S&A Foods wants to bring "the world on a plate" to the UK market with Perween Tapas ­ its first branded range. Mick Williamson is creative director of The Research Business International I love tapas, can't get enough of them when I'm in Spain and, yet, whenever I've tried them here, I've always been disappointed. Concluding this might be to do with the problems of re-creating an appropriate atmosphere, I lined up a half bottle of chilled Manzanilla, chain smoked a pack of malodorous Spanish cigarettes, emptied the ash tray on the floor among screwed up napkins, and to the whir of a fan (oven), set to work heating up my first batch of Perween Carne Picante' (spicy meat) and Veruda' (vegetarian) tapas. Surprise, surprise, either my assumptions about atmospherics were correct or Perween has achieved something special in the carefully prepared (mostly) and authentic (well researched and sourced) ingredients. Indeed, this first batch was good enough to encourage me to try the Mariscos' (seafood) tapas. Particular favourites were the Spicy Chickpeas and Chorizo ­ piquantly seasoned; Garlic Mushrooms ­ not stunning to look at, but all the better for the 10% sherry in the Bouillon; Sweet Peppers with Olives ­ sweetened with honey; and Pork Loin Tumble ­ a touch dry and tough, but well-herbed. This latter might be better prepared in the microwave but, as I don't have one, I can't comment. Neither was I able to give the Spanish omelette a fair test, as microwaving was the only recommended method for this dish. As for the rest, all OK, if not quite in the league of the top four. The Meatballs in Tomato Sauce had a slightly over-processed consistency; the Sardines in Tomato and Artichoke Sauce would have been better with whole sardines; the Paella was a brave effort, but not really a tapas; and finally, the Tuna Marmitako was mistaken for pork by my co-taster ­ perhaps because the tuna was diced? Well done Perween. You passed the first test of this shopper who spends more time checking ingredients lists on processed foods and rejecting them than buying. And, as a former chef in France, I consider the range not a bad effort on the foodie' front either. {{MARKETING - P&P }}