*This is NOT a sponsored blog post. We paid in full for all food and drink.*

Living in Andalucia, we are certainly not short of excellent food options. Obviously tapas restaurants abound, and we’ve yet to find one that isn’t really good quality, most being pretty superb. Even the most basic offer food which is of high quality and excellent value. In the larger towns we can easily satiate our cravings for spicy – especially Indian and Thai – food, and in our town we have a fantastic restaurant which does focus on Andalucian cuisine but also offers lots of Moroccan inspired dishes. Heaven. Italian restaurants are also in abundance, but we have missed Pizza Express since leaving the UK. We know that we can get better, and much more authentic pizzas in Italian restaurants, and we do seek these out, but there’s just something that is so comforting and familiar about Pizza Express. And an idle, online search one day turned up Spain’s only two branches of Pizza Express – one in Gibraltar and one in Alcaidesa.

Gibraltar would be close enough, but until very recently, my residency was still under consideration, so I did not want to leave the EU and enter Gibraltar as this could potentially have thrown up many complications. And then, I found a branch in Alcaidesa, a beautiful town about 30 minutes from our house, right on the coast, with views across towards Malaga in one direction and the Rock of Gibraltar in the other, and out to sea, across to the mountains of Morocco. An absolute result.

We don’t go all the time, although it’s tempting, so when we do it’s a bit of a treat. We decided to pay a visit this week, on a hot, sunny early October afternoon to celebrate my residency being granted and actually finally being in the house. We haven’t moved to Spain to live the life of replicating what we had in the UK, but in the sunshine. However, the familiarity of Pizza Express is quite lovely. The same menus – both in style and what is offered. Everything is reassuringly the same. Which is good, as ordering is quick, as we always know exactly what we want. One day, we’ll veer away from our faves, but for the moment, we have a stock list that we’re still savouring. Only this time in the Andalucian sunshine, rather than the Lapwing Lane drizzle!

The very thin, stretched Romana bases are perfect – much less doughy and much less filling. Topped to perfection, too – American Hot (the jalapenos did have quite the kick!) with extra mushrooms and a Padana were just what we needed, along with a vino and a cold beer. I think we’re maybe just far away for home delivery, but I don’t think we can really complain when get to enjoy pizzas in the sunshine, like this.