Lastnight I learned something new about our Celtic cousins in Galicia, Spain. The Hairy Bikers (for those of you who haven't come across them, two really nice men who love to cook and travel on their motorbikes to do so) did a tour of Europe (about 8000kms) learning about and demonstrating baking in different countries. The final programme showed them in northern Spain. In Galicia, they were invited to a queimada which is a Celtic ritual to rid the neighbourhood of bad spirits and ensure good things for the local people. There did seem to be a touch of the wicker man about it! Queimada is also the name of the firewater they make to drink at the ceremony and which looked pretty lethal. You can read a bit more about it on http://spanishfood.about.com/od/drinks/a/queimadaritual.htm.

Lastnight's programme will also turn up on BBC i-player, possibly next week or the week after. Look for Hairy Bikers Bakeation.