Les Eroles

Having an afternoon snack of buckwheat and ginger jam on a slice of artisan bread while Domingo, the house donkey, explains something silly and the kids give fig leaves to the sheep to eat. No, it's not a film about Tuscany but a scene that you can easily experience at Mas Les Eroles in Castell d'Aro. The owners of this traditional farmhouse ('mas') cultivate the surrounding lands and one of their daughters has set up a workshop of artisan jams made with fruits from the valley and others from further away, but all chosen with extreme care. They also sell seasonal vegetables. They don't do tastings but you can buy bread at Castell d'Aro and open it right there with a spectacular aubergine and olive jam, one of quince and mandarin, white beans with garlic, sweet potato, apple, rose and camomile... If the Vall d'Aro seems a bit far away, you could always do an online order or check a calendar of local gourmet fairs.