Cookery Courses in Aracena, Andalucia, Spain

We run several cookery courses per year, for small groups of 4 - 8 persons. It’s a fun way to spend time with friends, and learn about Andalucian and Catalan dishes, try out some local restaurants, and visit a sherry bodega. The finca lies at the heart of the Jabugo D.O. area which produces the finest Iberian acorn-fed ham, and we will visit the most famous producer of all, Sanchez Romero Carvajal, and learn from Juan Mateos Arizón about this delicacy and its production.

Learning that Mediterranean cooking goes beyond the well-known French and Italian influences can be an eye-opener for some people. Here we sometimes use traditional Southern Spanish recipes which are a legacy of the Caliphate of Cordoba.

North African Mahgrebi influences can be felt in the use of spices and nuts and the interplay between sweet and savoury. We learn to cook with pulses and nuts :- “Spinach and chickpeas flavoured with Cumin”, “Butter Beans and Clams with Tomato”, “Iced Garlic and Almond Soup”.

We learn to cook the hearty roasts and cocidos and game dishes of winter, and the light cold soups of summer. We learn about the use of ground and roast nuts or bread fried in olive oil for thickening stews. Fruit is used in savoury meat dishes:- “Rabbit with Apricots and Spinach and Pinenuts” or “Quails with Quinces”, or “Chicken with Olives and Lemons”.

We cook the traditional “Paella” and the less well known “Black Rice”, made with Squid Ink. We put a new twist on the refreshing Mediterranean milk and egg desserts; “Panna Cotta with Saffron”, “Rosemary Sorbet”, “Cardamom and Honey Ice cream”, “Rosemary, White Wine and Chocolate Cream”, “Ginger Custard Creams” Come and share the fun!

Cookery Course dates for 2010

Cookery course dates indicate the arrival and departure dates. For further details of any courses please contact us via our contact page. Also remember if you can get a group of 6-8 friends together to come on the course, the leader goes free! We can tailor our courses for private groups at any time of year.

Spring 2010

Standard Cookery Courses (6-nights)

This spring, there will be only one 6-night spring cookery course. The price per head is 1200 Euros per head, when sharing a bedroom with a friend. Single supplements of 50 Euros per night apply. For further details of the 6 night course please contact us via our contact page.

Cookery course participants will arrive on the Monday 3rd May and leave on the following Sunday evening, 9th May.

Short Cookery Courses (4-nights)

We also offer a shorter 4-night spring cookery course at 800 Euros per head. There is also a 50 Euro single supplement per night. We will cook in the morning and evening but we shall also visit Sanchez Romero Carvajal, for a tasting of their Jamón and a tour of the curing cellars, which are only 8Kms away. On another occasion we’ll practice the art of making a goat’s cheese, with the producers of Monte Robledo cheeses, in Aracena. June cooks will have time off to lie by the pool after lunch.

The short cookery course dates are as follows:

• - Tuesday 15 June - Saturday 19 June
• - Tuesday 22 June - Saturday 26 June
• - Tuesday 29 June - Saturday 3 July

Autumn 2010

Short Cookery Courses (4-nights)

Our autumn cookery course concentrates on the use of late season fruit such as quinces for carne de membrillo, and chestnuts for turron, but also used in a variety of ways both savoury and sweet. We shall also visit the Sanchez Romero Carvajal ham producers, and hopefully get a chance to see the Iberian pigs enjoying the beautiful grazing and acorns under the encina trees, in one of the local dehesa farms.

The short cookery course dates are as follows:

• - Tuesday 19 October - Saturday 23 October
• - Tuesday 26 October - Saturday 31 October

Special Cookery Course (5-nights)

Our 5-night cookery course starting on 6th November and ending on the 11th November, still has place for one couple, or two friends sharing a small suite.