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You’ve got some time between guest trips and would like to broaden your foodie skills —while also having an incredible holiday in a beautiful, possibly exotic place. Maybe you’re the chef onboard, or maybe your time on as crew on yachts has unlocked a new passion for food and different cuisines. (Watch out, chef, the deckie’s eyeing your job.)
Whatever your position on board, one thing is true. You are mad about food and want to know more about it and how different cultures approach it.
Enter the immersive cooking course vacation.
We’ve tracked down some great cooking courses around the world for you to visit on holiday, ranging from a day course on Vietnamese street food to a week on a Greek Island in the Blue Zone. We’ve also included short courses at some of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world for the chefs among you who will only train with the best.
Glorious Greek Cooking Course with Diane Kochilas, Ikaria, Greece
Does the boss want to live forever? (Don’t they all.) To learn more about cooking for longevity, head to the Blue Zone island of Ikaria, where you’ll join celebrity chef and award-winning cookbook author Diane Kochilas in her village for a week of cooking, beekeeping, foraging, wine-tasting, herb gathering, cheesemaking, etc.
Raymond Blanc Cookery School, Oxfordshire, England
Are you looking for courses with that Michelin star magic? At the Raymond Blanc Cookery School in Oxfordshire, you can forage in the countryside and cook at the school set in the hotel’s 2-Michelin star kitchen. There are over forty classes, from vegan day classes to advanced patisserie, and a 2-day advanced breadmaking course led by master pâtissier and British Bake Off judge Benoir Blin.
Gourmet Class with Ms Lulu, Ms Vy’s Market Restaurant, Hoi An, Vietnam
There are many Vietnamese cooking classes which are just for tourists. This one, set in the Ho An market, isn’t one of them. Ms Lulu of the infamous Ms Vy’s Market Restaurant has created a day-long masterclass for chefs and skilled cooks to understand Vietnamese culture and cuisine better. With four dishes on the menu for the day and a market tour and tastings, you’ll have to get chopping and keep up.
L’Ecole de Cuisine Alain Ducasse, Paris, France
Want a deep dive into French pastry techniques at the school of Alain Ducasse? If the boss will stretch to you having two months off, you can do just that with an Expert Diploma in French Pastry Arts.
Tokyo Sushi Academy, Tokyo, Japan
Want to become a sushi chef? You should spend every day of your holidays on this one with this incredible five-week intensive sushi course run by the Tokyo Sushi Academy.
Sauce by the Langham, London, England
Are you seeking a modern French masterclass with a 2-Michelin Star Chef? Sauce by the Langham is legendary as one of London’s best cooking schools, and its kitchen is a glorious workplace. Work alongside 2-starred Chef Michel Roux Jr in this one-day masterclass— but perhaps best of all, sit down for a three-course meal with wine with him afterwards, chatting about food. Sauce also offers a range of other courses and guest chef appearances.
Six Senses, Ninh Van Bay, Vietnam
Are you looking for an Asian luxury hotel getaway with some local cooking on the menu? The Six Senses Ninh Van Bay in Vietnam have cooking classes inspired by the figure of the grandmother, with traditional recipes handed down for generations and foraged from the resort’s organic gardens. Short classes in Vietnamese cooking and plant-based cooking are available, although this is very much a hotel experience rather than an advanced class.
Rick Stein Cookery School, Padstow, Cornwall
Want to get even better at seafood? The four-day ‘Ultimate Fish and Shellfish’ course at the Rick Stein Cookery School will brush you up on every aspect of seafood preparation, using fresh seafood from the sea in Cornwall.
The Casa Luna Cooking School, Ubud, Bali
Fancy a cooking school with a side of yoga? This small, rather famous cooking school is set in the Casa Luna resort and offers different cooking classes each day of the week, immersing you in the world of Balinese and Indonesian cuisines. Courses and rooms are both very affordable, and the setting in the hills of Ubud is beautiful—a particularly great option if you want to combine your cooking week with a yoga retreat.
