By Xavier Wiliams-Valdez 12D

Which country has the best cuisine in the world? Well…

Italy, France, China and India are undisputed global superpowers in the culinary world, dominating the scene for decades. Japan makes a strong case for itself, and I’ve always had a soft spot for British cuisine too (much to my friends’ confusion and disgust). However, Spanish and (most) Latin American cuisines are severely underrated, boasting huge variety and unparalleled quality. One Monday, a group of A level Spanish students set out to put these Spanish speaking countries’ cuisines back on the culinary map, via a Master Chef style cooking competition, where all dishes entered must have originated from a Spanish speaking nation.

A group of surly, stone-faced judges from the Modern Foreign Languages department were to judge our dishes. These included churros and chocolate sauce, a classic gazpacho and a gorgeous alternative to pizza. My initial prediction critical comments from the judges were soon vanquished upon seeing their faces distorted with what I can only assume to be intense pleasure upon trying our meals. Alas, the competition was a success, the judges and other attendees deemed our cooking to be an honourable testament to the cuisines of the hispanic world.

Congratulations to Magnus Macleod, the winner of this prestigious event, for his exquisite “Tarta de Santiago.” I would also like to give an honourable mention to myself, for engineering a guacamole so delicious that it is all but certain to put Taco Bell out of business in the coming months.