When I visited Crete, I was very fortunate to be invited to a Cretan cookery class through Hand Picked Greece. Hand Picked Greece is a company that offers various different workshops in Crete. These include cookery classes at their Olive Farm to Olive oil soap making classes, Bee garden experience, Gastronomy experience and also yoga retreats.
My friend Heidi and I spent a really enjoyable afternoon at the Olive Farm in Litsarda Create. The Olive farm is run by Yanis and Valia. The Olive Farm is amazing with an out door kitchen surrounded by gardens full of wonderful herbs, vegetables, olive trees and chickens. Set amongst the hill tops it boasts amazing views.
On arrival, after enjoying some drinks, we set about on a walking tour around the gardens, exploring them. We were amazed at the quality and quantity of the organic herbs and vegetables that Yanis and Valia had grown.
Lots of fresh produce and olive trees surround the al fresco cookery school. Beautiful and picturesque the cookery school is rustic but very well equipped with an outdoor wood fire oven, a homemade distillery, pantry and a range and a sink.The concrete table in the centre is so beautiful and can accommodate up to 16 people around it for the class.
We learnt how to make stuffed wine leaves Dolmades, Cretan spinach and feta pastries called Tiropi, and Cretan stew called Kleftiko which is lamb and vegetables but it was adapted for me since I am a vegetarian by replacing the meat with mushrooms so it was more like Simbetherio a Cretan vegetable stew, which we enjoyed with homemade bread, tzatziki and Greek salad dressed with lashing of organic olive oil.
The magnificent feast we cooked with organic produce was simply amazing. We feasted whilst being serenaded by some authentic Cretan Music.
In all the cooking experience was really enjoyable and fun. I would highly recommend it to any one visiting Crete. Yanis and Valia were amazing hosts and I am totally grateful to them both for inviting me to participate in their class and learn so much about Cretan Cuisine. You can book a similar experience on their website Hand Picked Greece.
You can read about Heidis Experience here.
Other posts in my Crete Travelsyou may like:
Botanical Gardens Fournes
Chania and Olea Villas Crete
Greek Feast at Olea Villas Crete
Wow, this looks like so much fun! It would be so neat to travel and learn about different foods in different places in the world.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post. The Tiropi spinach and feta pastries, and the Simbetherio stew sound so yummy!
ReplyDeleteThey are wonderful. Just wow. I wish I could try them out.
ReplyDeleteYour images are fantastic. You're lucky to have had such a great experience.
ReplyDeleteI love how you included a bunch of pictures! I’m a visual person, so those are the best posts! Organic produce is the best too!
ReplyDeleteLooks delightful! Love preparing delicious food in the nature with a bunch of good friends too!
ReplyDeleteWow this looks interesting. I wished I could learn to make those too. Look so yummy :)
ReplyDeleteWow. Next best thing to being there! Looks like the most amazing lifestyle and good eats.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the pictures and from what you described it looks like an amazing experience.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like quite an adventure! I've never heard of outdoor cooking classes, but it certainly looks like fun.
ReplyDeleteThat does look like it was an amazing feast. I love doing things with lots of people and lots of food. It always makes for a great time.
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing, it is such a shame that we do not have any cookery classes here where I live.
ReplyDeleteThese are the kinds of experiences I want when I travel. I love to really see and experience unique things like this. I also love cooking!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like fun.. wish I could do that. Perhaps I should put it down on my wish list:) Learning different cuisine from different parts of the world is such a great experience.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing experience to enjoy cooking outdoors with live music. And what a feast you have cooked.
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