We were blessed with blue skies and only a hint of autumn in the air for the 2024 Autumn Reception at the residence of Sir Alex Ellis, His Majesty’s Ambassador to Spain. Having only recently arrived in Spain to take up his new appointment we felt honoured that Sir Alex, his family and staff had continued the tradition of inviting Society members to enjoy the Autumn Reception in the glorious garden of his Madrid residence. 

BritishSpanish Society Chairman, Jimmy Burns-Marañón OBE, warmly welcomed Sir Alex as Honorary Vice-President to the BritishSpanish Society, a role Sir Alex was keen to understand and explore further. Sir Alex spoke openly to guests, expressing his delight at being appointed Ambassador to Spain and reminiscing on time he had previously spent in Spain, and his love for the country, its language and culture.

Jimmy Burns-Marañón announced to guests that the Autumn Reception would be his last formal appearance as Chairman of the BritishSpanish Society. Jimmy spoke of his own deep rooted family connection to Spain, a true BritishSpaniard, and thanked his wife Kidge, who also joined us for the celebration, and their family for their support of him and the Society. Jimmy assured members that he would still be a familiar face within the Society and that he was confident that an excellent replacement Chair had been appointed. 

Throughout the evening we enjoyed a delightful menu of food and wine, truly showcasing the best of Extremaduran cuisine, from our event sponsors Alimentos de Extremadura. Chefs Alejandro Hernández (from Michelin starred Restaurante Versátil), and David Domínguez (Restaurante La Fabiola) created a mouthwatering menu of aperitivos which included raviolis de guiso, brioche relleno, steak tartar and canelón de frite. The exquisite menu was completed with pan hojaldrado from chef Francisco Romero (Parador de Cáceres) and beautiful tables of jamón, quesos and dulces.

Our event also welcomed new BritishSpanish sponsor Fielden Whisky of England. Managing Director Mark Harvey spoke passionately about sustainable farming, heritage grains and the joy of creating whiskies full of flavour. The company also encouraged guests to enjoy the whisky tasters the company had provided for the event. 

An evening full of fun, friendship and connections amongst BritishSpanish members ended with a raffle in aid of our charitable mission to support talented BritishSpanish post-grads through our annual Scholarship Programme. We were overwhelmed with the generosity of both our raffle prize donors and the many guests who supported the raffle by buying tickets. With top prizes including tickets to the Teatro Real, a bottle of Perinet Pendents 2018, a limited edition book from publisher La Fabrica, dinner for two at Restaurante Qüenco and a two-night stay at Hotel Merinas there was much excitement amongst guests when the winning raffle ticket numbers were announced.

We must offer huge thanks to all the individuals, businesses, volunteers and guests who created such a wonderful and warm atmosphere at this much loved annual event. Particular thanks to our event sponsors Alimentos de Extremadura and Fielden Whisky of England and the many raffle prize donors (too numerous to list) without whom we would be unable to produce such high quality events, or so successfully support our Scholarship Programme. With our final thanks, of course, to the Ambassador, his family and staff (and dog) for welcoming us so warmly. Ambassador, we wish you a warm bienvenidos both to Spain and the Society, and we look forward to sharing more evenings of friendship with you. 

Some of the photos taken on the evening, with thanks to Hola are available to view on our gallery. 

We look forward to seeing you all again at events throughout the coming months and in 2025!