Cooking in Andalusian Olive Country

Day One

Please note that we recommend you be in relatively good shape to do this itinerary, as the excursions require a good deal of walking and negotiating stairs and inclines.

• Afternoon pick up (after 2 p.m.) at Granada or Málaga international airport or Antequera/Santa Ana train station and transfer to the farmhouse in the heartland of Andalusia.
• Enjoy welcome drinks followed with some free time to settle in.
• In the early evening you will have an opportunity to take a stroll around the charming whitewashed lakeside village of Iznájar, perched on a rocky outcrop, where you will enjoy a spectacular view of the Lake of Andalusia.
• Tonight’s dinner will feature contemporary Andalusian cuisine and will be served by your hosts at the finca.
• Overnight.

Day Two

• After breakfast, you will travel through the delightful Andalusian countryside to visit one of the world’s greatest architectural masterpieces, Mezquita in Córdoba. You will learn about the different cultures that shape the region — Moorish, Jewish and Christian. You will visit the most famous street, the Callejón de las Flores, whose balconies and walls are decorated with hanging pots of vibrant-colored geraniums in summer.
• Following, you will have a quick stop at the Moroccan tea salon and then free time to wander around the World Heritage site, the Judería, or old Jewish quarter.
• Lunch will take place at a popular tavern with a Moorish-style patio offering some of the most celebrated regional cuisine.
• Return to the farmhouse, refresh and attend your first hands-on cooking session with your host, followed by dinner.

Day Three

• After leisurely breakfast, depart for an award-winning olive mill, where you will be guided by an official olive oil taster for the DO Priego de Cordoba and taste one of the finest olive oils in the world.
• Visit the energetic and lively town of Priego de Cordoba, which is known as the Baroque Jewel in Andalusia with its glorious Baroque architecture, national monuments and stunning attractions, and yet it is delightfully unspoiled.
• Following a gentle stroll in the narrow passageways of Barrio de la Villa, or the Arab Quarter, bedecked with a myriad of colorful flowers, stop at a typical Andalusian tapas bar for lunch with fino, the local sherry wine.
• After a relaxing lunch, return to the farmhouse and time for a little relaxation.
• Meet Clive for your next cooking session, followed by dinner.
• Overnight.

Day Four

• After breakfast, depart for Granada to visit another World Heritage Site: the exquisite Moorish Alhambra Palace is the highlight of any visitor’s trip to Spain. An expert will guide you through the palace.
• After your tour, you will have a chance to walk around the maze of narrow alleyways in the central district before settling in at a traditional Granadian bar for tapas lunch.
• After lunch you will have a chance to do some shopping before making your way back to the finca to rest.
• Later in the evening, you will enjoy your third cooking session with the Chef, followed by dinner.

Day Five

• Following breakfast, your day begins with a visit and tasting at one of the best-known producers of sherry wine, a vineyard founded in the eighteenth century in Montilla. Nobel Prize writer Camílo José Cela praised the wine from Montilla in his travel essays, declaring “its quality is as good as its soil: so pure, so gold, so delicate… and the taste is superior!”
• Return to the Finca to unwind by the pool or by the terrace for a light lunch.
• In the late afternoon, you will enjoy a farewell cooking session outdoors (weather permitting), followed by dinner.

Day Six

• After breakfast transfer to Granada or Málaga international airport, or Antequera/Santa Ana train station.