Cookery Groups

Cookery Groups

COOKERY TOURS with the groups company appeal to people who want to involve themselves in the culinary world of a chosen country. They want to learn what ingredients are needed and then buy them; how to cook local dishes and try recipes for themselves. The tasting of local meals and the preparation of those same dishes will be part of the experience.

All the group may spend all their time buying and preparing food, as a totally focused experience, or you may prefer a lighter touch whereby a chef and, say, two or three of the group shop and cook for a day, the group working on a rota system with time to explore other aspects of the destination.

You and your group choose which style of cookery tour you require.

We operate Cookery Tours to the following destinations:-

The Caribbean, Egypt, France, Greece, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey & Vietnam.

A typical day ...

The day starts with a leisurely breakfast. You don’t usually need to cook this, but that will be your choice. The main activity of the morning may be a visit to a local market or speciality shops, to look at, listen about and learn more of the produce of the region. Supplies will need to be bought, for today’s main meal.

Lunch will probably be at a local restaurant, to sample dishes that are popular in, or a feature of, the region we are visiting. In the afternoon things may vary. We may commence preparation of the evening meal, under the guidance of our chef, if the preparation takes several hours. Alternatively we may just relax, or join an optional walk in the area around where we are staying.

In the evening, preparation of dinner either starts, or continues, until it is time to test our skills as dinner is served.

The above might be a typical day if we are staying at one place for the entire holiday. If we are travelling to another town, then this will probably take place in the morning, with a visit to a market to buy supplies in the afternoon, when we have arrived at our night stop.

The group might work together on buying supplies and cooking; you may break up into several small groups for this purpose, or you choose to use a rota, whereby each day a small number of the group buy supplies and cook dinner. The choice is yours.

Sample itineraries ...

The itineraries below are intended only to give an indication of what might be possible in a particular country, following an itinerary catering for a particular special interest.

No details of meals or accommodation are included in the itineraries as it would be your decision, at the planning stage, as to what is included. You would decide whether your tour included all meals, just Bed and Breakfast, or Bed and Breakfast plus some lunches or dinners at certain points on the itinerary. Similarly you would decide what standard of accommodation you wanted to use.

The itineraries detailed are deliberately short ones. It is intended to give a flavour, an outline, of an itinerary. If you have more time, then extra time can be built into each stop on the itinerary, and additional places of interest and overnight stops can be added. Lengthening the itinerary, to 10 days or two weeks, for example, and adding further night-stops will enrich your journey; shown below is just a brief skeletal itinerary as a basis for discussion and more detailed planning.

Thailand – 7 days – 1. Fly Bangkok. 2. Arrive Bangkok; tour of klongs by longtail boat; first glimpse of local produce for sale. 3. Fly Chiangmai; afternoon visit to Doi Sutep temple. 4. Morning visit to markets, buy produce. Afternoon cookery lessons; evening prepare dinner. 5.Fly Mae Hong Son. Buy supplies, afternoon cookery lesson, prepare dinner.6. In Mae Hong Son; morning market visit for supplies; excursion in afternoon; prepare dinner. 7. Fly Bangkok; depart for UK. 8. Arrive London.
Italy - Tuscany - 8 days - 1. Fly Rome; transfer to Chianciano. 2. In Chianciano; olive oil tasting; afternoon and evening cookery lesson and Dinner. 3. Drive to Pienza; cheese tasting; visit Montalcino; afternoon wine-tasting and return to Chianciano. 4. Visit Montepulciano; wine-tasting; return to Chianciano for gourmet dinner. 5. Drive via Orvieto to Spoleto. 6. In Spoleto; tour. Afternoon and evening cookery lesson and Dinner. 7. Visit Perugia; return to Spoleto for Gourmet Dinner. 8. Drive to Rome for flight to UK.
Italy - Sicily - 8 days - 1. Fly to Catania; transfer to mount Etna. 2. Morning cookery lesson; afternoon visit to Etna and wine-tasting. Overnight at Scilio. 3. Visit Taormina for the day; return to Scilio. 4. Drive to Modica; afternoon cookery lesson. 5. Drive to Agrigento; visit Valley of the Temples; afternoon cheese-tasting. 6. Drive to Menfi; olive-oil tasting and wine-tasting. 7. Drive, with visit to Mozia island en route, to Erice. Wine-tasting and Final Dinner. 8. Drive to Palermo for flight to the UK.
Italy - Siclily - 9 days - 1. Fly to Palermo. 2. Morning in Palermo; drive to Regaleali. 3. Cookery lesson and wine-tasting at Regaleali. 4. Drive to Agrigento; visit Valley of theTemples and overnight outside Agrigento. 5. Drive via Piazza Armerina to Caltagirone; continue to Siracusa and overnight on a local farm. 6. Morning visit to Siracusa; afternoon cookey lesson. 7. Drive to Catania; continue to Acireale and Acicastello before overnight in Taormina. 8. Day in Taormina. 9. Drive to Catania for flight to UK.
Turkey – 8 days – 1. Fly Bodrum, board yacht. 2. Visit Castle; visit market to buy produce. Sail to Knidos; cookery lesson on board yacht; prepare evening meal. 3. Sail to Bodrum; visit market for supplies, sail on to Iassos; prepare evening meal. 4 and 5. Sail to coastal villages, visits ashore for sightseeing and purchase of local supplies; prepare evening meals. 6 Sail to Akbuk; prepare lunch en route. 7. Visit Ephesus; buy supplies at Selcuk Market; prepare farewell dinner. 8. Disembark; fly to London
India - 9 days - 1. Fly Delhi. 2. Arrive Delhi; afternoon sightseeing. 3. Delhi - morning sightseeing; afternoon with chef, purchase ingredients and cookery lesson. 4. Drive to Agra; afternoon purchase ingredients and cookery lesson. 5. visit Taj Mahal in morning; afternoon cookery. 6. Fly to Jaipur; afternoon sightseeing. 7 In Jaipur; visit Amber; afternoon cookery. 8. Fly Delhi; depart for UK. 9. Arrive London.
Italy - 8 days – 1. Fly Rome and transfer to Spoleto in Umbria 2. Introduction to Umbrian cooking, visit and cooking lesson. 3. Drive Tuscan countryside, buy local ingredients & cooking lesson, Visit vineyard, lesson on choosing wine. 4. A day in Spoleto visiting restaurant kitchens followed by cooking lesson. 5. Visit Cortona & Montefalco for cooking lessons. 6. A day vist to classical sites and option of dining at top restaurant. 7. Morning cooking lesson followed by farewell meal. 8. Transfer to Rome Airport for flight home.
Portugal - 4 days - 1. Fly Lisbon; transfer to Estoril. 2. Morning city tour of Lisbon; afternoon and evening source ingredients, cooking lesson followed by Dinner. 3. Morning tour of Sintra; afternoon and evening source ingredients and cookery lesson followed by Dinner. 4. Transfer to airport for flight to UK.
Mexico - 8 days - 1. Fly to Mexico City. 2. Full day sightseeing, Mexico City and the Pyramids of Teotihuacan. 3. Visit market with chef; cookery lesson followed by Dinner. 4. Drive to Puebla; cookery lesson followed by Dinner. 5. Drive to Oaxaca; afternoon sightseeing. 6. Visit market with chef; cookery lesson followed by Dinner. 7. Visit Monte Alban; evening Guelaguetza Dinner, 8. Drive to Mexico City for flightto UK. 9. Arrive UK.