a platter of tiny meats

There is nothing more appetising than the sound of a biscuit being crunched with tiny slivers of ham. Last month I recounted a visit to  the "secret grocer, " Alimentacion Orta´,in Ayamonte. Beyond its epicurean lobby lies another secret - a tapas bar. Under the guise of a grocers shop steeped with tradition you will find this interesting and unique little place for tapas. Here you can taste excellent preserves, cured fish, pork products,cheese, preserved vegetables, fine wines, sherries and all surrounded by a cacophony of antique furniture.At the back of the shop you pass windowed offices full of old fashioned typewriters from which you can imagine the echoes of stenographers tapping out bills and accounts from a more mercantile era. Walk past sherry casks and high stools till you stumble upon a beautiful crumbling patio, with tables in the shade of an orange tree where you can peacefully escape the intense heat of the Spanish sun and enjoy Andalucian tapas at its best.   What a discovery!!!!