Emily Tellwright

Author, Artist, Publisher

The Fawlty Towers Spanish Omelette

Pastel drawing of a path through bare trees and scrub with blue sky and sunshine

Summary

Valentine’s Day is coming, making me think of celebratory food. In my book Ghost Train Clyde makes an omelette. I discuss Omelette Arnold Bennett, named after the most famous author from Stoke-on-Trent, and go on to say that I think the omelette Clyde makes in the book is the same as the ‘Spanish Omelette’ in the Fawlty Towers episode, The Hotel Inspectors. I then give the recipe for this omelette.

Exotic British food in the 1970s, as far as I remember, consisted largely of a lot of bizarre concoctions based on ignorance and misunderstanding named erroneously after classic dishes from the cuisines of other cultures. The Fawlty Towers Spanish Omelette, as I shall now call it, was one such as it bares no relation, as far as I know, to anything ever eaten in Spain. But – and this did sometimes happen with these recipes – it is nevertheless a very tasty, nutritious and economical dish. I am going to tell you how to make it.

A folded omelette on a pale blue and white plate.

Before you start your omelette, prepare the filling. For one omelette (using 2 or 3 eggs depending on size), you will need:

My mother often made this recipe for me when I was a child, and we still enjoy it today. It’s quick, filling and the ingredients are things you would usually have in. Don’t leave out the peas, though, even if they are frozen, because as Mr Hutchinson wisely remarks, “I always feel that the peas are an integral part of the overall flavour.”

Subscribe to the Blog