Segovia is in Castile and its signature dish is suckling pig. You know this because there are pictures and models of them all over the place, in restaurant windows and doors, lying back in a 'come and eat me' sort of way. We applied rule one of tourism , avoiding any place with English on the menu, and went for El Hidalgo. This was quite a find. I'd like to be able to claim some cunning and research was involved but we chanced on it by pure luck. It was tucked away among some more expensive establishments and was dangerously near the cathedral in the 'let's rip off a tourist' zone but it was relatively reasonable. It is part of a hotel which was once a medieval palace and is built, like the rest of the old town, on a huge rock. When you go to the washrooms in the basement some of the corridor walls are those of a cave.

The front dining room was very palace-like. An internal roofed courtyard with the Moorish influence clearly evident. It was also, not surprisingly, full. They asked us if we'd be willing to go into the back room and we agreed, though we were the only ones there for a while. The rooms are large with traditional wooden tables and chairs, well spaced, with proper napery. We sat next to a large medieval looking oven with lots of freshly roasted suckling pigs lined up in front of it on metal trays. I don't think you'd find that in England. The Spanish are not at all mimsy with their food, especially the meat, which I find refreshingly honest. Vegetarians may differ.

We started with supa de judiones, a soup which is another Castillian dish. It is a mixture of beans, pork and sausage in a meaty sauce. It is very rich, must be a life-saver in the winter and is absolutely delicious. Then - the main event. We had to do it. I was naively wondering if you got an entire pig - but we only got a leg each. That still turned out to be more than enough. The meat was very tender, slightly sweet and beautifully cooked and it was covered with a smooth glaze-like crackling which was memorably excellent. You could see why it had become a speciality dish.

We had rice pudding with cinnamon and a coffee to follow. Service was faultless and the wine was an experience too. There is a lot of good Spanish wine produced over there that we never see over here. That's because they make sure it stays over there. Our meal cost 44 euros. This place is highly recommended but just remember not to go if you're at all meat-shy...
Harry