. The truth is, we love hearty dishes served by the spoonful. Even better, we love trying them in the places where they originated. That’s why we’re travelling across the country to enjoy four comforting stews we could happily eat time and time again:  

Escudella is the shortened name for Escudella i carn d’olla, one of Catalonia’s most eagerly anticipated dishes when winter arrives. What sets it apart from other hearty dishes is its soup, featuring shell-shaped pasta known as galets. Alongside the pulses—usually chickpeas—and different types of meat, it is also served with an elongated meatball called a pilota. 

If you’re staying at one of our hotels in Barcelona, you’ll find plenty of restaurants across the city that add it to their menus when the cold weather arrives. But if we had to choose just one, it would be Ca l’Estevet, which serves it every day throughout the winter season. Its version features large galets and a pilota made with a perfectly balanced blend of ingredients, as well as butifarra negra and, of course, the rest of the traditional meats: bacon, pig’s snout and ear, veal shank, chicken and pig’s trotters.  

This is the signature dish of Asturian cuisine. And it’s easy to see why: the creamy texture of the Asturian fabes as they melt in your mouth, the warmth of a flavoursome broth that lifts both body and soul, and the hearty touch provided by the chorizo, cured pork shoulder and, above all, the morcilla make Asturian fabada a truly unforgettable dish.  

You’re likely to find it on the menu at almost any restaurant, but if you’re staying at one of our hotels in Oviedo and ask for our recommendation, we’ll point you towards Casa Chema. Located just a five-minute drive from the city, near Junction 35 of the A-66 motorway, this restaurant has twice won the award for the Best Fabada in the World, in 2011 and 2017.  

Cocido madrileño is the delicious hearty stew that, when the colder months arrive, manages to steal some of the limelight from the calamari sandwich that travellers are so keen to try during a stay at one of our hotels in Madrid. We won’t get involved in debates about how many courses it should be served in, the modus operandi behind its preparation or which ingredients should—or shouldn’t—be included.  

We’ll leave that to the experts, some of the very best of whom can be found at Taberna La Bola and Malacatín. These century-old establishments not only hold a wealth of history and stories within their dining rooms and around their tables, but have also been slow-cooking this delicacy for more than a century. Their recipes date back to another era, and they still use many of the same traditional methods today.  

Caldo gallego has the power to warm you back up after a day spent battling the region’s damp cold and rain. And yes, as with any recipe of this kind, there are countless variations, and people in different areas will have their own ideas about what should be included. However, the original version, first prepared in the humblest of homes using whatever their small vegetable gardens provided, consists of potatoes, beans, turnip greens and a little cured pork fat. Over time, some people began adding meat too.  

It’s easy to find a restaurant or tavern where it is prepared over a low heat and with all the care it deserves. If hunger strikes while you’re staying at one of our hotels in Vigo, try paying a visit to Mesón Churrasco O Rincón.