Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

How a former nurse with a passion for cooking is bringing a taste of Spain to Elgin

Amanda Dominguez Bermudez offers delivery and collection from the garden shed.

Amanda Dominguez Bermudez opens up to The Press and Journal about how the business came about. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson
Amanda Dominguez Bermudez opens up to The Press and Journal about how the business came about. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Amanda Dominguez Bermudez’s passion for cooking was born from her childhood in Seville in Spain.

She used to help her granny Concha and mum Elena in the kitchen for hours making traditional Spanish dishes.

Over the years, she quite regularly considered opening a cafe.

But she was a nurse in Inverness, and all her focus was on that.

Amanda Dominguez Bermudez is happy about taking on the new challenge. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

After 21 years in the Highland Capital, Amanda and her partner now live in Elgin.

The move offered her opportunity to take the plunge – and the Spanish Deli was the result.

She is cooking all the dishes from the comfort of her home’s kitchen.

And she offers delivery and collection from a shed inside her garden on King Street.

Amanda Dominguez Bermudez wants to make people happy through her food.

Amanda said: “Setting up the business was never planned and at first when we were home shopping in Elgin, the idea was to work in Dr Gray’s.

“As I worked as a nurse with the NHS for around nine years in Inverness.

“When we moved into our new Elgin home, I thought why don’t I give the Spanish deli a go.

“I have always enjoyed cooking and did have the idea to set up a cafe but never explored it.

“I don’t want to look back when I’m older and regret I never tried it.”

Tortilla de Patatas which is known as a Spanish Omelette pictured. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Inspiration from family

Amanda Dominguez Bermudez pictured with some of the dishes.  Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Drawing from family recipes passed down through generations, Amanda has brought a taste of Spain to Elgin through her home-cooked dishes.

Cooking also brings back childhood memories for her.

She said: “The recipes have been passed on from one generation to the next, and I cook the meals the same way my granny and mother did.

“Cooking brings back a lot of memories and it is a family orientated and social affair.

“In Spain on Sundays, we used to cook a paella together and gather all the family.

“It was a tradition and it is like a Sunday roast here.

“Now I hope the food puts on a smile on people’s faces and brings them a little bit of Spain in every bite.”

Pollo Empanando which are Chicken fillets. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Long-term ambitions

Elgin from the sky! Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

She has set up her first business from her home.

However, in the long-term, Amanda wants to open up a shop, if the business is a success.

She explained: “I’m planning to open up a deli-type tapas eating place if things go well.

“I want to sell local produce and also Spanish ingredients and dishes too.

“It would be a small cosy place.

“However, I thought it would be best to start small first and cook from home.

“Regardless, I will continue to enjoy cooking.”

Click here for more details about the Spanish Deli which is open from Monday to Friday.

Conversation