WATCH: Welcoming Spanish restaurant Antonio's in Fareham creates delectable paella to celebrate Euros

Antonio’s, which was established in 2004, is the epitome of the perfect Spanish dining venue with flawless decor and a friendly atmosphere - and it is a brilliant place to visit on our Euros food and drink tour.

As you step through the doors of the restaurant, you immediately feel as though you have been transported to a quaint traditional Spanish village. Fabulous artwork cloaks the walls inside paying homage to Spain. In order to celebrate the start of the football season, we wanted to highlight one of the most traditional Spanish dishes - paella.

The head chef at Antionio’s, Diego, explained that paella isn’t a universal dish that can be created with a recipe, but instead, a chef must put his heart and soul into it, as well as a really good stock. Different parts of Spain interpret the paella dish differently, adding various meats, fish and vegetables to it, meaning every paella dish you tuck into will be entirely unique.

Paella originates in Valencia, which sits in Eastern Spain, and it consists of meat including chicken, rabbit and sometimes duck. The authentic Valencian paella does not have seafood in it but over the years, people have changed the recipe to suit different tastes. The paella that was created at Antonio’s consisted of chicken, pork, mussels, prawns and calamari - and it was phenomenal.

Diego explained that the key to a good paella is understanding the timings properly - a good paella takes 40 minutes to cook. He started off by partially cooking the meat in a pan and then setting it aside, he then added the seafood to partially cook in the same pan and set that aside. Next comes some of the vegetables, tomato and seasoning which reduces down. Rice was added to the pan alongside stock, tomatos and the meat. White wine was then poured in and the paella was left to cook, with the seafood being added half way through the cooking time simmer.

It quickly became clear that creating a paella is like a form of artwork - it is formed of multiple elements, it takes time to make but in the end it is amazing to look at and is absolutely delicious. I had the pleasure of tucking into the end result - and I had no words.It was rich, warm and you could taste a multitude of flavours - I would definitely recommend.

Diego also placed his bets on the Euros and how Spain might fare - he’s predicted that the team may not do as well as people hope due to the players in the team but he hopes that they surprise fans.

If you are looking for a gorgeously authentic Spanish meal in a welcoming restaurant, Antionio’s is a must. For more information about the restaurant, click here.