Heavenly foodie holidays – there’s one for you!
What could be better than learning to cook local dishes on your fabulous trip away and bringing home new skills to share with loved ones?
Fancy a gastro getaway where you can learn to cook like a local? Our guide will give you food for thought
posh The one
Iconic Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa in Hampshire has launched a new cookery school and restaurant, both overseen by celebrity chef James Martin. The 12-station cookery school, under chef tutor Rob Cottam, features a selection of courses and demos, including Middle Eastern and James Martin’s Perfect Puddings. Chewton Glen’s gardens provide most of the vegetables, fruit and herbs, and guests are encouraged to forage.
COOK ’N’ STAY
Half-day and full-day classes range from £45 to £225, and there are also kids’ courses at weekends and during the summer holidays. Garden rooms at Chewton Glen start from £325 per night. Visit chewtonglen.com.
gourmet The one
For a luxurious gourmet getaway on the stunning Isle of Skye, an island with a blossoming food scene, head to Kinloch Lodge Hotel & Restaurant. Here, a three-night foodie stay fast tracks you to the island’s best food hot spots.
Kinloch’s Cookery Workshops allow guests to peek behind the doors of a top-flight professional kitchen and see some of the Michelin magic. Hosted by chef-director Marcello Tully, there are lots of tastings and chat while Marcello guides and shares tips from his years working with chef royalty, including the Roux brothers.
You’ll also meet local producers and artisans and sample the best island eateries on the self-guided Gastronomic Tour. Find yourselves right by the shore, learning how to cultivate oysters and tasting them fresh out of the sea, before heading for a tour and whisky tasting at Talisker Distillery. You’ll finish off with a tasty lunch at the Oystershed – order a plate of Hebridean scallops in garlic butter or fresh lobster. Both are delicious. The gourmet break ends with Kinloch’s seven-course tasting menu dinner.
COOK ’N’ STAY
Three nights cost from £819 per person, based on two sharing a double or twin standard sea view room. Call 01471 833 333 or visit kinloch-lodge.co.uk.
celebrity The one
Celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager, who starred in Soapstar Superchef, has her own cookery school in The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells. The school runs half-, one- and two-day courses, focusing on everything from butchery to the perfect Christmas table.
Stay a stone’s throw away in The Tunbridge Wells Hotel, full of gorgeous antiques and quirky artworks. You can also mooch around The Pantiles – a colonnaded stretch of shops in the heart of this pretty spa town.
COOK ’N’ STAY
A one-day course at the Rosemary Shrager Cookery School costs from £160. Visit rosemaryshrager.com. A luxury double room at The Tunbridge Wells Hotel costs from £149 per night with breakfast (thetunbridgewellshotel.com).
group The one
Belle Isle Castle Estate in beautiful County Fermanagh is a fabulous place to go with a group of like-minded foodies to enjoy its state-of-the-art cookery school. From international cuisines to summer barbecue masterclasses, the cookery school is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. Embark on a bespoke cookery course, learn more with culinary demonstrations or book a group dining experience.
The estate also has a number of activities to complement the cooking,
The homely one
A foodie getaway with Cheshire Country Holidays reveals there’s a lot more to Cheshire’s culinary scene than cheese. Its three-day gastronomic experience allows you to taste traditional foods of the Cheshire region while staying at 17th-century Grade Ii-listed Brookbank Farm, which has views of the world-famous Lovell Telescope. With breakfast, dinner and a ‘Taster’ lunch provided by the awardwinning local Yellow Broom restaurant, there’s also a wine and cheese tasting, as well as a hands-on cookery class at such as fishing and canoeing, as well as stunning walking trails to enjoy.
COOK ’N’ STAY
Stay on the estate in the self-catering Cathcarts Lodge Castle, which sleeps six and costs from £680 for five nights. For larger groups enjoying a special occasion, book Belle Isle Castle itself, which sleeps up to 26 guests and costs £1,580 per night. Cookery courses start from £85 per person. Visit belle-isle.com.
Aer Lingus flies three times daily from London Heathrow to Belfast City from £50.99 one way (aerlingus.com). the Speckled Hen Cookery School – intro to bread making, anyone?
COOK ’N’ STAY
From £329 per person, based on 12 sharing. Visit cheshirecountryholidays.co.uk.
Tuscan The one
Italy is known as one of the best foodie destinations in the world. Head to Tuscany with Flavours Holidays for the perfect mix of cooking, eating and exploring the region. A chef hosts three cooking lessons, teaching you a range of mouth-watering local dishes, such as ribollita (a hearty vegetable stew) and pici (spaghetti with wild boar or rabbit sauce). You’ll also have time to lose yourselves in Florence’s ancient streets and enjoy a private wine tasting.
COOK ’N’ STAY
These foodie short breaks are hosted in a small selection of hand-picked villas and honey-coloured farmhouses. A three-night trip costs from £899 per person, including all activities, meals and wine. It also includes £100 towards the flight, along with transfers from Pisa Airport. Visit flavoursholidays.co.uk. Easyjet flies from London Gatwick to Pisa from £28.99 one way.
Provençal The one
Chef a la Maison is the brand-new experience with Summer France’s self-catering holidays in Provence. It involves local chef Eric Viens preparing a three-course meal for a group of friends or family in their accommodation at the Résidence Provence Country Club located in the Luberon mountain range, while also passing on his recipes and skills. Try your hand at bouillabaisse, for instance, the divine traditional Provençal fish stew. You’ll learn everything you need so you can replicate the dishes back home.
The rural one
Discover Andalucía’s rural region, the High Alpujarras, on a seven-night holiday, with foraging walks, paella demonstrations, a stroll around Almería market, a wine tour of an award-winning bodega (wine shop) and visits to cheese and olive oil producers.
COOK ’N’ STAY
Chapters Holidays’
Insight to the High Alpujarras tour costs from £1,285 per person on a half-board basis (with picnic or tapas lunches), including flights, transfers and local transport. Visit chaptersholidays.co.uk.
COOK ’N’ STAY
Summer France offers a four-night stay at the Résidence Provence Country Club from £123 per person, based on eight sharing. Return flights from London to Marseilles cost from £62 with Ryanair (ryanair.com). Cookery demos cost from £17.50 per head. The food bought for the evening costs extra, and Eric can also show guests around the local markets and vineyards for an additional cost. Visit summerfrance.co.uk.
If you love Greek food, head to the Blue Palace Resort & Spa on the island of Crete, where couples can now take part in a Greek cooking class. With the focus on local flavours, you’ll learn everything from the aromatic dolmadakia
(vine wraps with rice and herbs) to how to whisk up a prawn saganaki. Great recipes for impressing dinner party guests back home!
COOK ’N’ STAY
Elegant Resorts offers seven nights at Blue Palace Resort & Spa from £1,325 per person half board, including flights, private transfers and UK airport lounge passes. Visit elegantresorts.co.uk.
Cookery classes cost from around £110 per couple. Visit bluepalace.gr.