Elizabeth Luard, the award- winning food writer and winner of the much coveted Glenfiddich Trophy, is one of the most respected cookery writers in Britain today, and one of the leading authorities on European food and cooking. Her 15 years spent living in Spain provided the experience and inspiration for her latest book, Tapas (Grub Street Press, £15).

Her seemingly effortless style of writing brings a multitude of tasty little tapas dishes to life, and acts to encourage us all to serve these mini-treats — particularly at Christmas — with a rich bottle of Spanish wine such as Finca Constanica and Beronia a Rioja. Even a simple dish of Spanish olives can be transformed by drinking a wine of the same country.

The dishes Elizabeth highlights in her book include bread with olive oil and garlic, salt cod, chicory and blue cheese, broad beans with ham, tortilla, pickled sardines, spiced mackerel, lamb ribs with paprika, beef in red wine and empanadas.

She emphasises that tapas can be as simple as a saucer of anchovy-stuffed olives and a sliver of salty cheese, or a little taste of a slow-cooked herb-scented stew, or a mouthful of something so exotic you might not come across it any other way.

Although tapas embodies long light Spanish meals when day and night merge into one, little plates of simple tapas dishes make for perfect party treat during the lead up to Christmas. But don’t forget the wine — as both these wines have been aged in oak barrels they have a complexity and depth of flavour that marries perfectly with the many flavours a dish of tapas offers. Both produced that wonderful warming effect so necessary during Christmas.