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I love cooking and can be quite a show off in the kitchen when the mood takes me but there are certain friends that I dread cooking for.

Why? Because they’re better at it than me of course and this leaves me feeling inferior! But even worse than this is cooking food from the very country a visiting diner hails from and it’s something I actively avoid doing where possible.

I was therefore delighted to be able to present my friend Asha (birth place:Valencia) with a spread from the Spanish Food Company and even keener to see what she made of the Brighton-based company’s efforts to bring the real Spain to Sussex and beyond.

The Spanish are a notoriously proud and confident (should that read cocky?!!) bunch, and I felt sure there’d be murmurs about the delights I laid before her not comparing with their equivalent on Spanish soil. But not one negative word was uttered so well done to the Spanish Food Company, not just Sussex locals are impressed with your work.

Owner Thomas Power is passionate about Spain and particularly home-made delicacies created in the kitchens of local people, so small and individual that you can barely call them suppliers.

Fed up by the lack of choice when it came to Spanish food to buy and eat at home, Thomas spent some time scouring Spain for the very best produce, with the assistance of trusted Spanish friends who really know their stuff. Together they have revolutionised the quality of tapas Brighton residents are now tucking into.

So it was that we came to feast on chorizo made by the fair hands of a chap called Jesus in the tiny village of Cembranos in Northern Leon. Cured over oak smoke, giving it an added warmth and depth of porky flavour, it was enjoyed with bread dipped in Santa Marta extra olive oil (from Extremadura) and hunks of Los Cuetos cheese (a handmade, pasteurised sheep-milk cheese crafted by Hortensia in a tiny village near the Asturian coast).

Next came the peppery Salchichon, a delightful continental style sausage with strong garlic and herb flavour – similar to the French saucisson. Deliciously meaty and jam-packed with piquant flavours. Perfect picnic food as buoyant sales showed this summer.

We were also treated to a jar of peeled piquillo peppers, with their smoky sweetness cleansing the palate. Eat with the finest Serrano ham for an excellent combination. Such authentic Spanish food really is hard to come by in the UK, which is perhaps why even Brighton’s restaurants are clamoring to become customers.

The Spanish Food Company’s offering is simply a far cry from the mass-produced stuff our supermarkets churn out and the good news its product line is expanding month on month.

Beginning its mail order service in January this year, you can now pick from almost 40 products including cured meats, cheeses, woodland honey, pickled delicacies, olive oil and almonds. Even better news is that you can order one of six hampers, grouping together some of the most popular products. They make great Christmas gifts and you can get your hands on one for as little as £30.00 for the Gourmet Meat Lovers Hamper.

Those living in BN1, BN2 and BN3 postcodes can take advantage of free delivery on orders over £25. Addresses countrywide can be reached in two days.

As well as shopping online, customers can also phone through orders for collection at the company’s central Brighton headquarters or pop along to the Famers’ Market at the Churchill Centre every Wednesday where it has a stall, including ready-to-buy hampers.

Tom’s message is simple: “We focus on discovering small scale, ethically responsible Spanish food producers whom we work with directly, and we’re passionate about what we do. For the past twenty years, we’ve had one foot in Spain and one in the UK, which gives us the inside track when it comes to discovering new Spanish food treasures. We unearth the best that Spanish food has to offer and bring it all back to the UK – and to your palate.”

For more information: The Spanish Food Company or 01273 623 335.

For me, the Spanish Food Company has certainly been added to my list of local food heroes. It’s a case of once discovered, never forgotten. What I wouldn’t give for another spoonful of Maria’s honey!

5 stars out of 5