Gourmet On Tour culinary adventures
. . . Andalusia, Sevilla, Catalonia, Basque Country, Rioja, Morocco

Hungry travellers and lovers of fine cuisine, celebrate!

World-class cuisines taught by superb chefs throughout the world, set in seductive locations and amidst luxurious surroundings.

Gourmet On Tour has hand-picked the very best gourmet experiences and holidays. Exquisite locations provide the backdrop of over eighty cooking courses, culinary and wine tours in France, Italy, Spain, UK, Ireland, Thailand, China, Australia and the US.

Each programme is chosen with great care and experience, and the owners visit each venue personally to ensure a high standard in courses and accommodation. Locations are selected for their wonderful character and stunning surroundings with accommodation in cosy farmhouses or Renaissance palazzos.

You can discover the joys of cooking, using the finest local ingredients and learning the secrets from Michelin-star chefs to local Mammas, sharing their recipes of their grandmothers. Class sizes are small and personal and chefs can tailor-make menus according to your preferences. The excursions include market visits, truffle hunting, wine tastings, walking amongst olive groves and exploring age-old hillside towns. Non-cooking partners are welcome to join!

Gourmet On Tour's European operations allow them to foster relationships with the chefs and winemakers. Whether you have time for an in-depth course or just a short adventure, one thing about seeing cooking holidays is certain . . . it’s all about who you know.

What they offer: Culinary adventures for the solo hungry traveller, the couple on a romantic escape, a group on holiday, or the corporate team on retreat.

What they do: Match you with the perfect cooking course, gourmet vacation, or wine tour, for a day or a week - in France, Italy, Spain, UK, Ireland, Morocco, USA, Bali, Thailand, China and Australia. World-class chefs, culinary experts and wine masters make the experience unsurpassed.

THREE PERFECT DAYS IN SEVILLA

• Revel in this city of flamenco and tapas . . .
• . . . and sample the best and most local of tapa bars
• Learn the basics of Andalucian cuisine and ingredients
• Explore surrounding villages and food producers

These three perfect gourmet days, a culinary adventure in the beautiful southern Spanish city of Seville, offer a tasty choice of food and wine-tastings... And of course tapas tours! Seville, in southern Spain’s lively region of Andalusia, has inspired travellers for centuries. Its beauty and charm come from a mixture of the great Moorish and Christian heritage, the myths of Carmen and Don Juan, flamenco music, brilliant sunshine, inesxhaustable fiestas, and people who absorb life to its fullest.

Seville is also the perfect place for discovering the cuisine and wines of Andalusia. The city itself is considered by many to be the best place in Spain for tapas, and nearby are where some of Spain’s greatest gastronomic and wine treasures can be found, including the great sherry wines, brandy and vinegar from the region of Jerez.

Also not far away is the Sierra of Huelva, where the world’s finest ham is produced from the Iberian pig, cured in the mountain air for up to 3 years and are considered by many people to be the jewel in the crown of Spanish gastronomy. Superb olive oils are also made in the alluvial plain surrounding Seville.

Accommodation is at Las Casas de la Judería, where history certainly comes alive. Formerly part of the Duke of Béjar’s residence, patron of Miguel de Cervantes and lover of the art of Sevillano living, the small estate has today been transformed into an impressive hotel, with the bedrooms offering a real taste of Seville. The hotel’s courtyards are fabled, its fountains sublime, and rooms are reached through a web of arched walkways and ornate patios.

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A PERFECT WEEK IN ANDALUCIA

• Hands-on cooking of tapas and Andalucian meals
• Learn the subtleties of Iberico ham and fino sherry
• Tour private bodegas with tastings of Spanish wines
• Get to know Sevilla's best tapa bars, with a local guide

Sevilla is the perfect place for discovering the cuisine and wines of Andalusia. The city itself is considered by many to be the best place in Spain for tapas, which reflect the wide variety of food on offer and include anything from clams to aubergines and olives to the finest charcuterie. The cooking classes, which take place in a superb location overlooking the cathedral, teach how to make the best tapas and regional dishes.

In southern Spain’s lively region of Andalusia, Sevilla has inspired travellers for centuries. Its beauty and charm come from a mixture of the great Moorish and Christian heritage, the myths of Carmen and Don Juan, flamenco music, brilliant sunshine, and inesxhaustable fiestas.

Not far away is the Sierra of Huelva, where the world’s finest ham is produced from the Iberian pig, cured in the mountain air for up to 3 years and are considered by many to be the jewel in the crown of Spanish gastronomy. Superb olive oils are also produced outside Sevilla.

Accommodation is at Las Casas de la Judería, where history certainly comes alive. Formerly part of the Duke of Béjar’s residence, patron of Miguel de Cervantes and lover of the art of Sevillano living, the small estate has today been transformed into an impressive hotel, with the bedrooms offering a real taste of Seville. The hotel’s courtyards are fabled, its fountains sublime, and rooms are reached through a web of arched walkways and ornate patios.

Ruth Roberts has worked for over 20 years in food preparation in Madrid, Sevilla and Sydney, Australia. She was one of the chefs at the royal wedding of the Infanta Elena in Sevilla, in 1995.
Over the past few years she has dedicated her time to giving cooking classes, exploring a wide range of dishes that make up the Andalusian cuisine.

The cooking classes that Ruth gives are hands-on. There is also a least one demonstration as well, normally in the restaurant in Aracena.

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION <CLICK HERE>

A TASTE OF CATALONIA

• Taste wines and learn to cook Catalonian cuisine
• Follow the surrealistic footsteps and art of Dali
• Explore Roman, medieval and Gothic architecture
• Feel the buzz of Barcelona, a world-class city

Catalonia has long enjoyed a delicious and refined cuisine that extends from the coast to the mountains, from seafood to escudella, a meaty broth with pasta.

Begin with culinary Barcelona, with its famous market La Boquería. This cosmopolitan and dynamic city on the coast never fails to satisfy. After two days here, the tour moves into the Catalonia countryside, staying at Mas Ses Vinyes, one of the numerous masias, or traditional rural house, close to the Costa Brava in a unique combination of mountain and coastal scenery.

This is the land of Salvador Dali, with several galleries of his works nearby. Combine the surrealism of Dali with the down-to-earth realism of traditional bakeries, markets, and vineyards.

The medieval villages and towns of Girona, Pals, Peratallada, and Palafrugell punctuate the unforgettable Mediterranean coast and inland olive groves and vineyards.

Three cooking classes serve up the most traditional recipes of Catalonia. Two classes are at the prestigious Aula Gastronomica de L'Empordà, a private professional cooking school, and the third with a local gastronome, Miguel Esteba.

The area also accounts for a large number of upper-quality restaurants featuring the local cuisine of L' Empordà, noted in the books of famous Catalan writer Joseph Plà. This culinary experience includes dinner at Celler de Can Roca, a two-Michelin star restaurant.

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION <CLICK HERE>

CUISINE IN BASQUE COUNTRY

• Get hands-on with lessons about Basque cooking
• Visit a winery for txakoli, an amazing seafood wine
• Explore Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum
• Walk through medieval towns thick with history

Northern Spain is far from the Spain of flamenco and bullfights. The north is the Spain of lush, green pastures and coastal fishing villages. And, claim many, it is one of the great gastronomic regions of Europe. Consider the proof: the restaurants of San Sebastian, for example, bear more Michelin stars per capita than Paris.

From the Romanesque and Gothic architecture to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, this is the land of the Basque and Cantabria. The Basque traditions, customs, culture and language, Euskera, are unlike any other region of Spain. And although Cantabria is Spain's smallest region, the sights and contrasts it affords are remarkable, from its magnificent coastline to its four major mountain ranges, its world-famous prehistoric caves, and the gentle and lushly green valleys.

This northern experience starts in San Sebastian, one of the most elegant cities in Spain and the gastronomic capital of the Basque country. Participants will cook and eat at a "Sociedad Gastronomica" (Gastronomic Society), visit a txacoli winery, and the fishing town of Guetaria.

Some of the sociedad gastronomica are still men-only cooking clubs, where Basques share their good humor, songs and kitchen wisdom, as they have done for centuries. Further west is Santillana del Mar, on the Cantabrian coast, one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Spain.

The culinary adventure finishes in Bilbao, home of the magnificent Frank Ghery Guggenheim Museum and the biggest food market in Europe.

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION <CLICK HERE>

A TASTE OF SPAIN

• Explore Basque country, Madrid, and Andalucia
• Cook up Basque dishes in hands-on courses
• Embrace local life with tapas tours in Madrid and Cordova
• Learn about olive oils with mill visits and tastings

Sample all the culinary best that Spain has to offer, from the Basque country in the north, to the capital of Madrid, and south to Andalusia.

San Sebastian, one of the most elegant cities in Spain and the old summer capital of Spanish aristocracy, is the centre of the new Basque cuisine. This is in the green and wet part of Spain, by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Food is an essential element of the Basque culture, much more than in any other region of Spain.

Excursions to nearby Bilbao, the centre of traditional Basque cookery and home of the impressive Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Ghery.

Madrid, capital of Spain, is vibrant and both modern and traditional, managing to keep the authenticity of its majestic historical quarters.

Accommodation is in elegant 4-star hotel is located in the historical city center, close to the Royal Palace, Teatro de la Opera theater, and the Gran Vía. The hotel is in the old palace of the Duques of Granada de Ega, maintaining its original structure.

And then, Andalusia . . . land of olive-trees, deep-blue skies, and whitewashed towns. Cordova is a rural provence, far from the tropics of the coastal Andalusia. The city of Cordova is surrounded by olive groves, vineyards, and orchards. Excursions include an old traditional olive oil mill, including a sampling of olive oils. Discover Cordovan cuisine in this ancient Moor city. Accommodation is in a beautiful four-star hotel, an Eighteenth century building in the Jewish quarter and incorporated into the old walls, a former mansion with a Mudejar courtyard and carved wood ceilings.

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TASTES OF MOROCCO

• Learn the magic of the tajine in Moroccan cuisine
• Trek the Atlas Mountains and tour the souk of Marrakech
• Explore the pool, steam bath, spa and tennis courts
• Study the twilight stars from the warmth of the terrace

Rich in both history and flavour, Moroccan cuisine is one of the most exotic in the world. During this week at Dar Liqama, learn how the sophisticated Moroccan palate arose as the country played host to travelers and rulers from China, India, Spain, Persia, and France.

Dar Liqama is located just outside the ancient imperial city of Marrakech, a walled garden city of tall graceful palms set beneath the snow-capped Atlas mountains. The villa is nestled amidst the Palmeraie, a grove of over 150,000 towering palm trees, and was constructed to reflect the traditional style of Moroccan architecture, while also offering modern conveniences. Magnificent Moroccan antique doors open from the grand columned entrance, as well as in the great hall and dining room.

The eight spacious guest rooms of Dar Liqama are decorated in traditional Moroccan style and all have ensuite bathrooms; most rooms have private fireplaces.

Swimming pools, a hammam (Turkish steam bath), an exercise spa, tennis courts, games room, and conference facilities are sensitively integrated amongst the palm trees.

The week includes a guided shopping tour of the souk in the Medina, the vast Djemnaa El Fna Square with the snake charmers, magicians, acrobats - and rows and rows of mouthwatering food stalls. Take a day trek in the Atlas mountains to the historic villages of the Berber people.

During the hands-on cooking lessons, expert chefs introduce participants to the exotic combination of ingredients and techniques that exemplify traditional Moroccan cuisine. Learn first-hand how the fascinating history of this country has influenced its cuisine, which is truly eclectic. The cooking course consists of eight to nine hands-on cooking lessons during the week, learning how to produce traditional Morrocan food dishes, ranging from fresh salads to lamb to couscous.

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION <CLICK HERE>

	Judith von Prockl-Palmer - established Gourmet On Tour in 2000 (it launched in summer 2001), was born in Germany. Her passion for cuisine was nourished by living and working in Singapore (where she and Scott Rutherford first met), Kuala Lumpur, Mexico, Los Angeles, San Francisco and now London. Judith earned a degree in business administration and began her career with advertising agency Lowe Lintas, in Asia, handling accounts such as Unilever and Johnson & Johnson. Before Gourmet On Tour, Judith worked as marketing manager in book and magazine publishing and in international marketing at Amazon.co.uk, in London.
	Scott Rutherford - helped Judith to found Gourmet On Tour and works with her on products and services and to develop Gourmet On Tour's creative identity. Like Judith, his obsession for travel and food has been fed by living and working in Tokyo, Singapore, Amsterdam, Stockholm and London. With a somewhat dubious degree in philosophy, Scott has worked in newspapers as writer, photographer and editor; in magazines and books as a senior editor; in TV as a field producer; and as a magazine and agency photographer. Prior to Gourmet On Tour, he was a director at Ogilvy Interactive (Ogilvy & Mather) in London and LetsBuyIt.com.