First stop on your culinary south-west Spain road trip is a city with its finger firmly on the gastronomic pulse. Málaga, once a bit down on its luck, is reinventing itself as a true foodie getaway with gastropubs and hip cafés popping up all over.

With its hilltop citadels and contemporary art, Picasso’s birthplace is a vibrant, dynamic city where you can enjoy delicious seafood and, when night falls, a bar scene that refuses to close.

Refuel on boquerones fritos — or fried anchovies. These are so popular in Andalusia that the word now also refers to the locals themselves. Pay a visit to the cathedral before enjoying lunch at the Atarazanas market.

Head to an ultramarino to stock up on Iberian jamón and cheese to enjoy back at the campervan campsite. Savour the sunset on one of the many rooftop terraces.

For dinner, speciality must-tries include ajoblanco, a garlic soup, followed by a coffee with some tarta Malagueña. For a beachside dinner, try espetos, fish skewers roasted over a sizzling fire.

Well-rested and well-fed, head on to the next destination on your south-west Spain road trip: the flashy, sassy queen of the Costa del Sol, Marbella.

The city isn’t all swanky clubs, supercars, and private yachts. All that cash to splash also entails some pretty spectacular restaurants. An abundance of local produce is transformed by the best in the business into mouth-watering dishes, and, in Marbella, eating well is basically inevitable.

First up has to be gambas al pil pil: prawns fried with garlic and chilli, served with enough bread to feed a village. Or, if you’re hoping to slip into something tight later on, opt for the ensalada Malagueña.

Then explore the fancy and oh-so-fabulous Puerto Banús, or venture out to the surrounding vineyards for some oenotourism, or wine tasting.

After sunset, engage in some tapeo — hopping from bar to bar for drinks and tapas. This is how the locals while away a leisurely evening — and they probably know best.

One of Andalusia’s best-known pueblos blancos perches above a 150-metre gorge. Ronda is the iconic white-stone town and a truly gorgeous stop on your south-west Spain road trip.

There’s plenty to satisfy cultural needs here, such as the Plaza de Toros bullring. But even more to fulfil gastronomic cravings, from traditional tapas to Argentine steaks. Plus the rugged Serranía de Ronda produces delicious red wines just waiting to be sampled.

Work up an appetite with a walk down into the gorge and back again. Reward yourself at the Ronda Sweet Bakery, which also runs baking workshops. Enjoy the dizzying views from El Balcón del Coño or learn about Ronda’s riotous history of rebels and outlaws at the Museum of Bandits.

If the gory tales don’t put you off, take afternoon tea at the Victorian Hotel, whose gardens inspired the poet Rilke. And before you leave, make sure to try some serranitos and stock up on yemas de Ronda.

Surrounded by mountains, pine forests, vast skies and endless beaches, Cádiz feels wilder, more exotic and more remote than other Andalusian cities.

With its Arabic forts, palaces and crumbling sea walls where Atlantic waves crash, it’s certainly romantic. As a bonus, it’s a paradise for food lovers.

Cádiz is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe and we reckon it was those chicharrones de Cádiz that did it. Wander the old town to find hidden corners overflowing with history. Marvel at the cathedral’s golden dome.

Top up on tortillitas de camarones. Or, for something more substantial to power your south-west Spain road trip, try pollo a la canilla — chicken marinated in sherry. Cádiz is, after all, an important point on the Sherry Triangle.

Stroll by the sea and, when night falls, head to a neon-lit, napkin-strewn freideria for piles of delicious salty fish, and before bed catch some flamenco in a local peña.

Jerez: tapas, flamenco and sherry. Oh, and horses. Jerez is where some of the finest horses in the world are trained and bred. So if you fancy some equestrian ballet, you’re in the right place.

You’re also in the right place for exceptional cuisine. You can enjoy some of the best Andalusian cooking in Jerez, also the birthplace of sherry. So read up on this most underrated tipple and continue to the next stop on this Andalusia itinerary.

Your stay in Jerez is going to be heavy on the drinking, that’s for certain (don't drink and drive!). And no better place to start than a traditional tabanco — the best-known being Tabanco el Pasaje.

Alongside, enjoy traditional fare of stew, meatballs, tortilla and clams. Then wander streets of palms and orange trees, soft pink buildings and Baroque churches. Relax in the stately Plaza del Arenal.

If you time your south-west Spain road trip right, you might catch the Feria de Caballo, a centuries-old celebration with the city’s famous horses as a centrepiece.

Seville — with its palaces, churches, flamenco clubs, and 14,000 orange trees — is instantly seductive. Intense and fiery, it’s the perfect finale to your culinary south‑west Spain road trip.

Seville does nothing by halves and the passion that flows into its flamenco songs and dances is met with equal fervour in the kitchens of its acclaimed restaurants. So continue to your itinerary’s final foodie stop: a Moorish capital that is totally—excuse us—moreish.

First, head to the magnificent cathedral. The Metropol Parasol and the Alcázar are worth a visit too. Take shelter from the sun in the Palacio de las Dueñas or consider a cooking class at the Mercado de la Triana.

For lunch, there’s carrillada de cerdo or a serranito de Lomo — the city’s signature sandwich. Climb the Giralda for spectacular views.

As night falls, bar-hop along La Macarena’s Calle Feria and be sure to try the solomillo al whisky. How did whisky get involved? We’re not sure, but it’s delicious.