COOKING
WITH SAM CLARK
IN
MAIRENA, THE ALPUARRAS, SOUTHERN SPAIN
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Sam
and Sam Clark have just won the observer newspaper best restaurant
Award 2009 for their wonderful restaurant Moro - congratulations
from all of us at Tasting Places.
Experience Sam's expertise first hand...
Sam Clark, who has a home nearby, will be giving the cookery
classes and showing us first hand his recipes that reflect
his deep love of Spanish and, in particular, Alpujarran
food. Some of his recipes are given that occasional Moro
stamp with the exotic flavours of North Africa, which on
a clear day can be seen from Las Chimeneas terrace.
There
will be a chance to visit a local award winning vineyard,
a demonstration of local cheese making as well as an afternoon
trip to Casa Las Chimeneas’ own organic farm to pick
local produce followed by a visit to the Mairena olive oil
mill.
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new short break offers you the chance to discover one
of the most delightful and hidden corners of Southern
Spain. Described so vividly in Chris Stewart’s
book “Driving Over Lemons,” which recounts
life in this stunningly beautiful remote mountain region,
things have changed little over the centuries since
the Moors first cultivated the terraces. |
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Chris
Stewart will also be attending the course and will give
a talk during the weekend on life in the Alpujarras, You
will see donkeys toiling in the olive and almond fields,
have the chance to pick mulberries, walnuts and chestnuts
, and join in foraging for herbs, milking goats or making
cheese with Carmen and her family heirloom wooden ladle.
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You
will stay at the beautifully restored Casa Las Chimeneas
which has featured in the Spanish equivalent of several
Home and Garden magazines. There are eight en-suite
rooms each with its own terrace or balcony and lovingly
decorated with local antiques. |
There
is also an option to extend your stay to an 8 day tour which
will include other activities in Mairena as well as a night
in a 4 star hotel in Granada. (See below for more details)
| FOUR
DAY GOURMET BREAK WITH SAM CLARK
SCHEDULE:
Day One
Collect from Malaga airport. Transfer to Mairena,
tapas stop en route.
5.00pm Welcome drink and introductions at Casa Las
Chimeneas followed by orientation walk up through
the village to a view point from the old threshing
circles of Mairena
Dinner
Day Two
Breakfast, then morning visit to the local market
town of Ugijar trip to buy local produce and a visit
to the local award winning vineyard.
Afternoon cooking class with Sam Clark
Dinner
Day Three
Breakfast followed by morning cooking class with Sam
Clark
An afternoon of foraging for herbs with Juan el furtive
(the poacher!) who will show us where to find the
best local edible plants as well as give us fascinating
information as to the traditional medicinal uses.
Followed by a visit to the olive mill for an explanation
of olive oil production and olive oil tasting.
Day Four
Breakfast followed by morning cooking class with Sam
Clark and demonstration of traditional local cheese
making
Afternoon visit to Casa Las Chimeneas’ organic
farm to collect figs, walnuts, almonds and wild grapes,
with talk about local history and traditional farming
methods
Day Five
Return to airport
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EIGHT
DAY GASTRONOMY / ACTIVITY IN MAIRENA
As above but to include 3 extra days in Mairena and
one day in Granada, including visit to the Alhambra
the world famous Moorish palace and gardens of the
Alhambra with its magnificent back drop of the Sierra
Nevada and views to the old gypsy quarters of Granada
city below.”, guided tour of the city, tapas
lunch, dinner and night in 3* hotel
Extra three days in Mairena includes a selection of
the following possible activities:
Visit to wine growing area of Laujar and walk along
ancient waterway through caves
A morning with Sole, Casa Las Chimeneas chef and demonstration
of traditional Mairena recipes
Off road trip in 4x4, and guided walk to the peaks
above.
Half day mountain bike adventure
Half day horse riding (40 euro supplement)
Half day walk across the olive terraces from Yegen
Evening stroll to see ancient Moorish settlement,
and to include a private visit to see the murals in
the temple at Jubar, part mosque, part synagogue,
part Catholic church…..
In addition for those who like walking we have a wide
range of walk notes and maps following the ancient
pathway GR7 along the almond and olive groves. For
the more sedentary Casa Las Chimeneas has a lovely
secluded terrace with spectacular views and small
dip pool as well as a modest library .
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4
Days
8th
October to 12th October 2010
Price
Euros 895
To
include
airport
transfer from TBA
4 days Full board, meals and wine, all trips and tastings.
Three classes with professional chef Sam Clark
Flights
are not included
Single
supplement 180 euros |
8
days
8th
October to 15th October 2010
Price
Euros 1365
To
include the 4 day program
the
additioinal 4 days with a selection of the activities
above
Flights
are not included
Single supplement 180 euros
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Our
other spanish experience
Seville,
Spain
3 day
and week long courses
Seville, the great southern Spanish city, has inspired travellers
for centuries. Its beauty and charm come from a mixture of many things;
the great Moorish and Christian heritage, the myths of Carmen and
Don Juan, flamenco music, rilliant sunshine, incomparable fiestas
and the inhabitants who live life to the full.
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. These reflect the wide variety of food on offer
and include anything from clams to aubergines and olives to the finest
charcuterie. In the cooking classes which take place in a superb location
overlooking the cathedral and Giralda tower you will learn how to
make some of the best tapas and regional dishes. These will include
such things as: classic Andalusian cold soups (gazpacho, ajo blanco,
salmorejo), stuffed squid, fried fresh anchovies, steamed aubergines
with sherry vinegar dressing, shoulder of lamb flavoured with saffron,
honey and cumin, sea bass in sherry sauce, baked orange custard and
figs with thyme.
Thanks
to Seville´s location you will also be able to vist the areas
which produce high quality olive oil, the finest sherry wines and
the best ham in the world, sampling all of them – naturally!
Hotel Las Casas de la Juderia
History
certainly comes alive at Las Casas de la Judería, formerly
part of the Duke of Béjar’s residence, patron of Miguel
de Cervantes and lover of the art of Sevillano living. His legacy
has today been transformed into a magnificent hotel with the bedrooms
offering a real taste of Seville. Its courtyards are fabled, its fountains
sublime and its rooms are reached through a web of enchanting arched
walkways and ornate patios following in the footsteps of the Spanish
nobility of old. The hotel offers an impressive buffet breakfast which
includes fresh fruit, a variety of breads and pastries plus local
cheese and ham. For lunch and dinner guests can make the most of the
hotel’s central location and savour the best of Andalucían
cuisine in any number of tempting local restaurants.
The Barrio
Santa Cruz is not the easiest place to navigate by car, designed,
as it was, for horsemen. Thankfully, friendly hotel porters are on
hand to garage your car (parking charges are payable directly to the
hotel) and once parked, all the famous sites are within walking distance.
Hotel
Casas Juderia - Las Casas de la Juderia is located in the Jewish Santa
Cruz Quarter, one of the most charming neighbourhoods in Seville where
important families of the Spanish high nobility like the Zuiiga, the
Padilla or the Manriquez dwelled.
The hotel
has 95 rooms, of which 24 double rooms are suite styled with a lounge
area and all are complete with air conditioning, TV, mini bar and
telephone. Bathrooms have a hydro massage bath tub, shower unit and
WC.
The hotel
comprises a number of houses and former palaces which are nicely preserved
to show the historical moment in which this city was so highly regarded.
For dates and prices, click
here