Lera

Here are three unique and unconventional aspects of the Michelin-starred restaurant Lera in Castroverde de Campos:

1. Integration of Sustainability and Self-Sufficiency
Lera employs a comprehensive range of sustainable practices uncommon even among high-end restaurants. These include using organic waste to feed their own animals, making compost, utilizing solar panels for electricity, cultivating a large vegetable garden on an irrigated farm they purchased, and keeping their own chickens. They also source water locally (KM0 water) and are part of a cooperative dedicated to breeding and marketing the exclusive Tierra de Campos pigeon. This holistic approach to sustainability and self-sufficiency is a defining feature of the restaurant.

2. Culinary Focus on Game and Regional Traditions
Lera is recognized as a culinary temple for game in Spain, particularly in the Castilian Meseta region. The restaurant showcases gastronomic traditions related to hunting and game, with dishes centered around local game meats such as the signature Pichón Bravío de Tierra de Campos pigeon, which is reared by the family in their own dovecotes. The menus include traditional preparations like stews, escabeches (vinegar-preserved meats and fish), and other regional specialties, but elevated with contemporary techniques. This focus on game and hunting heritage as the core theme is quite distinctive.

3. Preservation and Reinvention of Traditional Techniques
Lera places special emphasis on traditional cooking methods such as escabeches, a technique with Arabic origins involving cooking meats and fish in vinegar to preserve them. The restaurant elevates this and other traditional dishes like stews, veal tongue, baked beans with hare, and snails, transforming them into haute cuisine with delicate handling and modern culinary techniques. This blend of deep respect for tradition with innovation creates a unique dining experience that honors the region’s culinary history while pushing its boundaries.

These three elements—sustainability and self-sufficiency, a focus on game and regional hunting traditions, and the preservation and reinvention of traditional cooking techniques—set Lera apart as an unconventional Michelin-starred restaurant.

The most honored or signature ingredients at the Michelin-starred restaurant Lera in Castroverde de Campos are:

• Pichón Bravío de Tierra de Campos pigeon: This local pigeon, reared by the family in their iconic dovecotes, is the signature ingredient and centerpiece of their most renowned dish. It exemplifies the restaurant’s focus on game and regional tradition, prepared with great delicacy to highlight its depth and flavor.

• Game meats: Various game meats such as hare, partridge, and rabbit are central to Lera’s cuisine, reflecting the hunting traditions of the Castilian Meseta. They are often prepared in traditional ways like braising or escabeches (a vinegar-based preservation method), which adds complexity and preserves the meats.

• Escabeches (vinegar-based preparations): This technique, rooted in Arabic heritage, is used for meats and fish like albacore, partridge, and rabbit. It brings acidity and brightness to balance the richness of game, a hallmark of Lera’s dishes.

• Seasonal mushrooms (e.g., níscalos/milky agaric mushrooms, morels): Mushrooms are used to complement game dishes, such as pairing dove breast with morels, adding earthiness and enhancing the regional character of the cuisine.

• Vegetables from their own irrigated farm: Lera grows its own vegetables to accompany dishes, ensuring freshness and sustainability, which aligns with their Michelin Green Star recognition for environmental responsibility.

These ingredients are combined with modern techniques while respecting traditional recipes, making Lera a culinary reference for game and regional gastronomy in Spain.

Tasting Menus

• Lera Menu (7 courses): €180
• Lera Menu (8 courses): €220

Signature Dishes

• Blue Lobster: €95
• Foie Gras: €45