A good sofrito is one of the crucial keys to a successful paella. It’s a tomato sauce prepared from those amazing Spanish tomatoes – tomatoes that are less obsessed about what they look like and are more concerned with their rich, sweet flavour. Cooked down with red onion and garlic to a rich, thick sauce, it couldn’t be simpler to make.

tasty paella

We always make sure we coat the uncooked rice in the sofrito before adding stock. That way, we make sure the rice is packed full of flavour. We are firm followers of Hugh Fearnely Whittingstall’s campaign to introduce more ugly fruit and vegetables into our diet.

tasty paella

This is something that already happens in our local Spanish market. Local farmers flock to the market every Saturday to sell to the public. The peppers might look like something out of a sculpture park but their flavour beats the perfect looking British peppers any day.