It might still seem a little early to be thinking about dinner for New Year’s Eve but the best restaurant tables in town tend to be snapped up quickly. With that thought in mind, Gran Meliá Resort Don Pepe in Marbella invited an exclusive group of press representatives – including Andalucía Golf – to a special preview of their gourmet menu for the final festive feast of 2016.

We began our tasting with three exquisite starters: lobster, caviar and “micromezclum” salad; foie gras mi-cuit; and tartar of wagyu beef. Then two mains: scallops with truffle, vitelotte potatoes and black chanterelle (“trumpet of the dead” mushrooms); and Friesian sirloin steak, mushroom crumble and sweet potato mash. And finally an assorted chocolate-based dessert, “Licence to Sweeten”, in tune with the evening’s “James Bond” theme.

To accompany these dishes: a Gaba Do Xil white wine from Valdeorras; a Los Frontones 09 red from Ronda; and – how could it be anything else for New Year’s Eve – Moët Chandon champagne.