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Vegetarian Festive Feast Cooking Break in the Algarve

Highlights

  • Stunning accommodation with meals and airport transfers included
  • Learn to make delicious vegetarian dishes in daily cooking classes.
  • Ottolenghi-inspired festive vegetarian cuisine
  • Communal dining with festive, gourmet meals and wine
From £905 pp*
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What you'll do

Overview

Discover Mediterranean festive cuisine, hands on cooking lessons, festive table settings and decorations, nature walks and relaxing yoga sessions are included on this unique 4 night cooking holiday set in a stunning riverside villa with outdoor pool, amazing views and cosy elegant rooms.

2024 Dates:

15 – 19 November 2024

Join us at this luxury riverside retreat in the stunning Algarve,  Winner of the LuxLife Hospitality Award: Most Idyllic Riverside Retreat 2023 – Algarve for an unforgettable cooking holiday celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter with Ottolenghi-inspired feasts. Over four nights and three days, immerse yourself in the vibrant world of Yotam Ottolenghi’s renowned vegetarian cuisine. Our expert chefs will guide you through hands-on cooking classes, where you’ll learn to create stunning appetisers, sumptuous main courses, and decadent desserts, all bursting with flavour and seasonal ingredients.

Start each day with a delicious breakfast featuring fresh, locally sourced produce, followed by engaging cooking sessions that explore the unique flavours and techniques of Ottolenghi’s dishes. 

Enjoy light lunches that you have created, perfect for recharging before your next culinary adventure. 

In the evenings, dine on the exquisite meals you’ve prepared, paired with carefully selected wines, and shared in a warm, communal setting.

Beyond the kitchen, relax and rejuvenate in the tranquil surroundings of our beautiful retreat location. Take in the stunning landscapes, participate in optional yoga sessions or guided nature walks, and learn tips for holiday table settings and decorations. This authentic, hands-on experience promises to leave you with cherished memories, new culinary skills, and a deeper appreciation for the art of vegetarian cooking. 

Join us and celebrate the holidays like never before!

*from pp price is based based on one person staying in a glamping tent.

Arrival

On arrival you will be collected at the airport ( transfer is at 3pm) and driven to the villa. The transfer time is around 35 mins.

Settle into the river house and your room before enjoying welcome drinks and a delicious group welcome dinner.

Accommodation

Stay in an exceptional villa, lovingly known as ‘the river house’. Surrounded by countryside on a river-bend with an infinity pool to relax in and soak up the atmosphere. The villa boasts spectacular sunsets, sunrises and walking trails all around, and the town of Silves is just a 15 minute drive away.

The villa features 5 spacious and fully air-conditioned double bedrooms; 2 with ensuite bathrooms and a large communal bathroom. The comfortable rooms are stylishly decorated, maintaining many traditional features such as wooden beams. The upstairs rooms are flooded with natural light thanks to the skylights, and the downstairs rooms have double doors leading out onto the garden.

There are two cosy glamping tents which have a shared bathroom, these have comfortable full size beds, carpets and furniture.

All rooms can have single beds upon request and feature WiFi, duvets, linens, towels, hairdryers (in bathrooms), walk-in showers with handlebars, anti-allergy fibre pillows, mosquito net doors, heating, and A/C. Some also have a TV.

The villa also boasts light and airy social spaces; a high-ceiling lounge and kitchen with a center island and a cherry wood dining table. The lovely outdoor terrace is perfect for alfresco dining by the water.

 

Local winery visit and our first hands on Cooking session

Begin your day with a refreshing glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, followed by a delightful Mediterranean-inspired breakfast that will fuel your adventures ahead. Our journey starts as we head to a local vineyard, where we will embark on a guided tour followed by a wine tasting accompanied by cheeses and charcuterie board from local producers. 

In the late afternoon, immerse yourself in our engaging cooking lessons and demonstrations, exploring the art of crafting Ottolenghi-inspired Thanksgiving recipes. The kitchen becomes your canvas as we prepare these delectable dishes. 

 

As the sun sets, we gather to enjoy the fruits of our labour—a sumptuous dinner thoughtfully paired with exquisite Portuguese wines, a fitting culmination to a day filled with culinary exploration and delightful flavours.

 

Accommodation

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Prepare a festive feast!

Get ready for a day that kick-starts with a burst of vitality! We’ll greet the morning with a refreshing breakfast, complete with freshly squeezed oranges—nature’s energy in a glass.

Start your morning with a delightful continental breakfast featuring freshly baked bread, jams, yogurt, and granola. 

Then, dive into an exciting cooking class where you’ll create festive Christmas appetisers and sides, which you’ll enjoy for lunch. 

In the late afternoon, master the art of preparing main dishes and desserts for a spectacular Christmas dinner. Conclude the evening with a wonderful Christmas-themed dinner prepared by you, accompanied by carefully selected wines.

Accommodation

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Easter themed brunch dishes

Today, immerse yourself in the Easter theme with Ottolenghi-inspired dishes. 

Begin your morning with a freshly prepared breakfast featuring local ingredients. 

Dive into creating vibrant Easter brunch dishes, which you’ll enjoy for lunch alongside colourful salads, grain dishes, and spring vegetables. 

In the afternoon, we’ll prepare an exquisite Easter-themed dinner together, which we will savour with carefully selected wines. Join us for a day of culinary delight and celebration!

Accommodation

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Departure Day

After our final wholesome Mediterranean breakfast, we will pack up and say our goodbyes before returning home, taking much more than memories with you. You will continue enjoy the flavours, skills and recipes you have learned, with friends and family at home.

Accommodation

Meals: Breakfast

What's included

Included

  • Airport transfers to and from Faro Airport (at a specified time )
  • 4 nights accommodation
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and wine with evening meals
  • Welcome drinks
  • Daily cooking tuition and all ingredients
  • Towels - Bath and swimming pool towels
  • Visit to a winery with transfers
  • Free wifi
  • Copies of all recipes and an apron to take home as a souvenir
Your local host

Cheryl and Graham

Cheryl and Graham look forward to welcoming you to their wonderful riverside home in the Algarve.

Cheryl and Graham look forward to welcoming you to their wonderful riverside home in the Algarve.

Cheryl and Graham image

Location

Stay in an exceptional villa by a river in Portugal’s Algarve countryside, just 15 minutes from the town of Silves. Lovingly known as ‘the river house’, you  will  feel  relaxed, inspired and very much at home. With terraces overlooking surrounding countryside, walking trails and a starry night sky, there isn’t a more idyllic place to perfect your vegetarian cooking skills.

There is a complimentary transfer service from and to Faro airport (35mins drive) offered by your hosts. On arrival day the airport pick-up will be at 3pm for the group, to take this transfer please choose flights with this pick up time in mind. Departure to Faro airport on your last day will be at 9:30 am. Please ensure your flight departure time is not before 12:30 if you wish to take this transfer.

If you choose flights which will not work with these times we can arrange alternative airport transfers for an extra charge.

There is also the option to arrive to S.B. Messines train station, and then your hosts will include the cost of the short transfer ( approx 5 mins ) to reach the villa.

FAQs

Who is it suitable for?

- Suitable for all cooking abilities from beginners to advanced
- Minimum age 18 with no upper age limit

I'm travelling solo - can I join?

- Solo travellers are more than encouraged to join as you will meet others with similar interests in the group
- You can book your own private room

What time is check-in?

Check in is after 2pm and check out is after breakfast on day 7

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