Friday, 27 May 2016

Holiday Masterchef - Don’t just book it, Cook it!

Cooking: Not as easy as it looks!
Looking forward to your holiday? Time to get some sunshine, relax on the beach and do your own cooking. Eh? Surely part of the idea of taking a holiday is to have somebody else cook for you? You wouldn’t muck in with Housekeeping to clean the rooms or do a stint at Reception so why would you want to do the cooking? 

 Because food is the soul of a country and going to a cookery school as part of your holiday can be a very rewarding experience. And you get to eat your work afterwards. So whether you are challenged by egg boiling or think your dinner parties are overdue a visit from Mr Michelin, let’s have a look at some cooking themed holidays. 

Kitchens all at sea with sleb Chefs
If your idea of kitchen fun is being shouted at by Celebrity chefs then you need travel no further than Southampton to join P & O Cruise Ship Britannia which is kitted out with with 12 state of the art workstations in its Cookery Club. 

 On selected cruises, learn from top chefs including Marco Pierre White and James Martin to see why they have Michelin rated restaurants and you do not. Fortunately you only cook for yourself not the other 4,300 passengers on board.

 HOW: Join one of over 20 Food Hero cruises with P&O departing from Southampton. Classes cost from £100 and should be reserved well in advance.

Pinxtos: Basque in the glory of Spanish food

 Statistically, if you want to learn from the best then head to San Sebastian in Spain. This Basque city has more Michelin Stars per head than anywhere else in the world. 

 Visit the Beronia Cooking School to learn the art of making pinxtos (tapas), Basque cooking and the secrets from Michelin starred chefs. Then wash it all down at their Wine School with some local Riojas.


HOW: Fly to Bilbao or take the ferry from Portsmouth. It's 75 minutes away by road. Half day courses start at €155. Save some money to buy bigger clothes when you get home..   
Tuscany: Not all Ravioli comes in tins
Any self respecting chef would have to include France or Italy in their destinations. As France is probably on strike, head to Florence in Italy for an introduction to the food of Tuscany. 

 Villa Pandolfini in the Tuscan countryside will sate your appetite with a selection of local speciality dishes. Enjoy with a few glasses of regional Chianti before being driven back to Florence.

HOW: Fly to Florence. Half Day introductory courses start at €140 and run year round. Transport to/from central Florence is an extra €10pp.

Goa way - and spice up your life 
Time to spice things up with a trip to India. The culinary skills in making a curry are often overlooked on a Friday night after the pub closes. Correct that with a trip to the excellent value for money beaches of Goa for winter sun and real Indian food. 

The Goa Cooking School has introductory one day courses blending spices to make your own curry for lunch.

HOW: Combine a beach holiday to Goa with a one day course for £75 including transport. Direct flights operate from UK airports to Goa between November and March.

You only get an OO with Thai Food
Our final culinary stop is Thailand - home to a huge variety of flavour sensations. The Evason Hua Hin offers a variety of spa treatments to break up the monotony of sitting on the beach. 

 They also offer half day and full day Thai cookery courses making authentic Thai food using their own vegetable garden. Full day courses involve an ingredient shopping trip with the chef to the local market to see how haggling should be done.

 HOW: Hua Hin is 3 hours from Bangkok. Combine a Spa, Cookery and Beach trip here with a few days in Thailand’s vibrant capital. There are multiple daily flights from across the UK to Thailand.
Thailand: nice and warm
Standard low cost packages are bookable through my multi destination EyeLine Travel website. 

For tailor made packages, special requests or just some information, please Contact me and I will do the hard work for you. All holidays that I arrange are ABTA/ATOL protected.

For holidays to Thailand, please visit my dedicated website: http://boutiquethailand.co.uk and visit the Facebook page of the same name for current offers.

 EyeLine Travel: http://eyelinetravel.co.uk 

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Twitter (@eyelinetravel, @bouthaique)

The proof of the Cooking is in the Eating!



David Sutherland
EyeLine Travel 
27 May 2016   








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