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Jul 31 2026
Nieves Barragán Mohacho: London’s Queen of Spanish Cuisine
Arriving in London in 1998, Nieves Barragán Mohacho had ambitions to build a successful career as a chef. Now, almost 30 years and four Michelin Stars later, she’s confirmed her status as a true pioneer, showcasing the soul of Spanish food and wine with her unique flair and passion.
Nieves first made her name in the UK capital as an executive chef at legendary restaurants Fino and Barrafina. The latter was awarded Michelin stars in 2014 and 2018, marking her as one of the top chefs in London. Her next move was to open her own place, Sabor, in Mayfair, for which she won a Michelin Star within a year of opening.
Then, in August 2025, she opened her second solo venture, Legado, in Shoreditch Just seven months later, it too received a Michelin Star, the latest accolade in an extraordinary career. Barrafina, Sabor, and Legado have all been recognized for their excellence by the Restaurants from Spain Certification Program. This certification gives a seal of approval to restaurants using the very best produce from Spain.
Known for her nose-to-tail approach cooking, with a particular focus on high quality cured meats like Cecina de León PGI, and deep, heritage flavors, Nieves spoke to Foods and Wines From Spain about her passion for new and exciting ingredients, how traveling inspires her creativity,and why, at its best, cooking is a theatrical experience.
A Passion for Cooking That’s True to Her Roots
Originally from Santurtzi, a coastal town near Bilbao in the Basque Country, Nieves developed a passion for food and cooking from a young age. She was inspired by her mother, accompanying her on trips to local fresh food markets, learning how to choose the best ingredients, and helping her prepare food in the home.
“For Spanish people, it’s always been very important to dine together with family,” she says. “I grew up with my mum, my dad, and my brother. My mum was a home cook, and it was always very important to eat together.”
She has fond memories of her mother drizzling olive oil over fresh oranges during trips to Seville, and still recalls the taste of the everyday Basque and Navarre preserves that would adorn the family kitchen, from white asparagus and anchovies to Pimientos del Piquillo de Lodosa PDO peppers, each fuelling her philosophy that good food begins with simple ingredients.
Today, Nieves looks to the tastes of home to inform her culinary approach. And while she adores her hometown and her Basque roots, she draws on Spain’s rich gastronomic diversity for inspiration.
“We have so many different areas, and they all have their own… it’s almost like a bible. Every single area in Spain has a totally different cuisine,” she says. “This is the beauty. I think this is because we have so many different lands and areas where we grow different ingredients, that you create so many authentic recipes.”
For Nieves, every trip back to her homeland is a chance to learn and become inspired anew. “Every time I go back to Spain, especially when I go to small towns, like small pueblos, I always learn an old recipe, something that I’ve never heard of in my life,” she says. “I say to my chef, ‘Did you taste this before?’ From there, I always try to get the ingredients.”
These trips have become a regular part of her quest for new, exciting additions to her menus. “I try to go back [to Spain] at least every two or three months,” she says. “That way, it gives you, your team, and your guests new things that maybe you’ve never tried before, or never seen before.”
Her Legado is full of inventive dishes that highlight the flavors of Spain. Lamb sweetbreads with lovage features tender, delicate offal sourced from milk-fed Basque lamb, cooked until crispy and golden on the outside while staying rich and creamy inside, with an aromatic garden herb. Suckling pig ears, potato, smoked paprika (Pimentón de la Vera PDO) and capers reimagines traditional Galician fair-style cooking. While saffron ice cream, white chocolate mousse, Arbequina olive oil brings earthy, floral, spiced flavors to a light and airy dessert.
The Secret of the Source
Sourcing high-quality ingredients is an essential yet often overlooked part of running a successful restaurant. Nieves has got it down to a fine art. Having built connections with the best suppliers across the UK and Spain, she is always seeking new ways to express herself in the kitchen.
“For me, traveling and meeting new suppliers is the key. The supplier is how I try to get more inspired,” she says. “I’m always asking suppliers in the UK and Spain to send me what they have right now in this seasonality. So, you see it, then you play.”
Whether it’s succulent Lechazo de Castilla y León PGI lamb, cured jamón ibérico from Dehesa de Extremadura PDO, or a seasonal British vegetable, Nieves is also looking to marry flavors and discover new culinary dimensions.
“You need to be continuously tasting, asking, speaking with your supplier, fishmonger,” she adds. “You ask them, ‘What did you get today in the market?’ Something new, the anchovies… you always get a new cheese, a new cut from the goat, from the cow. So, I always try to meet a new supplier who is doing something very interesting, very unique.”
Ever the innovator, Nieves often looks to unusual cuts that others might ignore. “We try to get the skate ‘knobs’, which are the cheeks from the skate,” she says, as an example. These small, tender, and subtly sweet parts of the fish are typically discarded at sea, making them a rare delicacy, sought-after by those in the know.
“From one ingredient, you can create five or six dishes, in a different way,” says Nieves. “It keeps you motivated. And it’s exciting. It’s like a new toy. You say, ‘Oh my god, why have I never tried this before?’ You start to say, ‘We can do this, we can do that’... so it’s super exciting.”
Legado’s Michelin Star
After years of hard work and basking in the success of Sabor, Nieves realized she needed a new creative space to fully explore and evolve. That space was Legado. Her most ambitious project to date, Legado highlights the rich diversity of Spain’s regional culinary heritage, with menus that are constantly evolving, both with the seasons and the creative whims of Nieves and her team.
Starters such as gazpacho Andaluz, Basque morcilla (blood sausage) with quail egg, talo con txistorra (Basque-style sausage tortilla), and grilled Spanish artichoke with almond sauce set the tone, while traditional dishes like milk-fed Basque lamb and Segovian suckling pig are among the star attractions.
Speaking of stars, Nieves and her team received theirs for Legado within just seven months of opening. So, how did it feel?
“Incredible. Amazing,” she enthuses. “Because my team has been working very hard with me from day one. I work as much as when I opened Sabor, if not more, because Legado is bigger. But also, it’s more pressure. Because, as soon as you’ve got it, you don’t want to lose it. And people have more expectations.”
The Legado Michelin Star is a testament to hard work, dedication, and passion for her craft. These three traits have been integral to Nieves’ philosophy ever since she first arrived in the UK.
“I’ve been in London for 27 years, and I’m still working with the same passion,” she says. “I haven’t lost the energy. That energy you build with your team, the creativity… I haven't lost it. And I don’t want to lose it. Because it makes me happy.”
The Magic of a Shared Experience
To dine at one of Nieves’ restaurants is a true feast for the senses. Both Sabor and Legado put their cooking front and center with open kitchens that channel the vibrant spirit of Spanish dining culture.
“When you come into a restaurant, you need to see, you need to hear, and you need to smell,” explains Nieves. “With an open kitchen, you do that. The kitchen is the engine of the restaurant. And you have to see how all the chefs are connected. It’s almost like a theater.”
Nieves sees her guests as more than just diners. They are audience members to be
entertained. And she wants them to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
“Sometimes, couples come in, and they don't talk. It’s beautiful to see. They only talk sometimes to say, ‘Did you see that?’ They are just seeing the show,” says Nieves. “I also say to the chefs, ‘Talk to them! Enjoy. Tell them how you cook. Have fun!’ That’s why the kitchen should be open. Because we want to have fun, all of us. The guests want to have fun, but we want to have fun as well.”
For diners at Legado, watching cochinillo (roast suckling pig) roasted whole in custom, hand-built asador ovens and portioned with crisp crackling, or fresh catch fish prepared Galician-style over open heat, is a truly magical experience.
In Vino Veritas
In December 2022, Nieves was welcomed into the prestigious Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, a group that recognizes influential professionals who promote quality Spanish wines in the UK.
It’s an honor that she takes seriously. “Well, you’re being recognized as a Spanish citizen who is doing something important,” she says. “I think I’ve done a lot of things in the UK. I’ve opened a lot of doors, I introduced Spanish cuisine and wines. I gave it a vision. To be recognized as a gran caballero is like you’ve done something special for the UK.”
Her love of quality Spanish wine means that, for Nieves, an exceptional wine list is essential. “We only use Spanish wines and our wine list is incredible,” she says. “We don’t have a bad wine on the list. There is not a single bad wine, even the entry level is ‘wow!’
But Nieves knows that that quality wine doesn’t always speak for itself. Wine storytelling is a fundamental element of a high-end dining experience, one that immerses diners in the story of the land where the wine is produced.
“People want to hear a story. Not just about the food, but the wine,” she says. “So, you have to have an incredible sommelier. In our restaurant, we have Marcos [Segurado]. He worked with me in Fino, so we’ve known each other for 20 years. When I opened Legado, he called me and he said, ‘Nieves, I want to come back to work with you.’ And I said ‘Yes please!’”
The extensive, Spanish-only wine list features a strong emphasis on sherry, emerging Spanish wine regions, biodynamic wines, and minimal-intervention producers.
The Legado wine list features a diverse range of the best Spanish sherries, ranging from Fino del Puerto and DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry (maritime aromsa) to Amontillado, Oloroso, and Pedro Ximénez (deep rich and toasted nut flavors), sourced from leading producers such as Lustau, César Florido, Maestro Sierra, and De La Riva.
Frontonio Garnacha Blanca (crisp and balanced) and Parajes del Valle Bobal (vibrant red fruits) are standout introductory picks, while the likes of Pingus Dominio de Pingus 2018 (sensual berries and coffee) and Vega Sicilia Único (silky and elegant) are both iconic Spanish reds.
Nieves believes her star sommelier elevates Legado’s wine list to among the finest in London.
“Before, he used to be an amazing sommelier. Then, when I met him again two years ago, I was like ‘wow.’ He’s like an open book. Thanks to him, we have such an incredible wine list. And thanks to him, people get very excited to do the wine pairing.”
She stops herself.
“Not wine pairing. I don’t want to call it wine pairing. Because you don’t need to pair the whole dish that you’re eating with the wine. You can have a glass of white and a glass of rosé or red, but it’s very important that what you’re drinking is connected with the food.”
Like her culinary creations, Nieves’ wine tastes are always evolving. “Right now, I’m super into the volcanic wines from Canaries and Tenerife,” she says. “My gosh. Incredible! Yesterday, I tried an incredible white. And it was 11 percent. That’s very low. It’s almost like you’re drinking a txakoli,” she says, citing the fresh, effervescent white produced in the Basque Country.
Legado’s diners can sample the artisanal volcanic white Támeran from DO Gran Canaria to bring some Spanish maritime minerality to their dining experience.
The Flavors of Spain, Beyond Borders
So, what does the future hold for one of Spain’s most influential and exciting chefs?
“We’re planning to open one more thing,” says Nieves. “Maybe next year or probably the year after, the beginning of 2028. A different concept. A fun concept. Then there’s a chance that we’ll do something overseas.”
Nieves has already started to spread the word beyond the UK and Spain, dazzling diners in far-flung destinations such as Hong Kong and Australia with special guest chef spots.
I went to Hong Kong two months ago, to the Rosewood Hotel. Incredible. They asked me to do a ‘four-hands’ [collaboration] with the chef there. And they loved it. They went crazy,” she says.
Nieves wowed diners with dishes such as confit artichokes, almond cream, and black garlic alioli; wild mushroom croquetas with garlic cream, and truffle; and Segovian suckling pig with chicory salad and Queso Manchego PDO. “They loved it so much that they called me to go to Shanghai in October, to the Rosewood again, to do four-hands of Spanish cuisine.”
She adds, “Last month I was at the Tasting Australia festival. We were cooking on the Ghan, the famous train. Incredible,” she says. “It crossed the whole country, from Darwin to Adelaide. I was cooking with Australian people, and at the end, they were hugging me, kissing me, you know? So, I think Spanish cuisine, overall, people love it around the world.”
Cultural inspiration flows both ways. Sharing the joys of Spanish food with the rest of the world comes easily for Nieves. But she also finds that, by exploring other cultures and cuisines, she awakens her creative instincts, finding new expressions and ingenious ways to play with traditional ingredients.
“I think traveling is super important,” she says. “Not just to Spain. Even when I went to Hong Kong, the method of something that you try, you always aspire to say… well, maybe we can do that, but in a Spanish way, you know?
Her cooking may be anchored by her Spanish roots. Yet her constant curiosity and drive to reinvent are the qualities that propel Nieves forward.
“At the end of the day, people want authenticity, culture, tradition. But what is tradition in 2026?” she says.
If there’s anyone that knows the answer, that understands the elusive interplay between tradition and innovation, between the past and the future, it’s Nieves Barragán Mohacho, the UK’s undisputed queen of Spanish cuisine.
