The world’s greatest chef is closing the Spanish restaurant that was his life’s work in order to take what he has learned online

The world’s greatest chef has had enough. “I don’t care now whether I have three stars, or however many. Or whether I am No 1 or No 28,” explains Ferran Adrià, the former plate-washer who has revolutionised high cuisine over the past 20 years.

“You can’t stay at number one forever. Imagine if Barcelona won the Champions League for 15 seasons,” he adds. “The system couldn’t handle it.”

Adrià’s words may sound world-weary, but in fact they are the opposite. Having reached the top, and stayed there for so long, he is closing his world-famous El Bulli restaurant and turning its location, in a charming Mediterranean cove, into a research foundation that will reach out to the masses by publishing daily on the internet.

It is yet another bold move in the story of Spain’s rise in the world of fine food. Like half a dozen other Spanish chefs whose names are hallowed by gourmets, Adrià has transformed a small restaurant far off the beaten track into an international brand.

From Basque chefs Juan Mari Arzak and Andoni Luis Aduriz to Adrià’s fellow Catalans the Roca brothers, the Spanish kitchen rules. Last year four Spanish establishments made the top 10 in the S.Pellegrino restaurant awards.

The irony is that Spaniards’ eating habits, once based on a traditional Mediterranean diet rich in healthy vegetables, fruit and beans, have disintegrated just as its chefs have won global fame.

“Right now there is no real difference between the diet of someone in Málaga and someone in Liverpool,” says Dr Francisco Tinahones, head of the endocrinology department at Málaga’s Hospital Clínico.

Obesity and adult diabetes have rocketed to 20% and 12% of the population respectively, with the latter doubling in 20 years. Child obesity is at 30% in some areas. “Experts mostly believe that, as a result, this generation will live shorter lives than their parents,” says Tinahones.

Part of Adrià’s mission will be to correct that, much as Jamie Oliver has tried to in Britain. He already works with Valentin Fuster, an eminent Spanish cardiologist.

Adrià will start by sharing the secrets of how he feeds his own employees. “People imagine that chefs in top restaurants eat well, but often they don’t because they are too busy and only have time for a sandwich,” he said. “Three years ago we decided to eat fantastically. Now we serve a three-course lunch that costs us just €3 a head.”

His entire staff of 75, in other words, eats for the price of a single meal at El Bulli – though they do not get the 44 dishes served to each diner the day the Guardian visited, which included typically bizarre Adrià inventions such as soya matchsticks and game cappuccino.

The monthly staff menu will eventually be published in English in book form, titled The Family Meal.

Turning El Bulli into a foundation will also stop it bleeding money. Adrià takes a loss on the restaurant, making money elsewhere – mostly as a consultant. “This is like a research and development department. You shouldn’t expect it to make money,” he says. Although he insists his decision to close has nothing to do with money, it highlights the complex economics of high cuisine – where top chefs often make money away from the restaurants that made them famous.

Professor Julia Prats, an economist who carried out a case study on El Bulli for the University of Navarre’s IESE business school, says it is a fantastic marketing tool for Adrià. “Even if it breaks even, that’s an accomplishment,” she said.

In the wake of the recent death of fellow Catalan chef Santi Santamaría from a heart attack in his Singapore restaurant at the age of 53, Adrià’s decision to go global on the internet while staying local to work is even more understandable. Santamaria, head chef at the triple Michelin-starred Can Fabes restaurant, not far from El Bulli, had been running eight restaurants, with a total of seven Michelin stars, in such diverse places as Madrid, Barcelona, Qatar and Singapore.

Adrià does not mind losing El Bulli’s exclusivity. A restaurant with just 15 tables that opens for six months a year and serves only supper can feed just 8,000 people a year. Pressure from the rich and famous to get a table was intense. “I am tired of having to turn people away,” Adrià said.

Rather than retreating from the public gaze, however, Adrià says his new venture will see his El Bulli team exposed to even greater scrutiny than that exercised by the Michelin Guide’s star-givers (who routinely give him three) or the magazines that consistently name him the world’s top chef. “It will be even tougher, because there will effectively be far more people waiting to be ‘served’ on the internet,” he says.

Among the artists, architects and others he will bring into the kitchen to broaden El Bulli’s creative drive, the new team will include a journalist to serve up a daily ration of revelations from his experimental kitchen.

The challenge will also be about competing with El Bulli’s own history. Adrià is famous for the hours he spends in his workshop, pursuing new ideas for the menu. Although he has represented Spain at art shows such as Documenta in Germany, Adrià rejects the idea of cuisine as art. “The umbrella is not art, but creativity,” he says.

He will be bringing other creatives into the foundation’s kitchen. “They will be able to see how we create, and we can study how they do it,” he said.

Vicente Todolí, the outgoing Spanish director of the Tate Modern, is a friend of Adrià and will be among those advising him. Adrià will also teach creativity at Harvard for two weeks a year. His systematic approach to invention means that will include “teaching how to be an efficient creator”.

Some eating will be done at the El Bulli Foundation, but there will not be regular meals. Those wanting a taste of the Adrià magic, however, can get to two new Barcelona outlets that he has opened in recent weeks with his brother, Albert. One, Tickets, serves tapas invented at El Bulli. The other, called 41, serves snacks and cocktails. Both, inevitably, are booked out.

Either way, though, the master chef of the century so far is retiring from the frontline of serving up food. “You can’t win the Oscar every year,” he says. “Even the people who love you will start to say: ‘Oh no, not them again!’

“It is not easy to step down when you are at the top and it may go badly,” he adds. “But at least we will have tried it and have been consistent in our own approach to creativity.”

guardian.co.uk food-and-drink

Spaniards, Germans and Pole express confidence to pollsters, but the British only excel at modesty

The Spanish can cook, the Germans drive well and the Polish are good looking: ask Europeans how they think their countries excel and revealing trends emerge. The Guardian’s poll of European countries carried out by ICM suggests most nations think they are good at something – apart from the ever modest British. We feel we are pretty mediocre at everything.

The poll, carried out online among 5,000 people – 1,000 from each of the five countries involved in the Guardian’s New Europe series – exposes a mix of classic national stereotypes and unexpected self-confidence. Germany may be famed abroad as a land of lederhosen and strong beer but the Polish outdo everyone else as a nation that feels it can knock its drink back and stay sober. In total, 61% of Poles think their compatriots can hold their schnapps and vodka, in contrast to just 14% of Spaniards who say the same about their compatriots’ capacity for San Miguel beer.

The British are not in denial about their own capacity for drunken behaviour. Only 15% of Britons think we can hold our drink, against 85% who rate ourselves at the middle or lower of the scale. Other nations judge themselves little different, apart from the Poles.

In an imaginary Eurovision contest of national talents, the Spanish and the French think they would be way ahead of everyone else as the best place to eat. Among the Gallic citizens of the land of haute cuisine, 80% give themselves at least eight out of 10 points for their cooking. In Spain, where Ferdinand Adrià’s modernist El Bulli restaurant reinvented modern cooking, perhaps to its detriment, 87% do the same.

By contrast, a generation reared on Delia Smith and Jamie Oliver in Britain still don’t rate themselves highly: only 23% of people in this country believe the UK is renowned for its cooking, against 77% who put it in the middle or below.

Perhaps fortunately the poll doesn’t reveal what other Europeans think of our food. Ever confident, the Poles shrug off jibes about dumplings and beetroot soup to chase France for third place as the nation with good cuisine: 70% score their nation highly against just 2% who put their country way down the scale. Germany is next, followed by Britain in last place of the five countries surveyed.

So it is official that we think we have the worst cooking in Europe. But at least we believe ourselves to be more friendly than the French and the Germans, if not quite up there with Spain and Poland. Overall, 32% of Europeans questioned thought people were very friendly in their country, against 56% who put the answer somewhere in the middle and 12% at the bottom.

In Britain, 23% score themselves highly against 77% who do not. In Poland, more cheerful perhaps, 35% score highly and 65% not.

The French appear to think they are part of a nation of grumps: 70% put themselves only in the middle for national friendliness and 17% right at the bottom, ahead of everyone else. Experience Paris on a weekend in August and you might be tempted to agree.

Unsurprisingly, Germans – from the home of the unrestricted autobahn, BMW and Porsche – believe themselves to be the best drivers in Europe. The French – from the land of Renault and Citroen – think they are the worst.

In Germany, 34% score their country well for its driving, against just 11% in France and 17% in Poland. The British and the Spanish are somewhere in the middle: 29% of people here think their country drives well against 23% in Spain.

By contrast, 20% of French people put their driving skills in the bottom categories, scoring just one to three points out of 10. In Britain, 15% say the same and in Germany it is just 13%.

About a quarter of Europeans think people in their country are good drivers: about two-thirds, sensibly, put themselves in the middle.Even vanity is trumped by modesty in Europe, according to the poll. While about a third of people surveyed rated people in their country notably good looking, two thirds put the answer in the middle and a few even lower down. Men are marginally more positive about national looks than women.

The Poles scored themselves most highly – 57% rated their nation at eight out of 10 or above for looks, against just 14% in Britain, officially the most modest country among those polled, if not the ugliest. Here, 73% ranked national appearance in the middle and 13% at the bottom.

According to the survey, 41% of Spaniards say their compatriots are good looking, against 22% in France, with Germany narrowly behind.

guardian.co.uk food-and-drink

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Day two in Rioja has been another day of contrasts. Three very different wineries, reflecting the spread that you find in this region.

First up, La Riojanas  - with a production of 4.2 million bottles, a large-ish winery. A mix of traditional and modern styles, with the highlight being a 1964 Gran Reserva that was truly elegant and had aged beautifully. It wasn’t just ‘old wine’, but had some real personality.

Next, Remirez de Ganuza. One of the stars of Rioja. Thrillingly good wines, including the dense, tannic 2004 Reserva and the beautifully supple 2001 Gran Reserva.

I was initially worried when I found out that this winery had been blessed by a 100-point Parker score (albeit administered by Dr Big Jay), and that they only used each barrel once. But there was nothing spoofy about these wines. Serious.

Finally, a slightly unusual venture – Ontanon. The focus here was primarily on the art of Miguel Angel Sainz, who has been quite an important connection for the family who own the winery (the Perez Cuevas family), but the wines were impressive too – modern-styled yet fresh, with lovely forward fruit.

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Dinner last night was at Asador el Tahiti in Logrono. It’s a traditional Riojan restuarant and we ate and drank well. Particularly interesting was Morcilla, which is pig’s blood and rice, and, in this case a thin pastry case. It was delicious.

Wine of the night was the Remelluri Rioja Reserva 2005. For just 18 Euros on the list, this was brilliantly dense and deliciously savoury, with a Bordeaux-like character, but I mean this in a good way.

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First day in Rioja. Three very different wineries visited. First, Finca Allende: modern, terroir driven, with lovely wines, including the brilliant Calvario, a single-vineyard offering. Good white, too. Aurus, their top wine, a little too rich and oak-influenced for me.

Second, La Rioja Alta. One of the traditional Haro wineries, making older-styled wines. But these are excellent older-styled wines, with some elegance. Lovely Arano 2001, sturdy but delicious Ardanza 2001. Gran Reservas – 1997 904 and 1995 890 – both brilliantly aromatic.

Finally, Valdemar, whose star turn is working with the ‘alternative’ Rioja varities. Conde de Valdemar Garnacha is brilliantly fresh and focused with nice pure fruit. Well priced at £10. Inspiracion Graciano is a superb interpretation of this variety that’s dense, focused and structured with fresh, spicy fruit tempered by nice acidity. Graciano rocks! White Tempranillo is really interesting – a new variety just approved, which makes very rich, fruit-laden whites. The oddity here is the Maturana, a new old variety rediscovered. Their Inspiracion Coleccion Varietales is 100% Maturana, and it tastes like a really good Carmenere.

The pictures. Top, inside a basket press. Below this is the view of the vineyards over the roof of the Allende winery in Briones. Then some harvesting of high-end grapes at Allende – this is probably going to be Aureus. Directly above and bottom, racking the barrels at La Rioja Alta. There are 43 000 of them – and they are racked by gravity into a clean barrel. Below: grapes at Allende. Looking good.

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Travelling again. Just for a few days.

One of the aspects of my ‘job’ (I’m embarrassed to call it that, even though I work very hard) that I most enjoy, is the ability to travel to new places, meet new people, and learn quite a bit in the process.

I’ve been to Rioja before, but just for a day. It will be nice to get a proper feel for the region. My preconceptions are, from tasting widely, that Rioja is capable of greatness – it possesses some superb old vine vineyards, and lots of them, planted in places that are good for growing wine grapes.

The reality, though, is that Rioja is dining out on its reputation. Most of its wines are pretty industrial concoctions, made in large wineries, and aged for far too long in poor quality American oak barrels.

Amid the sea of mediocrity, there are a number of ambitious producers. Some of them have gone down the path of spoofiness, making very sweet red wines from too-late-picked grapes, and then using too much new oak. Some are ultratraditional, and make interesting if difficult wines. Some have found the path of enlightenment, making serious wines with a sense of place.

I also suspect that serious white Rioja is a story yet to be told.

It will be interesting to see these preconceptions challenged on this trip. Pictured is an old Graciano vine in Rioja Alavesa.

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This is an interesting red from the lesser known Spanish region of Arribes, on the international Douro with Portugal sitting over the river. In fact, if you head further into the Douro Superior, this is where you end up. It’s a warm region, but the altitude of the vines (500-800 m) helps moderate this.

I visited earlier this year, but only made it to one producer. This wine is from a small, organic, semi-biodynamic producer called Almajora, and is the work of English girl Charlotte Allen (you can read more about her here, on Jancis’ site).

Almaroja Pirita Roble 2007 Arribes, Spain
14.5% alcohol. Made from the Juan Garcia variety, this is a ripe, rich wine with the fruit initially showing a slightly baked quality, which disappeared after a while. There’s some lovely spicy, mineral complexity on the palate under the sweet cherry and plum fruit. Currently it comes across as just a touch too ripe, and maybe a little too oaky, but it should settle down with another few years in bottle. Lots of interest here. 91/100 (£17.99 Ballantynes – UK importer is Richards Walford)

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Garnacha, aka Grenache, is a variety that can tend to soupy lushness when it’s grown in warm climates. Here, in Spain’s Navarra, from old vines, it has produced a really fresh, peppery, full flavoured example that’s just brilliant value for money. In fact, at the multibuy price of £6.99, it may be my best value red of the year.

El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa Old Vines Garnacha 2008 Navarra, Spain
14% alcohol. Very fresh nose with a distinct peppery edge to the sweet cherry and raspberry fruit. The palate shows lovely spicy, peppery savouriness as well as ripe red fruits, supported by some tannin and good acidity. A brilliant example of old vine Grenache, with real personality and admirable balance and restraint. 92/100 (Majestic £9.32, but £6.99 if you buy more than one Spanish wine priced £5+)

Find this wine with wine-searcher.com

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I’ve been quite ignorant when it came to Spain & Portugal, with Rijoa (Spain) and Port (Portugal) as the only exceptions. However, this tasting has shown that there is a lot more than these regions. The tasting was held last month in a local branch of the wine store chain wineroute. The tasting was from various regions and price ranges, but has clearly shown that at almost all price ranges there are excellent to classical wine. This tasting has clearly shown that one needs to pay a lot more attension to these wine growing countries.

Marques de Riscal, Rueda 2005
Maybe two years ago this was a nice wine. Over the top with yellowish color and some musty aroma. The good stuff was grapefruit and flower scents. 70
Ramos Pinto, Duas Quintas 2005
Very dark color, medium to light bodied wine. Pomagrants, red berries and light tannins. very balanced and fruity wine with a nice finish. 87
Ramos Pinto, Duas Quintas Reserva 2003
very dark color, medium bodied. Blackberries, plums, red cherries with delicate tannins and balanced acidity. This is a complex and interesting wine which one can either love or hate. I loved it. The finish was pretty good but not really tasty. 89
Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez, Pesquera Crianza 2003
Full bodied and dark color. Plums, blackberries, light spicy and olives as well as light smokey aroma. A long and very pleasent finish. 90
Artadi, Vinas de Gain 2005
Strawberries, rassberries, violets, flower scents, a bit vanilla and light green spices. Balanced with a good, medium length, finish. 89
Roda I 2001
Rich and complex wine. Leather, plums, blackberries, rich and a bit hot spices, cinamon and a clear nutty aroma. Excellent finish. 92
El Seque 2005
Blueberries, red berries, blackberries are accompanied by light and balanced acidity. Not a very deep and serious drink, but still offers a nice drink. 86
Santa Cruz de Artazu 2003
Cherries, red berries, pepper and spices. Coffee and a bit leather appeared later on. A good amount of tannins and an excellent finish. Excellent. 92
Mas Martinet, Martinet Bru 2005
Round and smooth wine. Black pepper, blackberries, black olives, coffee and an excellent spiciness. Very well balanced with good acidity and medium finish. 90
Clos Mogador 2003
Round, flavorable and excellent wine. The best wine in this tasting and one of the best wines I’ve had lately. Blueberries, blackberries, violets and black cherries. A second layer of nut, cassis and cola all compose this deep and concentrated wine. Excellent finish – dry plums. Wow. 96

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