Eat to Beat The Big Killers October 12th for 7 Nights

Course Outline

Day 1 Arrival and setting out our aims.

There'll be a warm welcome at the airport and a scenic mini-bus ride to Gialova where lunch is waiting. After settling in - perhaps with a tour of the gardens (or a siesta ), there's a seminar with take-away resources to introduce some of the key concepts we'll keep in mind this week. This may help you with tomorrow's challenge ! For dinner, we'll visit a family-run taverna, specialising in dishes slow-cooked in olive oil - all served with young organic wines.

Day 2 The Five Euro Challenge

Kalamata market. You will each be given 5 euros to buy everything you need to make a nutritionally dense dish/dishes of your choice. Be led by what appeals when you get there. We'll translate. After coffee and free time in the old town, let's meet for lunch at a famous old ouzeri with the best mezze in Messinia, followed by a drive with glorious views to Ancient Messini.

7pm team cooking session. Making fabulously fresh food - fast! It's been a long day, so we'll rustle up Gazpacho, mavromatika, beetroot 2 delicious ways, tsatsiki ,Spanish tortilla and a wild food salad in under an hour. We'll serve dinner with wines from ancient Greek vines ( chosen today in Kalamata ) .

Day 3 Simple changes to cooking habits can reap profound nutritional benefits.

With this in mind, Fiona and today's guest chef will help you to get the very best out of your 5e dishes.There'll be a demo around slow-cooking in oil. We'll put all our creations together for a fabulous lunch.

Enjoy some free time this afternoon or join us at one of the lovely local beaches. There'll be a food foraging wander around the olive grove before dinner at one of Gialova's best restaurants.

Day 4 Adyna's Garden Barbeque

How to use the plants we foraged? As well as wild greens pies, Adyna will demonstrate some Balkan favourites. We'll sear mushrooms with rosemary garlic and grill aubergines for babaganoush. If there's anything you've seen this week and want to try making - now's the time ! After a long lunch under the lemon tree we'll head for Methoni Beach.

Tonight there will be a special farewell dinner.

Day 5 Breakfast and transport to Kalamata airport.

'Til next time, Maverick chefs !

This course outline is not set in stone. If there's anything you'd like us to cover, we'll always try to oblige.

Prices and Notes 

Price includes travel from and to Kalamata airport, accommodation and meals in the Villa and are based on one person per room.

Accommodation, tuition, transport to and from Kalamata airport, tastings, ingredients and meals served at the villa are all included. Not included are flights, museum entrance fees and restaurant meals. We split the bills and it generally works out at around 10 - 15 euros per head for dinner including wine.

There are direct flights Gatwick - Kalamata with Easyjet and from Heathrow - Kalamata with Aegean and British Airways. These flights are seasonal.

Flying into and/or out from Athens is also a viable option. It is motorway direct from Athens airport to Kalamata. A shared Mercedes taxi is 60 euros each way and the journey takes 2 hours.