As the year gently draws to a close, La Rosilla feels wrapped in a moment of stillness. After a stormy, icy night, a real rarity here in the hills of Andalucía, today is one for keeping cosy. The fire is on, pastry is being rolled, and the kitchen smells of pork pies, mince pies and my annual batch of gourmet fruit crackers (Recipe below). A day that feels just right for pausing and looking back on the year that’s been.
Year in Review
Cooking Experiences and Shared Tables at La Rosilla
It’s been a wonderfully full one. Our table has welcomed so many cooking guests this year, hands dusted with flour, pans out, glasses raised, stories shared. From long, lazy lunches to evenings that stretched on by candlelight, cooking together remains at the heart of what we do at La Rosilla.
Yoga Retreat Catering in Andalucía
We’ve also had the joy of catering yoga retreats once again, creating nourishing, seasonal food to support days of movement, calm and connection. Cooking for retreats brings a different rhythm, thoughtful, grounding and deeply connected to wellbeing, and it’s something we love returning to each year.
Food Travel and Culinary Inspiration
Travel continues to inspire us. Exploring new places, tasting local food and learning from other cultures always sends us home brimming with ideas — flavour combinations and techniques that inevitably weave their way back into our kitchen and onto our guests’ plates.
Olive Harvest Season at La Rosilla
One of the true highlights of the year was our olive harvest. Three days of hand-picking from dawn to dusk, fuelled by good homemade food, ending at the mill and rewarded with our own organic extra virgin olive oil. It’s a process that connects us deeply to the land and the rhythm of the seasons, and reminds us why we came here. We look forward to sharing our liquid gold, with friends and guests next year.
This year also marked our first full year at La Biznaga, our holiday rental. It’s been a learning curve in every sense — the ups and downs, the behind-the-scenes logistics, and the pleasure of welcoming guests who truly appreciate this beautiful part of Andalucía. Even after 20+ years in the hospitality industry, every day is a school day 😉 we think we’ve got it now just right. A unique home, just waiting for you to discover it.
Looking ahead, next year we’ll be focusing on tailor-made itineraries for guests looking for something a little different. Carefully curated experiences, combining La Rosilla and La Biznaga to showcase our local villages, landscapes, food culture and slower pace of life — perfect for those wanting to travel beyond the obvious.
So today, as the wind rattles the shutters and the kitchen stays warm, we’re feeling grateful. For the people who’ve joined us this year, for the lessons learned, and for the simple pleasure of good food made slowly.
Here’s to a festive season filled with warmth, and to a new year of sharing, cooking, exploring and welcoming you back to La Rosilla.
Authentic Cooking Classes
RECIPE
Gourmet fruit and seed crackers for cheese.
These easy gourmet fruit and seed crackers are a festive favourite at La Rosilla. Crisp, nutty and lightly sweet, they’re packed with toasted seeds and dried fruit, making them the perfect partner for good cheese. Simple to make yet quietly impressive, they’re ideal for cheese boards, gifting or cosy winter grazing by the fire.
Ingredients
Makes: 2 small loaves / approx. 60 thin crackers
Keeps: Up to 2 weeks in an airtight tin
Ingredients
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125 g plain flour
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1 tsp baking powder
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½ tsp fine sea salt
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1 tbsp runny honey
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250 ml milk
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60 g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, linseed)
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40 g dried fruit, finely chopped (figs, apricots, cranberries or dates)
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1 tsp fennel seeds (optional but lovely)
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1 tsp fresh rosemary, very finely chopped (optional)
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Freshly ground black pepper
Method
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Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Lightly grease and line a small loaf tin (or two mini loaf tins).
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Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder, salt, seeds, dried fruit, fennel seeds, rosemary and a good grind of black pepper.
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Add the wet ingredients — milk and honey — and stir until just combined. The mixture will be loose, almost like a thick batter.
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Pour into the tin(s) and smooth the top.
Bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch. -
Cool completely, then wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight). This makes slicing much easier.
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Slice very thinly using a sharp knife. Lay slices on a lined baking tray.
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Bake again at 160°C (fan) for 12–15 minutes, turning halfway, until dry and crisp. Cool on a rack — they will crisp further as they cool.
To Serve
Perfect with strong cheeses, soft goat’s cheese, blue cheese or a wedge of aged Manchego. Lovely with quince paste, honey or a spoon of fig jam.
La Rosilla Tip
For extra depth, toast the seeds lightly before adding them, or swap the rosemary for thyme or orange zest during the festive season.
With love from our family to yours, eat, drink and be merry. Until next year x
As the year closes and the days slow, this is the kind of simple, nourishing recipe that feels just right — made with care, shared generously and enjoyed without rush. These fruit and seed crackers have become part of our festive rhythm at La Rosilla, a small but comforting reminder that good food doesn’t need to be complicated, just thoughtfully made. We hope they find a place on your table this season, and that the year ahead brings many moments of warmth, connection and shared meals.