Beautiful shoes for dining under the stars (and some delightful Spanish recipes to get you in the Mediterranean mood)

It’s almost 10.00 pm and the locals are starting to come out for dinner.  You can hear the waves from the Mediterranean gently lapping the edge of the beach below you. The air is warm and the atmosphere is sultry. There is magic happening. As you gaze out at the moon glistening on the dark sea ahead of you, you look up at the sky and for a moment, you lose yourself in the night. Millions upon millions of stars twinkle in the sky above you.  A few hundred yards away, your table awaits.  It’s the perfect spot to meet your friends for a little al fresco dining.

You slip on your Viscatas and stroll thoughtfully through the soft sand in the direction of the music and you smile at yourself smugly, knowing that’s where you’ll be spending your evening.  When you arrive at the small (but beautifully formed) Mediterranean villa with its open air fire pit and its pool all lit up in blue, you’re greeted by the sounds of laughter rising above the music.  And then the smell hits you. There’s fish somewhere there on a grill, freshly caught and simply prepared with olive oil and salt.  The smell is sweet and subtle.

On another grill, there’s local sausages sizzling away and spitting oil into the flames creating mini fireworks displays in the coals below. Your friend is playing chef for the night, so he needs to be comfortable on his feet. You look down and you see he's wearing a pair of Begur espadrilles, handmade in Spain and surprisingly stylish (for a man!)

There’s a flurry of activity as the wine is poured and everybody gets busy bringing out plates of simple, healthy food for the table. One dish after the other arrives.  To start with, there’s a chilled bowl of homemade gazpacho fresh and tangy, it’s a great healthy way to start the meal.

Then someone arrives with some plates of beautiful pan con tomate a local classic consisting of crusty, lightly toasted bread wiped down with the skin of a fresh tomato, a clove of garlic and a dash of Mediterranean salt.

One of your friends has been busy preparing gorgeous, perfectly formed croquetas. She's been on the beach all day, but she's planned ahead.  Those casual espadrilles she was wearing on the sand are the same shoes that look so glamorous now. She’s wearing a pair of our colorful Menorquina leather Avarcas. Versatile and pretty, these shoes are effortlessly cool.

These little golden fried packages of soft potato are filled with morsels of local ham and perfectly fried. Plates of Patatas Bravas begin to appear, little mountains of fried potato morsels topped with a spicy, creamy local sauce that adds a little kick to a humble vegetable.  Then the sausages come out, cooked to perfection on the grill and packed full of meaty goodness.

Just when you think you couldn’t have any more, dishes of padron peppers are added to the feast, lightly fried in sea salt in a shallow pan and eaten by hand. These little bite sized peppers are fresh and full of flavor - and they can pack a little spicy punch.

And then, the piece de resistance. Finally, the Paella arrives. The star of the show has been cooking for a while now in a giant dish full of local rice, fish stock and every conceivable kind of sea creature. The smell is tantalising and your taste buds are going crazy.  Any minute now you’ll be able to tuck into this fishy feast and eat until your heart’s content.

But try to save some room for dessert - beautiful fried crispy tube-shaped Spanish doughnuts (known locally as churros), dipped into thick hot chocolate, Spanish style.  The perfect end to a perfect meal.  The wine’s flowing, the laughter’s getting louder and inevitably, the dancing begins. That's when you switch up a gear into your party shoes. Luckily, our Palomera Canvas slingbacks are compact enough to fit into your Viscata beach bag, so you can upgrade with ease!

This is the Mediterranean lifestyle at its very best - relaxed, informal, healthy living under the sun and the stars.  We hope you don't mind us sharing our Mediterranean magic with you and we hope you'll enjoy a few local recipes that will transport you to the wonderful Mediterranean world that we call home. 

There’s a reason that the Spanish live longer than any other nation on earth - healthy food, love, laughter and good times. And we hope you enjoy our beautiful Viscata espadrilles - perfect for partying under the stars. Embrace the Mediterranean way with Viscata and live life as it was meant to be.