A summer snack by the beach

There is nothing better than after a dip in the Mar Menor, Europe´s largest sea lagoon, than a bit of tapas and a cool drink.

Sitting ourselves down at a pavement café at Santiago de La Ribera, on the road that runs up to the beach rather than on the beach itself, we scanned the menu.

One of the specialities of the day, displayed on the counter inside, was a big haunch of pork roasted in the log oven, so a plate of that was ordered. The meat came carved into thin slices and with lovely rich hunks of crackling on top. Delicious.

Then there were a couple of earthenware dishes filled with small peeled prawns drowned in garlic flavoured oil, with plenty of garlic pieces floating around. A basket of sliced fresh bread was provided for dipping into the oil.

We ordered lomo, which is fillet of pork, served in hunks of a different type of bread, moist with the grilled tomatoes that sat on top of the meat.

A big baked potato had been excavated, mashed up with cream and pepper and re-stuffed.

Just a snack in the sunshine. And fresh frothy coffee to finish.

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©Phillip Bruce