Dates of Holiday

Featured Activities

The Finca is situated in the beautiful natural scenery of the Sierra de Montanchez, the best part of Extremadura, a wonderful area with four UNESCO world heritage sites nearby; Caceres , Merida , Trujillo and Guadalupe.

There has been much acclaim for the dinners prepared at the Finca, so we have decided to share our secrets and run creative cooking courses several times a year.

The cortijo kitchen is spacious with all the special equipment and implements needed to create delicious Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Spanish and Portuguese dishes using natural fresh local vegetables, meat, fish, fruit and herbs; the spices are imported regularly from Morocco .

Our aim and pleasure is to inspire enjoyment of the food in the well designed and decorated surroundings of the Finca.

Dinner will be the highlight of every day. Starting with tapas, which we have had fun inventing, served on the terrace, we eat dinner around the huge dining table or maybe outside if the evening is warm. Possibly dinner will have been cooked in the traditional clay oven or over a charcoal grill. We serve Extremeña wines and, maybe with coffee, a special liqueur from the Jerte valley or some aguadente made from the medroño or wild strawberry bush.

The accommodation is at Finca al-manzil, cortijo or barn and at Casa Alfarera,  all in beautiful, peaceful situations with splendid views of the countryside and up to the peaks of the mountains. The rooms have en-suite bathrooms; there is a choice of single occupancy or shared twin room or renting a whole house for your own use. The sitting room has a wood burning fire for chilly nights and there are two terraces for gazing at the stars.

The classes are open for a maximum of 6 people and minimum of 2 people. Discounts are available if you are able to arrange your own group of 4 friends or more.

Our holidays are designed on a weekly basis and integrate an interesting programme of cooking, nature and culturally based activities and a visit to stunning Trujillo with dinner at a typical  restaurant.

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YOUR HOLIDAY INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING -

 7 nights stay at Finca al-manzil or Casa Alfarera with the following daily programmes, 3 days of cooking, eating and the preparation for dinner, 4 days of alternative activities with dinner either at the Finca or in restaurant

ARRIVAL AT THE FINCA

Time to get to know your surroundings, meet the other guests and relax after your journey.

Dinner prepared by Pippa

1^st COOKING DAY - MOROCCAN

Breakfast

10.00 – 14.00 - Moroccan Cooking tuition, preparation and cooking of a selection of Moroccan dishes using typical ingredients and spices.

Lunch is a healthy light salad with local cheese or jamon, fresh bread and maybe a juice, smoothie or spritzer .

Time to relax, a siesta, a swim, some reading or photography perhaps

17.00 – 18.00 or 19.00 for longer walks - An optional afternoon walk in the sierra. We see the rich bird life and wild flowers of the sierra and the local agricultural activities, olive and fig groves, sheep and the iberic pigs nurtured on acorns in the woods. There are also mountain bikes if you prefer a ride on the quiet lanes around the finca.

Depending on the time of the year we participate in olive harvest (Dec/Jan) grape and fig harvest (September)  Wild Asparagus picking in Spring. Visit to WOMAD in Caceres (May) Medieval Fair in Caceres (November) Usually every month has a local fiesta going on which we can visit.

A pause for another swim or preparing yourselves for the evening, we believe in making a special evening every evening, the table will be looking very pretty and the food is going to be stupendous.

We are on Spanish time so tapas and drinks at 20.30 and dinner at 21 ish.

Now the rest of the evening is up to you, you have had an interesting, active day so now relax, enjoy and converse.

Breakfast.

Visit to our local villages to stock up on delicious ingredients which will include a visit to a cheese making farm and a tour of the jamon curing in Montanchez.

Lunch in a local bodega.

Back to the finca

Afternoon as day 2.

Dinner is prepared for you by Pippa but you can join in with the preparation of creative tapas before dinner.

2^ND COOKING DAY -IBERIAN

As day 2 using some of the ingredients that we bought yesterday for preparation of Spanish and Portuguese dishes for dinner.

Afternoon as day 2

Breakfast

Trip to Merida to explore the largest collection of Roman ruins besides Rome . Walk over the 2000 year old Roman bridge into the town where we will visit the impressive theatre and superb museum of Roman art.

Time for some shopping or a break in the attractive plaza.

Lunch in a traditional bodega with great collection of bull fighting memorabilia on the walls.

Back to finca for relaxing afternoon.

Dinner prepared by Pippa , observers welcome.

3^RD COOKING DAY – MIDDLE EASTERN

As day 4, preparation and cooking with typical Middle Eastern ingredients and spices. Various dishes including an array of mezes for lunch and more substantial dishes for dinner.

Afternoon as day 4

Breakfast

An optional walk up the Garganta de Molinos, the watermill gorge, over the mountain to Montanchez and back down to the finca. A wonderful walk, takes 3 hours in total, lunch in Montanchez or back at the finca.

Relaxing afternoon at the finca.

Late afternoon trip to Trujillo, an ancient and very beautiful town, which we will explore, taking a leisurely walk up to the castle and around the narrow lanes.

Dinner in the plaza at one of the excellent restaurants.