The county of El Bages is our next stop: a combination of culture and gastronomy, with a visit to a medieval monastery and a fun, family-friendly game in which each team creates two recipes to try to win a Michelin star for their restaurant. As we’re on the D.O. Pla de Bages Wine Route, we’ll take the opportunity to discover the impressive dry-stone vats, declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest, where wine was traditionally made. The journey continues northwards. Leaving behind the tracks of the muleteers who transported salt from the Cardona Mountain, we’ll reach the county of El Solsonès, where we’ll taste the raw sheep’s cheese made in the old kitchen of El Miracle monastery.

After following the Miravinya Route, which will take us to five viewpoints, there are several options to choose from, such as exploring the Xató Route (centred around the traditional Catalan salad) or tasting the malvasia wines of Sitges, on the Costa Barcelona. However, we’ll stay on the Penedès Wine Route for two activities: a tasting of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in La Bisbal del Penedès and a tasting in El Vendrell of the vinegars that have been served at the Nobel Prize award ceremonies for more than a decade. The day will end with a ride in a traditional farm cart from the Modernista-style winery in Nulles, on the D.O. Tarragona Wine Route.

Next we’ll make our way to Reus, where vermouth is practically a religion. The Vermouth Route will take us to a museum with a collection of objects used in its production and to an old factory. The visit ends with a tasting of vermouth and D.O.P. Reus hazelnuts, with views of Casa Navàs, one of Catalonia’s Modernista gems. The town is also one of the stops on the Olive Oil Cycling Route, which passes through the towns that produce D.O.P. Siurana EVOO, made from the Arbequina olive, one of the most prized oils in the world. The afternoon will be spent watching the fishing boats return to the port of Cambrils, while the aromas from the kitchens of the nearby restaurants tempt us to sample the seafood cuisine of the culinary capital of the Costa Daurada.

The mosaic of fields, salt flats and lagoons of Ebro Delta is particularly stunning when the rice fields are flooded, creating shimmering mirrors that change colour and intensity with the light. In a family-run farmhouse nestled among the rice fields, we’ll come across a unique project: a sake brewery. The project, which also produces miso, will introduce us to the world of this popular Japanese drink in the only kura in the Mediterranean. They offer various experiences, including a tour on electric bicycles. Also noteworthy are the annual planting and harvesting celebrations, which honour the region’s rice culture. A dinner of prawns from La Ràpita, tops off a day steeped in the rich taste of the sea.

We’ll continue along the D.O. Terra Alta Wine Route. This county boasts the world’s largest production of white Grenache. To learn more about the rich history of this distinctly Mediterranean grape, we’ll visit the “wine cathedrals” of Gandesa and El Pinell de Brai, the most impressive of Catalonia’s modernista wineries. As we pass through La Ribera d’Ebre, we’ll promise to return during the flowering season, between February and April, when the almond, peach, and cherry trees fill the fields with shades of white and pink.

Crossing the Prades Mountains, home to mushrooms and the excellent Prades potatoes, we’ll arrive in Valls to taste one of the most famous foods in Catalonia: calçots de Valls. On the last Sunday in January, the town celebrates the popular Calçotada Festival in honour of the scallion. We’ll continue to the walls of Montblanc to see them from the inside and make our way up the seven floors of one of the towers, finishing with a wine tasting with views over the landscape of the Trepat Route, named after the indigenous D.O. Conca de Barberà grape variety. The Terra Museum in L’Espluga de Francolí tells the story of rural life and agriculture, with a touching tribute to our ancestors. The day will end near Poblet Abbey, with a meal and wine pairing featuring La Conca truffles.

On a visit to a farm in Lleida, we’ll enjoy the best of the fertile Pla orchard, picking juicy Lleida pears straight from the tree. This orchard is also the source of the vegetables used to make the coca de recapte pie in Balaguer. For lunch, we’ll try one of Lleida’s traditional dishes: seasoned and cooked snails a la llauna. For a sweet finish, we’ll visit the Turron and Chocolate Museum in Agramunt, one of the stops on L’Urgell Gastronomic Route. The day will end with dinner in an old monastery under the stars of El Montsec.

In Senterada, we’ll explore the forest with a botanical guide. Through legends and traditions, we’ll learn how to identify herbs and mushrooms and how to prepare different recipes, such as preserves. The Àssua Valley is the ideal place to discover the work of shepherds, accompanying one with his flock or visiting an eco-museum that shows unique aspects of this profession. The last stop is the Boí Valley, in the Romanesque mountains that have UNESCO World Heritage designation, where organic Pyrenean cattle graze. Their meat is highly prized in top restaurants.

We’ll then take the winding roads to Ossera, where we’ll follow the Aromas and Wise-women Route, centred around the local trementinaires – women who used to gather aromatic plants to make medicinal ointments. After learning about their fascinating history, we’ll take part in a workshop to make our own turpentine. Another scent, that of cheese, will take us to La Seu d’Urgell, the capital of the D.O.P. Mantega i Formatge de l’Alt Urgell i la Cerdanya. Every year in October, the Sant Ermengol Fair is held here, showcasing the best artisan cheeses from the Pyrenees.

In La Vall d’en Bas we’ll visit a farm, an excellent activity for families. After feeding the cows, observing the milking process and meeting the newborn calves, we’ll taste the freshest milk. A similar experience can be had in the Fageda d’en Jordà beech forest, at a cooperative with an important social purpose. We’ll stop by to taste their homemade yogurts before making our way to the nearby town of Santa Pau to buy a bag of fine, tasty D.O.P. Fesols Santa Pau beans. We’ll then cook our own dinner at a quaint, charming hotel in Alta Garrotxa, taking part in a creative healthy cooking workshop using seasonal, organic and plant-based ingredients.

We’ll first meet Ms Maria, a local resident, who will let us in on more than a few secrets during a dramatised tour of the Espolla cooperative. The D.O. Empordà Wine Route offers another interesting activity in Colera, a vertical tasting to compare different vintages. As the sun sets and the rocks of Cap de Creus turn red, we’ll take a motorboat out on the water and toast with gin made on the Costa Brava.

After buying a few jars of L’Escala’s famous anchovies, we’ll go to a cider house for dessert, where we’ll taste delicious Girona apples and some of the products made from them, such as cider, juice, compote and vinegar. At the Espai del Peix fish kitchen in Palamós, we’ll don our aprons and take part in a seafood cooking workshop, where we’ll learn how to prepare several dishes, some of which include rice from Pals. There is also an optional trip on one of the boats that fish for prawns in the fishing village of Palamós.

Around El Montseny, there are several activities that combine gastronomy and nature, such as a walk through a forest of centuries-old chestnut trees, especially recommended in autumn, or a tasting of beers made with the waters of this natural park. Nearby, in the Guilleries Massif, we’ll sample local products such as cheeses, nuts and berries to the sound of water and birdsong. The Farming Museum in Fogars de la Selva offers a further insight into the days when agriculture dominated the region.

Along the way we’ll come across artisan breads, such as those with the I.G.P. Pa de Pagès Català label. Determined to find out how they’re made, we’ll sign up for a workshop in Cardedeu, where we’ll learn to bake bread using different types of locally produced organic cereals. We’ll return to the capital through the Collserola mountain range to visit Barcelona’s vineyards, a project with a meaningful social mission, where organic wines and oils are produced. The journey will end with a dinner prepared with products from the Barcelona area, such as white meat from the I.G.P. Pollastre i Capó del Prat in El Baix Llobregat, paired with D.O. Catalunya wine, which represents a winemaking tradition that dates back to the Phoenicians and the Romans.