In Britain, where I come from, breakfast is the meal that is most likely to be eaten at home. Head south, across France and to Spain and, the further south you get, the more outdoors eating and drinking takes place in the morning.

And, once you have bought a property in Andalucia, one of the best ways to discover your neighbourhood, and meet your neighbours, is by breakfasting in a local café. If you’re a cereal and tea person, this might seem an unlikely prospect but I urge you to try it. Find a spot that you like, a bar that is welcoming and, whether on your way to the market, or to the shops, try to find a time every day, or at least at the weekend ,when you can slide onto a stool at the bar and join in the fun. 

Don’t know what to order? Here’s our quick guide to drinks:

Cafe solo - Espresso, a bit larger than the Italian version

Cafe americano - Black coffee

Cafe con leche - Coffee with milk

Cafe cortado - Espresso with a dash of milk

If you like your coffee caffeine free, the word is descafeinado

Leche manchada - Milk with a dash of coffee

Té negro - Ordinary black tea

Té negro con leche frío - Tea in the English style

Té verde - Green tea

Infusión - Fruit tea 

Zumo - Juice

Zumo natural - Freshly made juice, almost always orange

Colacao - something approximating a hot chocolate drink

And if you’re feeling hugry:

Tostada de tomate - toast with chopped up tomatoes, to which you add olive oil and salt according to taste. This, by far, our favourite breakfast in Andalucia. You can also order it with queso (cheese), jamón (ham) and sometimes aguacate (avocado).

Tostada de aceite - as above but without tomatoes. You simply pour olive oil and salt over the toast.

Tostada mixta - toast served with butter and jam

If you don’t eat a lot in the mornings, be sure to order a media (half) of any of the above.

And if you’ve had a heavy night’s drinking you could try chocolate con churros - sausage shaped unsugared donuts which you dip into the thick chocolate.

BEWARE - Don’t order chocolate if you want to drink it, as it is so thick you can stand a spoon upright in it. Order colacao instead.