Caroline is glad to have a good excuse to enjoy a decent lunch in Segovia…

One of the benefits of having to take a later train back to Madrid from Segovia was that we had plenty of time to stop and have a decent lunch so perhaps we should have been grateful to the hotel concierge who gave us the duff information!

As we wandered around the town we picked out a few likely candidates for lunch and eventually decided on El Bernardino in Calle Real. The Segovian speciality is roast suckling pig and milk-fed lamb (not for the tender hearted, I know, but delicious all the same) and El Bernardino offered the chance of trying both.

Segovia!

When we went into the restaurant it was about 1.15 and beginning to get busy. We got a table without a problem but by 2 o’clock a longish queue of Spaniards had formed outside and we realised that we had chosen well.

To start with I had chosen smoked salmon and my husband white asparagus. Both portions were generous and were served with bread. Later when we saw the size of the main courses we realised that we could probably have skipped the starters, especially if we had wanted a dessert.

My husband decided to go for the roast lamb which he pronounced delicious although rather curiously it came with absolutely no accompanying vegetable ( not even a potato). Luckily my huge veal chop came with chips and roasted peppers which I was happy to share. It too was very tasty although I could have done with it being cooked slightly longer. I like my meat rare but this was almost walking off the plate! Having had a similar experience in the hotel restaurant in Madrid I can only conclude that in this area of Spain you have to adjust how you ask for your meat to be cooked!

Wonderful if a little under for me!

Segovia is a fascinating place to visit but as with all towns it’s easy to end up wearing yourself out as you try to see all the sights so we were really glad that we had decided to take a proper lunch break. It gave us the chance to enjoy a tasty meal washed down with a bottle of Rioja, enjoying the view and recharging the batteries for the afternoon.

Where’s the veg?!?