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Cooking Holidays

Whether you’re a passionate foodie or new to cooking, everyone is welcome in the kitchens of our cookery holiday hosts. Find your ideal cooking break in France, Spain, Greece, Italy & more and join like-minded travellers. Thousands of people have already discovered that our eclectic mix of cookery holidays are as diverse as the people who go on them. Come and join them.

Popular experiences

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  • French Cooking and Wine Holiday

    5 Nights / 6 Days France

    Immerse yourself in French life on this 5 night/6 day gourmet cooking course that promises not only a cooking experience..

    Price from

    £1580 pp
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  • Greek Cooking Holiday

    8 days Greece

    Immerse yourself in Greek island life on this 7 night Greek cookery holiday in Poros that promises not only a culinary e..

    Price from

    £2010 pp
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  • Tuscan 3 Night Cooking Experience

    3 Nights Italy

    Truly immerse yourself in Italian cuisine, and learn to prepare home-cooked, traditional dishes from simple pasta sauces..

    Price from

    £602 pp
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  • French Cookery and Gastronomy Holiday

    8 days France

    Set in a beautiful 19th century farmhouse sitting in 50 acres of countryside, you'll learn to cook tasty French cuisine ..

    Price from

    £1829 pp
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  • Gourmet Cookery Course In Rural France

    5 Nights / 6 Days France

    Discover the beauty of rural French countryside and learn the art of gourmet french cuisine with a world-renowned chef! ..

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    £1848 pp
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  • Cooking and Wine-Tasting in Tuscany

    8 days Italy

    Promising to be not only a cooking experience but also a cultural one, this family-run 7 night Italian cooking and wine ..

    Price from

    £1480 pp
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    Pick your Cooking Holidays location

    Brazil

    Brazil

    Fire up a coal-fired grill to cook chimichurri basted steaks in Rio Grande Do Sul, delve into the Amazon to eat fresh fish and a wide abundance of vegetables, or explore the flavours of Bahia cuisine in Salvador.

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    Costa Rica

    Costa Rica

    Although Costa Rica is one of the world’s smaller countries, it certainly packs a big punch in terms of the fascinating things it has to offer, including its cuisine. The 'comida tipica' makes the most of fresh local ingredients.

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    Cyprus

    Cyprus

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    England

    England

    Dismiss English cuisine at your peril! England has embraced a wide range of flavours and influences over the centuries while maintaining its love of homegrown earthy produce.

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    France

    France

    From classics like onion soup and beef bourguignon to cutting edge cuisine, in stunning locations from Provence to Paris, Brittany to Bordeaux, come and learn to cook like a local in a country madly passionate about food.

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    Greece

    Greece

    Whether you’re looking to perfect your moussaka, learn how to wrap your vine leaves, cook up a delicious mezze or satisfy your sweet tooth with a plate of sticky baklava, we've got just the thing.

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    Hungary

    Hungary

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    Ireland

    Ireland

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    Italy

    Italy

    Choose from our range of cooking holidays in Italy and you’ll be kneading pasta dough, flipping pizzas, and whipping up authentic regional dishes in no time, from Tuscany to Puglia, Rome to Venice & much more.

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    Morocco

    Morocco

    Roll up your sleeves as you develop your culinary skills and master rich flavour combinations. Sample outstanding seafood in Essaouira, or delve into an aromatic, richly spiced tagine in Marrakech .

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    Portugal

    Portugal

    A cultural hot pot over the centuries, Portugal's cuisine is a fine demonstration of that. From the famous fish dishes and 'bacalhau' to world-famous puff pastries and sweet Port to wash it all down with.

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    Scotland

    Scotland

    From traditional classics like haggis and hot smoked salmon to cutting edge cuisine, in stunning locations just a couple of hours from the vibrant cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, come and learn to cook like a local.

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    Spain

    Spain

    Sample plump olives in Seville, velvety creme Catalan in Barcelona and fresh clams with smoky chorizo over a glass of crisp Cava in Menorca. Discover Spain beyond the tapas and paella.

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    Vietnam

    Vietnam

    Vietnamese food is about so much more than pho, banh mi and noodles. A cooking holiday in Vietnam will reveal to you the complexity of Vietnamese flavours and the balance of each individual dish.

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    Cooking Holidays blog posts

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    17/03/2021 Local Insights

    10 Iconic Italian Cooking Methods

    Italian cooking’s real secret is that it’s actually extremely simple. However, that doesn’t mean that mastering Italian cuisine is by any means easy. Italian cooking methods are the result of high quality ingredients, age-old traditions, and a genuine passion and love for good food that goes pretty much unmatched anywhere... Read More »
    17/02/2021 Features

    Top 5 Foodie Holidays in Europe – Not In The Guidebooks

    What better way to truly get to know a culture than through its food? Our foodie holidays, whether they’re cooking, tasting, drinking or foraging, get you to the heart of a culture and help you get to know true, authentic cuisine from France, Italy, Vietnam or Cambodia. Maybe you’re tempted... Read More »
    21/03/2019 Local Insights

    Your guide to Spain: what to eat and drink

    Spain is wonderfully diverse across the board – food, people, culture and landscape. That’s probably why it is one of the most popular holiday destinations, and rightfully so. Over the centuries, Spain has been an incredible cultural melting pot which has created the foundations of this amazing country’s cuisine. It... Read More »
    26/05/2021 Features

    Hidden Corners of Shoreditch – Eating Our Way Around London’s East End

    Many of us who joined Eddie on his food tour that explores Shoreditch, Spitalfields and Brick Lane were pretty familiar with the area. At least, that’s what we had assumed before we set off. Over the next three hours, the Not In The Guidebooks team got a taste, quite literally,... Read More »
    05/02/2021 Local Insights

    4 Italian Dishes you’ve Never Tried (But You Should)

    We all know that amazing food is the result of huge amounts of passion being poured into cooking, and what nation gets more passionate about great food than the Italians? Italian cuisine is everything you dream about in cooking. Incredible fresh ingredients like creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil, rich olive oil... Read More »
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    Immersive hands-on cooking in stunning destinations

    Sample more than the local cuisine

    Cooking is about more than just food.

    It’s about stretching your knowledge of flavour combinations and understanding the beauty of local ingredients and daring to be bold with them. And, more importantly, sharing a laugh and a glass of wine with others over a meal you’ve prepared together.

    Hands-on cooking holidays let you experience all of that in breathtaking destinations around the world. And with Michelin-starred chefs, fourth-generation cooks and local artisans showing you the way around the kitchen, you’ll return with new skills and satisfied tastebuds.

    Go learn to flambe, saute and puree in the charming French countryside, try your hand at tapas on cooking holidays in the heart of Andalucia or use the day’s freshest catch in your Mediterranean meals while on a Greek island.

    Spend your cooking holiday in Italy’s Tuscan hills rolling out traditional pizza and pasta dough or add exotic dishes to your repertoire in fiery Mexico.

    Cooking courses with added flair

    If you’re looking to sharpen more than just your knife skills, combine your cookery courses with another hobby or passion. Spend the morning in the saddle and the evening in an apron on a horse riding and cooking holiday.

    Perfect your downward dog and your baking ratios on cooking and yoga retreats. Or improve two arts during painting and cooking holidays or language and cooking experiences.

    Whatever your tastes, you can find a cookery holiday to indulge your inner chef and a group of like-minded people to experience it with. Whether it’s a cooking holiday in Italy, a culinary adventure through Spain, or a foodie retreat in France, never settle for ordinary.

    Who are our cooking holiday guests?

    Lifelong chefs, beginners who struggle to chop an onion, fervent foodies – everyone is welcome in the kitchens of our cooking schools.

    You’ll meet people of all ages and nationalities, from solo travellers to couples to friends. Some love the local seasonal food, others are simply looking for a getaway that mixes relaxation with life-enhancing activities.

    All that’s required is a passion for food, a love of learning and a refusal to be boxed in. Is this you? It looks like you. Come join them.

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