The Farm to Table Drive
Saturday 30th May
The Farm to Table Drive on Saturday 30th May brought together an impressive turnout of members for a day celebrating Mallorca's agricultural heritage, beautiful countryside and enjoyable motoring.
Members began arriving promptly at 10.30am at the aptly named La Farm Finca and Restaurant, a beautiful old finca close to Santa Maria renowned for its excellent seasonal cuisine showcasing local produce.
As the cars arrived, the car park soon filled with an impressive variety of classics and sports cars, creating quite a spectacle and attracting plenty of admiring glances from the hotel’s guests and staff. Complimentary coffee and pastries were available while everyone gathered and the relaxed start provided a perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends, admire the shining cars on display and welcome new faces to the club.
A record attendance of 35 cars and more than 67 participants joined the event, with a wonderful mix of long-standing members and newcomers.
A special welcome goes to new members David and Dana Klein who arrived in a stunning Corvette Stingray Big Block ‘72, and Werner Gritzbach and Susann Faust who arrived in their newly purchased 1978 Mercedes Benz 300TD who all joined us for their first club drive and were quickly made to feel part of the club's friendly atmosphere.
Following a welcome from organisers Sadie and Andy Sutherland, drivers and navigators received their route information. As the theme of the drive was based on Mallorca’s rich and diverse agriculture, participants were also given a tie-breaker question prior to departure to test their agricultural knowledge.
At approximately 11.00am, the convoy set off in groups of three vehicles at two-minute intervals to explore some of Mallorca's beautiful rural landscapes. This ensured the route flowed smoothly and gave everyone the opportunity to enjoy the drive at their own pace.
The 75km route had been carefully planned to showcase the island's agricultural heartland, taking us through rolling countryside, picturesque villages and some of the quieter roads that many visitors never get to experience.
The first section passed through one of the island's most important agricultural sectors – viticulture. Vineyards stretched across the landscape as members enjoyed some of Mallorca's most scenic rural roads. One of the pleasures of the drive was seeing the changing scenery along the way as vineyards gave way to orchards and traditional fincas surrounded by golden fields of wheat dotted with red poppies providing a constantly changing backdrop, reminding us of the rich farming heritage that inspired the day's theme. The roads were ideal for relaxed motoring, allowing everyone to enjoy both the drive itself and the stunning views.
The route continued through an area often referred to as the breadbasket of Mallorca due to its extensive wheat and barley production. The weather could hardly have been better, providing ideal conditions for open-top motoring and making the most of the spectacular countryside. Everywhere we went, the cars looked magnificent against the backdrop of Mallorca's late-spring landscape.
To add an extra challenge, participants were asked to answer five questions along the route, each relating to the agricultural history of the municipalities they passed through. The changing scenery, along with clues to the questions provided a fascinating insight into how agriculture varies across the island and how it continues to shape local communities today as well as some opportunities for some beautiful photographs.
Snippets of local history included in the directions also helped members gain a deeper appreciation of the countryside they were driving through.
As temperatures rose, a welcome refreshment stop was taken at El Torrador de Sa Creu Bar and Restaurant. Members enjoyed a cool drink, stretched their legs and compared notes on the quiz questions before continuing onto the second half of the drive.
The route then passed through Maria de la Salut before entering the municipality of Sa Pobla, one of Mallorca's most important horticultural regions. Best known for its potatoes and rice production, it provided a fitting finale to a drive focused on the island's agricultural heritage.
The "Table" element of the event was completed at El Chiringuito in Crestatx, where members enjoyed a relaxed and informal BBQ lunch. In a change from the traditional three-course club meal, the menu featured a selection of locally sourced produce, perfectly complementing the day's Farm to Table theme and highlighting the quality of Mallorca's agricultural products.
Another first for the club was the afternoon entertainment, provided by local band The Pink Rose Experience. Members were delighted to discover that the band's guitarist was none other than our own Treasurer, Andy Sutherland, whose musical talents proved every bit as impressive as his event-organising skills.
The quiz competition proved extremely close, with several teams answering all the questions correctly. As a result, the tie-breaker question came into play. The correct answer was 1924, the year potatoes were first exported from Sa Pobla, Mallorca to Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
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Congratulations to the prize winners:
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1st Place – Jan and Anja Feldtmann in their MGB GT V8, winning a bottle of red wine from Bodega Macia Batle and a punnet of Sa Pobla strawberries.
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2nd Place – New members Werner Gritzbach and Susann Faust in their recently acquired 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300TD, winning a bottle of white wine from Bodega Miguel Oliver and a packet of locally grown Sa Pobla rice.
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3rd Place – Dietrich Hatlapa and his father-in-law Broder in their Jaguar E-Type, winning a bottle of rosé wine from Bodega Ribas and a bag of Sa Pobla potatoes.
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As the afternoon drew to a close, Events Manager Sadie Sutherland thanked everyone for attending and reminded members about the next club gathering, the Annual Summer Solstice Picnic taking place at Randa on Sunday 21st June.
The Farm to Table Drive was a wonderful combination of scenic motoring, local history, agriculture, great food and excellent company. It was a wonderful reminder of the connection between the island's agricultural traditions and the diversity of Mallorca's rural landscape and the fantastic food that we are fortunate enough to enjoy, while providing members with an informative and thoroughly enjoyable day out. Everyone who attended will undoubtedly join me in thanking Sadie and Andy for all their hard work in creating such creating such a unique event. Their planning ensured that everything ran smoothly from start to finish, creating a relaxed and enjoyable day for all involved.We look forward to many more adventures together and hope to see even more members joining us on future drives.