Planning a Family Cooking Holiday? Here are 5 Essential Tips

Food is a pleasure for many people during family holidays, but true epicurean adventurers seek an itinerary that puts food at the centre of a healthy getaway. Cooking holidays are ideal for family trips, as they are fun, educational, and focus on wellbeing. Kids and teens learn about culinary techniques and sustainability, while everyone in the family can appreciate authentic local flavours and pick up new ideas to hone their culinary skills. From cooking retreats to buying ingredients at local markets, here are a few key things to consider when planning your culinary holiday.

If you visit an area that’s well known for high-quality producers of a particular food, there’s a good chance local people will be more than happy to talk about it. Maybe there’s a local cheesemaker with a small shop or tasting opportunities, or an acclaimed family-run restaurant just out of town. Before setting off on your cooking holiday, read a few blogs about the food in the local area, including the comments section. Older kids may also have their own methods of researching their holiday if they use different social media platforms. Before heading off, you can have a family meeting and pool your knowledge!
 

Once you arrive, local people at market stalls and in cafes (whether serving or eating!) may be happy to chat about which of their favourite products and ingredients were sourced locally. Another method for getting to local cuisine is to get in sync with the rhythm of local life. In the early morning, restaurant owners and dedicated foodies will gravitate towards market stalls with the best produce. Similarly, some cultures tend to favour eating quite late, as is the case in Spain and Portugal, so restaurants that are busy after dark are likely to be local hotspots worth exploring.

Cooking workshops make for unforgettable experiences during culinary tours. By researching online or asking friends and contacts with local knowledge, you may be able to find cookery workshops even in rural areas and less well-known spots. There are also benefits to seeking out these immersive cooking experiences in cities. For example, there are plenty of cooking classes in Paris for English speakers, from behind-the-scenes bakery workshops that children will love to lessons in gourmet cuisine taught by some of the finest chefs in the French capital.
 

London is another major location on Europe’s culinary map, with diverse education opportunities for foodies. The Borough Market cooking class Bread Ahead offers an intriguing range of courses, from kids-focused classes to workshops where experienced bakers can polish their skills. Diverse courses include Luxury Tea Biscuits and Introduction to Japanese Baking, and this location at the famous Borough Market is a short walk from Novotel London Bridge.

Any cooking holiday should include a visit to a local market or two. You’ll be able to discover what kinds of produce and ingredients are admired in the area, as well as taking praise-worthy photos of abundant stalls. Family members will all be able to pick out their favourite bites for a picnic, like colourful fruit or delectable cheese, which will end up sitting enticingly on the picnic blanket or balcony table during light, healthy meals.
 

Good food markets are worth a detour on your culinary journey, providing an opportunity to explore another town during your holiday. Some markets have glowing reputations across a particular region, like the farmers’ market in Velleron, only 20 minutes’ drive from Novotel Avignon Nord. This Provençal village in the Vaucluse could even be part of an Aix-en-Provence food tour at only an hour away. Like cooking workshops, good food markets can be found not only in rural areas but in cities too, such as Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, one of the best food markets in Florence since the nineteenth century. 

Local, sustainable ingredients are healthy because they tend to be fresh and unprocessed, which means you can enjoy a wellness-focused holiday while ensuring the communities you visit remain vibrant and authentic. Along with visiting local markets and choosing items from local producers, dining at zero-waste restaurants is another way to ensure a well-rounded gastronomic vacation. Creative zero-waste chefs use methods such as turning fruit and vegetables into signature spices by drying and grounding them. The menu and ethos at such restaurants may provide inspiration for some of your own recipes, which you could try with the whole family when you get home.

No matter where your holiday is based, hidden gems for foodies can be found by taking a half-day trip to much-loved regional farmers’ markets, as well as getting priceless tips from local people you’ll meet during your journey. You may even choose to go a step further and base your trip in a lesser-known gastronomic area that will provide daily treats to feed your culinary curiosity. Hidden gem food regions around Europe include:

• Peak District National Park, UK (with a Sheffield or Nottingham base), known for Stilton cheese and Buxton Pudding.
• Brussels, Belgium, where classic treats like waffles are savoured alongside global fare, such as African cuisine in the Matongé district.
• Seville as a base for the richly varied cuisine of Andalucia, with its Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines.

Now you have some ideas for your next cooking holiday, have fun making plans over a few family meals!