Farm Cooking Classes: Spain (2023)

La Bobadilla Luxury Agroturismo, near to both Granada and the Costa del Sol, Spain, looks, from a distance, like a classic, white washed village tucked away in the hills of Andalusia. Up close all is revealed; a Moorish style palace and a series of old manor farmhouse buildings converted into what is now undoubtedly one of the best luxury hotels in rural Andalusia. The property is gorgeous, the setting equally so, and there is a great range of activities to be enjoyed on its 1000 acre estate; there is an excellent spa, a swimming pool, a gym, a children’s playground, tennis courts, hot tubs, two bars, and three restaurants, one of which is consistently rated as one of Granada’s best. THE ACCOMMODATION: As you’ll see on the booking page, there is a huge range of rooms and suites to choose from, all of which are top of the range luxury. You can expect spacious, individually styled units with wood beamed ceilings, seating areas with plasma TVs & DVD players, and very lavish, marble bathrooms some of which have spa bath/hot tub. Outside they also all have some private space, in the form of a garden, terrace or balcony area. The grounds are beautiful, as mentioned, the entire property has the look and feel of a traditional Andalusian village and is a lovely place to wander around, both the ‘Village’ itself, and the 1000 estate on which it stands, with its lush gardens, olive groves and oak woodlands, and its lovely views of the surrounding countryside. You can hire bikes, and quad bikes, from the hotel and arrange horse riding, guided tours etc. If you have the kids in tow and you would like some freedom you can also leave them at the Mini Club, where they will be looked after with games and activities supervised by the staff. Among the three restaurants La Finca is the most famous and offers fine dining in an elegant atmosphere (Dress code alert: no shorts, tee shirts or trainers). It has won several accolades over the years for its seasonal Spanish/Andalusian, mainly organic fare and is Granada Province’s only five star restaurant. There are READ MORE

In the tiny village of Mairena within Granada’s Sierra Nevada Park, Andalucia, Spain, Las Chimeneas farmstay has a mixture of B&B and self-catering accommodation in a lovingly decorated village house full of antiques and traditional furniture. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have a selection of B&B rooms at the main house plus three adjoining self catering apartments, one of which is two bedrooms, the others both one bedroom. There is an outdoor swimming pool in the gardens, and throughout the property the views of the surrounding countryside are superb, with the surrounding Sierra de Gador and Sierra Contaviesa mountains and the coast far off in the distance to the south. The meals here are excellent, the English owners are food enthusiasts and collect much of the ingredients from their own small organic farm. They serve a great and varied breakfast every morning at the informal on site restaurant plus evening meals too. Guests can watch their food being cooked if they like and get lessons on how to make some traditional Alpujarran (the local region) recipes come to life. THE FARM: Their small farm is just outside the village, has a stream running through it, and contains various fruits and vegetables; olives, almonds, cherries, oranges and apricots, as well as some wild grape vines. Guests are of course welcome to explore the farm, to visit and relax or if they like give a hand with collecting some of the produce. You can also learn a little about making local cheeses, soups, soaps and olive oil during informal demonstrations, plus yoga classes and ‘foraging mornings’, where a local guide can show you the best spots around the village for sourcing wild thyme, fennel, asparagus and mushrooms that you can bring back to cook with later. THE LOCATION: The tiny, isolated, village of Mairena is a wonderful find for anyone looking to experience typically slow paced Andalucian village life. You’ll find it absolutely a world away from the tourist zones of the coast. As mentioned above it’s also within the Sierra Nevada, so you’ll also find some world class hiking and mountain biking as well as bird watching, and the owners are always on READ MORE

In Pla del Penedès, near Barcelona, and in the heart of Catalonia’s wine region, B&B wine and cooking Penedès specializes in exactly that, producing its own organic wines and cava and offering guests a variety of very good vineyard tours, wine tasting and cooking classes. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have a number of B&B rooms in the nicely renovated 17th-century farmhouse, and all of them are comfortable and clean with WiFi, flat screen TV and private bathroom. And outside there is plenty of space to relax in the terrace and gardens which also have a children’s play area. THE WINE & THE FOOD: The enthusiastic owners offer very good cooking classes (In English, Spanish or Catalan) where you can learn to prepare a range of Catalan and Spanish classic dishes such as Pa amb tomàquet with jamón ibérico, gazpacho, crema catalana and a number of seasonal tapas. Though not professional chefs their food is of a very high quality and they provide a generous buffet breakfast in the morning as well as various meals and snacks throughout the day. Guests are always welcome to tour their vineyard and discover more about the process of organic wine making. They can also arrange tours and tasting sessions at the nearby organic and biodynamic winery; Parés Baltà. You’ll also find an organic shop at the farmstay where you can take home some local wines, cava and olive oil. THE LOCATION: In terms of location, the town of Puigdàlber is less than five minutes away by car, Vilafranca del Penedès around the same. Your nearest beach will be at Sitges, around 20 minutes to the south, while the nearest airport is Barcelona El Prat, at about 50km away. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “Could not possibly have been better! It was perfect. A beautifully restored Catalonian rural home, set in the middle of the vineyards of Penedés. Marta, the host, could not possibly have done any more to make our stay more amazing. She organised all of our visits to wineries, provided bikes for us to cycle around, made recommendations for meals, booked taxis, and generally took care of our every need….” “A beautiful location, delicious READ MORE

Hotel Mastinel, in Vilafranca del Penedes near Barcelona, Catalonia/Catalunya, certainly isn’t your average farmhouse; It’s a five star vineyard hotel in a very striking and architecturally unique property that represents bottles of wine laid flat. THE ACCOMMODATION: As you might imagine in such a building the rooms are also unique from inside ‘the bottle’. They are also stylish and very comfortable, with WiFi and flat screen TV, work desk, mini fridge, private bathroom (which in most rooms comes with a bath) and all have nice views over the vineyards below. There is a really top class, but still excellent value, restaurant, a wine shop and a wine therapy room on the premises. The property is large and has lots of public space for indoor and outdoor dining and drinking, as well as a swimming pool in the gardens. THE FOOD & WINE: It has won many awards for its design but its not the only attraction, the quality of the accommodation, the service, the Catalan and Mediterranean cuisine and of course the wine and cava, are all excellent and it all together makes for a truly luxurious experience. But where Hotel Mastinell differs from a usual 5 star hotel is in terms of educating its guests; they do very good on site wine tasting sessions, vineyard and culinary tours and allow guests to watch the preparation of the rich variety of Catalan and Mediterranean cuisine they serve in the restaurant. You can also organize more formal cooking classes with their chefs too. So all in all a quite immersive experience for the food and wine lover. THE LOCATION: The surrounding area is peaceful and tranquil and is popular place for well heeled residents of Barcelona to get their rural fix. Activities include horse riding, cycling and hiking in the nearby hills and mountains, and tours can be arranged from the reception staff, who can be relied upon to give good recommendations of what to see and do in the area. It’s about 45 minutes by car to central Barcelona, while the beaches of Sitges and Vilanova i la Geltrú are just about 20 minutes away. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “A gem READ MORE