Gastronomic Tour of Andalucía
. . . the rural Mediterranean taste

The cooking holiday you have always been waiting for . . .

Cooking Holiday Spain is not just another cooking vacation, it is much more.

The team, led by Sergio Rifugio, is ready to welcome you to the greatest gastronomic holiday that has ever been created in the beautiful region of Andalucía in the south of Spain.

You will be staying in the stunning village of Ronda, a fascinating town whose conquest by several different nations is reflected in its present architecture and culture. Set in its own 370 acres of ground, the Spa hotel Cortijo Salinas is in the ideal location for you to relax and enjoy this wonderful holiday.

Fifteen minutes from the centre of the city of Ronda, this old Spanish Cortijo has been lovingly transformed into a comfortable modern hotel with all the facilities that the modern day traveller would expect from a luxury four star residence in the heart of the natural park of Grazalema.

The cooking holiday is dedicated to all of you who love food, wine and great holidays . . . and remember, you don't need to be an expert cook to enjoy one of theses holidays - though of course you might be one at the end of it! The courses are for the enthusiastic amateur, not the professional chef.

Come along and share the passion of Sergio Rifugio and his team for good food, great wines!

• the best gastronomic holiday
• Mediteranean cooking classes
• wine tasting
• first class accommodation
• great culinary excursions
• and much, much more . . .

Your week’s holiday consists of a mixture of cooking lessons, visits to the local market for shopping, wine tasting, great gastronomic excursions, first class accommodation in a charming boutique hotel, with free transport to and from the airport.

The Cooking Holiday Spain gastronomic holiday will bring you closer to a world of Andalucian flavours, which is healthily made Mediterranean food and which is innovatively creative. There will be something for everyone here, and the enjoyment Sergio got from planning and producing these memorable holidays will be shared by you too.

Sergio and his team very much look forward to welcoming you in the very near future to teh gastronomic delighst of Andalucia.

Spain is an enormous country, diverse in its landscapes, culture and character. The cuisine of Spain reflects that diversity.

Eight hundred years of Moorish rule in southern Spain left a culinary legacy in Andalusia of refined, almost oriental flavours:

• an opulent use of spices and herbs
• oranges and other fruits in savoury dishes
• almonds and cinnamon with meat
• honeyed sweets . . .

The far north of Spain, by contrast, is a verdant region of gentle rains and good pastureland. Its cuisine features sturdy dishes of beans, sausages and vegetables as well as some of Spain’s best seafood.

The east coast of Spain, facing Italy, encompasses the regions of Catalonia, Valencia and Murcia. Spain probably got its pasta from Italy (pasta dishes are naturalised in Catalonia) but Italy certainly got its risottos from Valencia, the home of Paella, Spain’s best-known dish. This region has been growing rice since the Moors introduced its cultivation many centuries ago. The interior of Spain - the immense regions of Castile, Extremadura, La Mancha and Aragón - is famous for its roasts, baby lamb and suckling pig done to a turn in wood-fired brick ovens.

With nearly 2,000 kilometres of coastline, Spain is renowned for its fresh seafood. And it is said that the best fisherman’s wharf in the country is in Madrid, in the dead centre of the Iberian Peninsula - pristine fish and shellfish arriving at Mediterranean and Atlantic ports are whisked overnight to satisfy the Spanish capital’s boundless hunger for seafood.

The Costa del Sol is a unique and cosmopolitan world, which will fascinate your senses and excite your emotions. Sun and beaches on the shores of the Mediterranean, first class golf courses on the Costa del Golf, an excellent venue for the most important congresses and conventions, an exceptional hotel infrastructure, a rich culture and fine gastronomy.

The Costa del Sol is a land of contrasts, from cities full of life with a unique historical past and grand architecture, to sleepy little villages and crumbling cortijos where goats graze and campesinos toil in the fields. The countryside is just as diverse. The magnificent Sierra Nevada and other snow capped mountains tower over verdant valleys. Rivers tumble through gorges and snake across the landscape creating fertile plains, but there are also sierras that are barren and land that is parched and desolate. And what’s more, an extraordinary climate with 321 days of sunshine a year.

A TYPICAL COOKING PROGRAM

Cooking Holiday Spain's cooking holidays are dedicated to all of you who love food, wine and great holidays . . . and remember, you don't need to be an expert cook to enjoy the holidays.   Sunday : Transfer from the Airport to the hotel. After settling in, at 6:00 pm aperitif in the Hotel lounge, with presentation of the team and the week's activities, followed by a Welcome. Dinner in the Hotel Restaurant.     Monday : Breakfast between 9:00am and 9:45am. 10:00am Trip to local central Market where we will buy the items we will need for our first cooking lesson. First Cooking lesson. Lunch will be prepared by everybody together. Afternoon free at the Hotel Dinner at the Hotel with the items prepared by the group.     Tuesday : Breakfast between 9:00am and 9:45am. 10:00am Trip to see the bodega Dona Elisa, a wine bodega described as a heavenly spot, full of history, quiet, isolated and discreet. We will continue the day with a guided tour of the village of Ronda. Lunch in Ronda and then afternoon free at the Hotel. Dinner back at the Hotel     Wednesday : Breakfast between 8:30am and 9:00am. Second cooking lesson. Lunch will be prepared by everybody together. Afternoon free at the Hotel with the possibility of a basic Wine course. Basic knowledge of general wine tasting and sampling of some good Spanish wines. In the evening a great Flamenco Show. Dinner outside at 8:00pm around the swimming pool (weather permitting) in the company of a local Chef who will prepare an authentic Paella.     Thursday : Breakfast between 9:00am and 9:30am. The Marmalade Run Tour. Trip to an old Olive Mill for a full guided tour and if in season we can see the full olive production process. We then visit an authentic citrus fruit farm of around 17,000 trees where we can sample fresh fruit straight from the tree. A tour of the scenic Spanish lake district follows, via the dramatic El Chorro Gorge, where we stop for lunch before returning to the Hotel. Afternoon free at the Hotel. Evening trip to Marbella and Puerto Banus, with plenty of time for shopping. Dinner on your own.     Friday   Breakfast between 9:00am and 9:30am. Third Cooking Lesson. Trip to the local market and shopping for the ingredients needed for the preparation of our lunch and BBQ dinner. Lunch will be prepared by everyone together. Free afternoon. BBQ Dinner at 8:00pm around the swimming pool (weather permitting).     Saturday   Departure and transfer back to the airport.         Included in the Program: Transport to and from Malaga airport and after breakfast on the day of departure Welcome aperitif Accommodation with private bathroom All meals listed on the itinerary Three Mediterranean cooking classes Transport for all of the excursions House wine, soft drinks, tea and coffee whenever you like! Diploma, apron, gift and recipe book. Flamenco Show Wine tasting

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, AVAILABILITY AND PRICES EMAIL info@cookingholidayspain.com

The concept “CookingholidaySpain.com” was born out of the great passion of Sergio Rifugio for anything to do with cooking, food, wine and everything that is connected with the gastronomic world.

In cooking we are only an extension of other people. One does not become a good cook in a vacuum, and certainly not overnight. It is a rather long process made up of exposure to good food and talented cooks.

Most of us have been moulded by someone we admire. Sergio's mother was his first mentor. Her food was simple, wonderfully honest, tasty and generous, and it is exactly on this basis that the cooking demonstrations of Cooking Holiday Spain are based.

Sergio has been involved in the tourism industry for over fourteen years and certainly his passion for this wonderful world has grown and grown with time.

There is no limit to passion and this is something that he loves to share during your stay:

“Cooking is the pleasure of a satisfying meal in good company”.

Sergio's insatiable culinary curiosity has lead him to discover a wide range of different recipes and he has also been fortunate to be able to work with some extremely skilful and talented chefs, from whom he has stolen some secrets that he will share with you all.

All this has enriched him with a considerable “memory bank” that transcends any written recipes, a memory bank which is made up of tangible flavours spoken in different languages.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, AVAILABILITY AND PRICES EMAIL info@cookingholidayspain.com

You will be staying in the stunning village of Ronda, a fascinating town whose conquest by several different nations is reflected in its present architecture and culture. Set in its own 370 acres of ground, the Spa hotel Cortijo Salinas is in the ideal location for you to relax and enjoy this wonderful holiday.

Fifteen minutes from the centre of the city of Ronda, this old Spanish Cortijo has been lovingly transformed into a comfortable modern hotel with all the facilities that the modern day traveller would expect from a luxury four-star residence in the heart of the natural park of Grazalema.