Sisters at Palma's Santa Clara Convent are cooking up a storm

The sisters follow traditional recipes, which have been handed down through the generations in Palma and besides slaving over a hot stove all day, they still have to make time for prayers, daily mass and the Blessed Sacrament.

Sister María Adoración says some of the sisters start work in the convent kitchen at 07:30 and others join them at 09:00. Their days can be very long and sometimes the sisters don’t get to bed until 11 o’clock at night.

Sister Sebastiana and Sister Guanda are in charge of the kitchen and the 4 cooks; Sister Miriam, Sister Trinidad, Sister María Adoración and Sister Nazaret, who’s the youngest in the convent at age 22.

Five other sisters prepare and weigh the ingredients and the four eldest sisters are in charge of packaging.

They make about 200 empanadas and 200 robiols a day in the convent kitchen, as well as a number of other delights, including crespells, yogurt cakes, Santa Clara cake, Santa Inés cake, cheese cake with jam, cheese cake with cream, and chocolate cakes.

The convent's recipe book has been growing like mad in the last few years and now that the ice cream season is getting underway the sisters will also be making, lemon and orange sorbets, lemon cream, coffee ice cream, chocolate, almond, hazelnut, cream with caramelised walnut, and even Baileys ice cream.

Bread is another recent addition and it's made by Sister Sebastiana and Sister Guanda with sourdough and xeixa flour from Molí de Sant Antoni in Manacor and they also produce a rye bread. At the moment bread-making is limited to weekends and the sisters have to work all night long to make sure the bread is ready by 08:00. But demand is soaring, so they may soon have to make bread on other days too.

The Santa Clara Convent shop is open Monday to Saturday from 09:00-15:00 and again from 16:15-17:30.

On Sundays the shop is open from 09:00-11:30 and again from 16:15-18:45.

You can also order via WhatsApp on 690 238 210.