Trasierra Restaurant in Seville, Spain

Feast in understated elegance at Trasierra, a 16th-century villa outside of Seville

Nestled among orange and olive groves in the hills north of Seville, Trasierra is the kind of word-of-mouth hotel where the glamour is understated, the marmalade comes straight from the backyard, and guests feel like part of the family.

Charlotte Scott's grand experiment has turned out beautifully. When she and her then husband left their fashionable London life in the late '70s to renovate an abandoned 16th-century villa near Seville, Spain, they had visions of raising children who could run wild in the Andalusian hills, entertaining themselves purely with their imaginations. Those four grown children are now creative and cultured, thank you. And Charlotte gradually transformed that ruin into one of the most elegant, low-key hotels in Europe--a place where society-page fixtures go to disappear, and the rest of us go to come to life.

Surrounded by hundreds of acres of olive and orange groves, the whitewashed buildings make up a village in miniature. Charlotte, a decorator, turned that breathtaking home into a hotel in 1992. At her inn, she wanted guests to feel "like they're in someone's home when the owners aren't there: You can use their stuff, but you don't have to see anybody. You can go to bed with a boiled egg in the evening if you'd like."

But why settle for just an egg? Her elder daughter, Gioconda, has created an incredible food program. On my first visit, a belated honeymoon, the table outside our boho-proper room was set for dinner with candles and fragrant orange and jasmine blossoms snipped from around the property. To take off the chill, we were offered velvet Rajasthani robes from the dressing-up box they keep for rainy days (and drunken nights). The food--a fava bean and Manchego salad, roast lamb with potatoes, perhaps some olive oil cake--was simple yet ideal, clearly made with ingredients that hadn't traveled more than a few kilometers. The next day, I was the first to line up for the lunch set out by the pool, eager to beat the London yoga retreaters to the gazpacho, tortilla de patatas, and paella. Here was classic Spanish food but lighter, brighter, refreshed. When I asked to meet the cook on our way out the door with our bags that afternoon, I was introduced to Gioconda Scott, a shy young woman with a plummy English accent, poring over a copy of The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Gioconda, 33, learned to cook while studying in Florence and apprenticing in London at produce-focused restaurants like Clarke's and Green's. She brought home ideas from her travels to India, Mexico, and Africa. Spanish food was learned from the local women who worked at the hotel. But everything she makes today has her own style. "I'm always basing myself on the prime ingredients of the area here, but maybe adding a touch of lightness somewhere, or some extra spice somewhere else--just sort of creating my own colors in a way," she explained.

When I visited last April, a spring lunch for friends from London started with sangria and fried Marcona almonds, unhurriedly moving along to highlight other Spanish classics (marinated anchovies, garlic and almond soup, lamb and potatoes served with stewed artichokes) that Gioconda has made quietly her own. Later, there was dancing by the fire in the drawing room. For the solitude-seeking guest who stayed in bed, I can only imagine that his boiled egg was lovely.

Snacks for soaking up Green Apple Sangria: Blistered Padron Peppers and Marcona Almonds with Smoked Paprika

The 16th-century home-turned-hotel sits high in the misty Andalusian hills

Marinated anchovies on toast with garlic, olive oil, and parsley

Gioconda seasons a leg of lamb before roasting

Charlotte Scott (left) with her daughter Amber, granddaughter Rafaela, and a guest

A guest helps herself to snacks

Ajo Blanco
, a chilled white gazpacho that can be made the day before it's served

Tortilla de Patatas](#), made with not much more than eggs, potatoes, olive oil, and onions, and served at room temperature

The backyard orange groves

Marmalade Ice Cream](

Almost none of the ingredients Gioconda cooks with have traveled very far to get to the Trasierra kitchen, but this is especially true of the oranges, which come straight from the backyard

(Credit: All, Ditte Isager)

Blistered Padron Peppers
Marcona Almonds with Smoked Paprika
Green Apple Sangria
Ajo Blanco
Slow-Roasted Andalusian-Style Lamb and Potatoes
Tortilla de Patatas
Swiss Chard with Raisins and Almonds
Marmalade Ice Cream

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