Portuguese Culinary Experience Tour

The latest addition to our portfolio of culinary tours is another creation from our Portuguese aficionado and Sales and Marketing Manager, Ellen Walker, whose love affair with Portugal gets stronger year by year. Much under-rated, Portuguese cuisine is definitely Mediterranean but distinctly different and this tour offers a wonderful introduction to the culinary traditions of this beautiful country. Our tour starts in the historic town of Evora and ends in the capital Lisbon, with a series of classes, tours and tastings that showcase the wonderful produce and cuisine on offer. Lots of hands-on experiences will ensure your popularity when you return, not least the knowledge to make the famous – and delicious – Pastel de Nata custard tarts, surely one of the sweetest treats of all!

ITINERARY

Day 1: Fly to Lisbon and transfer to Evora
Fly from London Heathrow to Lisbon and transfer by coach to Evora. The journey east takes us inland to the Alentejo region where Portugal’s climate finally escapes the Atlantic influence and the scenery changes to gently undulating plains dotted with vineyards, whose distinctive and delicious red wines are attracting increasing worldwide popularity and acclaim. We will spend four nights in the lovely UNESCO listed Evora, the capital of the Alentejo region, whose roots go back to Roman times, but reached its golden age in the 15th century, when it became the residence of the Portuguese Kings. The whitewashed houses decorated with azulejos ceramics  and wrought-iron balconies dating from the 16th to the 18th century give the town its distinctive appeal. Welcome dinner with wine at a local restaurant.

Day 2: Evora visit and wine tasting
Evora is a “living museum” classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage City, full of tradition and history, handicrafts and gastronomy. Its narrow streets of the old town inevitably lead you to Giraldo square where the 16^th century Portuguese Inquisition once had its headquarters. Other notable sights in the city centre also include the Roman Temple and Church of St Francis with its unique Bones Chapel. It is a town noted for its handicrafts, too, such as hand painted pottery, cork work, copper items and colourful furniture and of course delicious Alentejo cuisine, which we will enjoy on our included lunch in a typical local restaurant. After lunch, we drive south to the famous Herdade do Esporao Winery for a visit and wine tasting. Evening at leisure.

Day 3: Evora – “Hands-On Cooking Experience”
Today is a day to get our hands dirty and get a true feel of the local produce and cuisine.  We head to a very small farm just outside of the historic walls of Evora, following traditional recipes, including old recipes of the convents of Evora for desserts, we will prepare together with our chef/teacher a delicious meal. This will include starters, fish and meat dishes and a dessert. Using local ingredients including some grown on the farm such as olive oil, garlic, onions, fresh coriander, parsley, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, bread, cinnamon, mint, lemon, bay leaf, sage, pork meat, chicken, cod fish, tuna fish, eggs, black pork sausages, local goat and sheep cheese, honey and many others that are selected according to the season. We will finish with the pleasant task of consuming the fruits of our labours. Evening at leisure.

Day 4: Evora and Alentejo area with visit to Pepe Aromas eco-farm
The Alentejo region is a magical place where agriculture is still the main activity. Our day today will be spent exploring some of the singular ‘montado’ landscape including a visit to the Pepe Aromas farm covered by cork-oak and holm-oak groves, fruit trees – along with two plantations of prickly pear cactuses.  The farm is following  a sustainable agriculture programme, with biodiversity and agro-ecosystems at its heart.  At the heart of a visit here is its renovated old railway station from which you explore its traditions, the cork trees, the holm oaks, the animals and the innovation with the prickly-pear cactus plantations.  A trip on the Cactus experience train through the  cork and holm oaks will show you the world of cactuses and the benefits of this fruit.   There will be lots of opportunity for photographing the cactuses, eating an acorn, drinking water through a cork trough or even helping feed the farm animals!  We will also get to taste the prickly pears (thorns removed!) and drink prickly pear fresh juice –and local tapas will be shared for lunch. Evening at leisure.

Day 5: Evora to Lisbon via Arrabida Natural Park and Lisbon Orientation guided tour
After breakfast and check-out, transfer up to Lisbon passing through the Arrabida Natural Park, located between Setubal and the fishing village of Sesimbra. The park is renowned for the wealth of its indigenous vegetation but the stunning views of the azure and turquoise sea contrasting with the white chalk cliffs are equally likely to grab your attention. After checking in to the hotel in Lisbon for a three-night stay, we will take a walking tour  to see some of the main sights of the city.

Day 6: Lisbon Market tour with cooking class and lunch
Today promises a 3-in-1 foodie experience: a market tour, cooking class and lunch. The day starts with a visit to the market with our chef/teacher to buy fresh ingredients for the cooking class. Returning to the kitchen, we will learn how to prepare a traditional Portuguese meal consisting of a fish dish, a meat dish and dessert. It’s very much a hands-on experience! Once again, at the end of the class we will enjoy the meal together with excellent Portuguese wines. At the end of the class, we will receive the recipes with the portions, ingredients and the step-by-step guide to make an amazing meal to impress your family and friends at home! Evening at leisure.

Day 7: Pastel de Nata pastry class and farewell dinner
This morning promises to be one of the highlights of the tour as we learn how to make the famous Pastel de Nata custard tart. Pastel de Nata was born in the 18th century at Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon. At the time, monasteries and convents used huge quantities of egg-whites for the starching of clothes, such as nun's habits and were also used to make pastries and cakes, resulting in the proliferation of the Portuguese sweet recipes derived from the old convent recipes. The course ends with us tasting our delicious Pastel de Nata with a coffee (or juice). Afternoon free for independent exploration. As a capital city with a long and varied history, there are a wealth of sights including the Belem Tower, Jeronimos Monastery, Castelo S. Jorge, a picturesque ride on tram no.28 and much more. This evening, our tour ends with a farewell dinner with wine at a local restaurant.

Day 8: Return flight to London Heathrow
Day free until transfer to the airport for the return flight to London Heathrow.

NB: Exact order of excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.

Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 25 passengers.

INCLUDED

• Return scheduled flights from London Heathrow to Lisbon
• Four nights’ accommodation on bed and breakfast basis at the four-star Hotel Vila Gale, Evora, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
• Three nights’ accommodation on bed and breakfast basis at the four-star Hotel Turim Europa, Lisbon, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
• Welcome dinner with wine at a local restaurant
• Farewell dinner with wine at a local restaurants
• Five lunches
• All visits, tastings and cookery classes as detailed in the itinerary
• Airport transfers and full coach touring itinerary
• Tour manager, Ellen Walker, throughout

NOT INCLUDED

• Double for sole use supplement
• Meals other than those stated
• Holiday Insurance
• Items of a personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls etc
• Porterage and gratuities

HOTELS

Vila Gale Hotel Evora – 4 nights

Modern four-star hotel – opened in 2015 – located just outside the city walls, a couple of minutes’ walk from the historic centre. Facilities here include gardens, outdoor pool, two restaurants, two bars and very comfortable bedrooms with all modern amenities including en-suite bathroom, TV, telephone, wifi, air-conditioning, minibar, safe and hairdryer.

Hotel Website

Turim Europa Hotel, Lisbon – 3 nights

Modern four-star hotel, located in the Picoas area close to the Parque Eduardo VII.  Facilities here include bar, cafeteria, restaurant and very comfortable bedrooms with all modern amenities including en-suite bathroom, TV, telephone, air-conditioning, minibar, safe, hairdryer and tea/coffee making facilities.

Hotel Website