Have been living it up a bit in these first couple of weeks of the year but in amongst the new discoveries I couldn’t wait to get back to Madrid’s original temple to all things Sanlucar, Surtopia, whose bar I duly propped up on the first day it reopened.

I have been many times over the years and have posted a fair few times on this blog, but it is always worth visiting again. The wine list is in continual evolution – quite aside from the outstanding list of sherries, manzanillas and white and red wines from the region they now also have a brilliantly priced list of grower champagnes. And the cooking seems just to get better and better too: it is now up there with the very best in Madrid.

On this visit there was no messing around: a bloody sherry, creamed eggs with tuna and a beautiful piece of Urta (the supreme fish of the Cadiz coast), washed down with two superb amontillado finos, El Fossi and El Tresillo.

Wonderful stuff and well worth a(nother) visit!