Epicurean Explorations

Spend any time in Argentina and you realise that much of life revolves around perfectly grilled meat (asado) and locally-grown wines. Learn the secrets of the asado at a local’s home, and taste a selection of flavourful wines. For lovers of malbec, a stay among the vines of Mendoza is a must.

Travel by tuk tuk to the finest kitchens in Siem Reap led by a top Cambodian chef. Start with a cocktail at an intimate 1920s lounge, whet your tastebuds with appetisers at a traditional Khmer house and garden, and savour mains at an authentic home-style kitchen, before indulging in custom Cambodian desserts with a twist.

Take a leisurely hike up one of Jasper’s peaks with a local wilderness guide and backcountry expert, learning how to identify edible plants and mushrooms. After the hike, engage in a hands-on cooking class with the plants you’ve foraged, before feasting on your fare.

For an enriching culinary experience in Chile, accept a personal invitation into the home of a local cook and art lover. Enter her kitchen, where she will guide you through the preparation of delicious Chilean recipes, and reveal some of her culinary secrets. Then enjoy a feast of Chilean dishes complemented by excellent Chilean wine.

A global trade hub, Shanghai finds its culinary inspiration from cultures far-flung and familiar. Dive into a culinary melting pot as your local guide reveals the iconic street food of Shouning Lu, a local market and social hub of Old Town Shanghai. Then, head to a local dim sum restaurant for shengjian bao, Shanghai’s legendary pan-fried pork dumpling.

Cartagena’s 500-year-old walled city brims with squares, cobblestone streets and colourful colonial buildings. Against this vibrant backdrop, locals congregate in the evening to stroll, chat, eat, drink, see and be seen. Immerse yourself in this daily magic hour ritual as your guide reveals the city’s local haunts for authentic food, drink and conversation.

Join your guide for an introduction to the production process from bean to brew at a renowned coffee plantation. Located in Colombia’s best known coffee producing region, and a UNESCO World Heritage site, enjoy the chance to savour the different aromas and flavours at a curated Coffee Baptism.

Fronting Croatia’s northwestern coast, the Adriatic beaches of Opatija have drawn Europe’s sun-seeking elite since the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A number of stately Belle Époque villas remain from this period, a testament to Opatija’s imperial glory days. Join your local host in a luxurious Opatija villa dating from 1844. Amid these elegant surroundings, enjoy cocktails, chamber music and dinner in the formal dining room.

The distinctively hot and piquant flavours of Ethiopian cuisine are derived from the variety of spices used in its wots (stews) and tibs (curry). Learn to cook these popular local dishes in a cooking class with tips from a chef in Addis Ababa. Then, taste what you helped create, eating as Ethiopians do from communal plates lined with injera, a traditional fermented bread, savouring a moment that captures the spirit of everyday life in this ancient land.

Immortalised by master painters and writers, the French countryside farmstead endures as a steadfast cornerstone of the national culture. Set out for a day of fun on an authentic, working farmstead secluded in the French countryside. Here, learn the art of French bread making from your host family, chat with your hosts, stroll around the farm, meet the animals and explore the adjacent woodland.

Venture into the old town of Nice and immerse yourself in the colourful open-air market of Cours Saleya, a veritable kaleidoscope of sights and smells, sampling as you go a host of local delicacies from mouth-watering cheeses and crusty bread, to fragrant herbs, salty olives, tasty pâtés and vine-ripened tomatoes.

Munich is cherished for its rich history, warm hospitality and cold Hefeweizen. Sample all three when you visit the Benedictine monks of the Andechs Monastery where your local guide reveals the flamboyant Baroque architecture of the church before joining the monks at their brewery for an introduction to Bavarian beer, a legacy more than five centuries in the making.

Visit a family-run Estate winery to learn about Santorini’s remarkable and centuries-old viticulture. In an exclusive open-air cooking class, discover how to master classic local dishes before sitting down to feast on your fare — with some carefully selected local volcanic wines.

Learn the flavorful secrets behind creating delectable Cantonese Dim Sum in a private cooking class with a local culinary expert. Try your hand at crafting these delicacies, savouring your creations as part of a delicious lunch experience.

In recent years, Ireland has seen a resurgence in back-to-basics slow-food, celebrating organic, sustainable ingredients brought to life through skilled, thoughtful preparations. Cork’s award-winning Ballymaloe Cookery School is a champion of the slow-food philosophy and on your visit you will explore the extensive organic garden, before grabbing an apron to prepare and enjoy a three-course lunch in the kitchen.

Learn firsthand what daily life is like in this pilgrim’s mecca of the West Bank as you share lunch in a local Bethlehem home. Gather around the family table, exchanging authentic insights into your cultures and backgrounds over a lovingly prepared, home-cooked meal. Later, visit the Church of the Nativity, a holy site revered by Christians.

Hop on a classic Vespa for a foodie tour of the Eternal City and beyond. Led by an expert guide, discover the places and people which make this a gourmet lover’s dream. Enjoy la dolce vita as you stop off to sip a classic Italian espresso. Sample delicious pizza Bianca and learn more about the history of Rome’s savoury street food.

Join the locals for a traditional ombra de vin (small glass of wine) and allow A&K’s food and wine connoisseur to accompany you on this tour through the city at night. As you move round the bars, dotted along the canals and tucked discreetly tucked down narrow alleyways, savour a plethora of bite-sized delicacies alongside flavourful local drops.

Explore this time-honoured cultural institution which has been elevated to an art form as a local expert reveals the finer points of serving and enjoying a traditional Japanese tea ceremony within the tranquil surroundings of a serene Kyoto temple.

Join an itamae (master sushi chef) who will reveal the secrets of preparing and artistically plating the freshest sushi and sashimi, iconic Japanese delicacies. After your lesson, enjoy an expertly curated tasting, experiencing this culinary art form as it was intended.

The Jordanian climate and its basalt Black Desert combine to provide one of the world’s most distinctive terroirs growing more than 40 grape varieties, which are handpicked and crafted into more than 20 wine varietals. Visit the family-owned Zumot Winery, meet founder Omar Zumot and taste their organic wines under their Saint George label.

Learn the art of Laotian cooking with a hands-on culinary experience at an organic family farm. Join your hosts in the field as you harvest ingredients for your farm-to-table lunch of khao poon, a savoury soup made from homemade rice noodles, fresh vegetables, and aromatic herbs and spices.

Savour a traditional English spread in the picturesque Cameron highlands tea plantations with a private picnic experience. Admiring the panoramic views around you, indulge in a guided tea tasting led by a local expert, learning the steps in the process from plant to cup.

Hone your culinary skills with a dada (traditional family cook) during a Chef’s Table demonstration. Learn to balance Moroccan spices and flavours as your culinary coach reveals the secrets of tagine, bastilla and other local specialties. Finally, enjoy the feast you helped to prepare.

Central Otago is famous for its delicate, elegant Pinot Noir wine. You will enjoy a private tasting session exploring the different approaches to wine production undertaken in the region, before creating your own blend, and designing your very own label concept.

Let your taste buds explore the rich culinary heritage of Darwin on a guided gourmet dinner tour. A degustation-style discovery, sample from a roster of restaurants including the likes of Snapper Rocks, Chow, Phat Mango, PepperBerry Restaurant, Hanuman and more.

Delve into the cosmopolitan flavours of Peru with a culturally immersive foodie experience in Lima, one of the world’s hottest culinary destinations. Join a local chef for a guided walk through the market to gather locally grown ingredients. Then, head to a neighbourhood restaurant for a lesson in preparing authentic Peruvian dishes before enjoying the meal you helped prepare.

Satisfy your inner epicurean on an evening of culinary indulgence, beginning your tour with a Portuguese aperitif before exploring the famed Mercado da Ribeira market. Sample some of Portugal’s finest cheeses and smoked hams from Manteigaria Silva and enjoy petiscos (Portuguese tapas), with tantalising samples on offer from some of the region’s top restaurants.

Travel with your tastebuds and learn the secrets of worldly cuisines under the guidance of talented chefs at Tamarind Cooking School. Overlooking inspirational gardens in the heart of a rainforest, try your hand at authentic Asian staples, flavourful French fare or delicious Italian dishes, and enjoy the fruits of your labour for lunch.

Grown on towering hillsides, Rwanda’s high-octane arabica coffee beans are coveted the world over. Discover what goes into a cup as you follow an arabica bean from the field to the roasting room. Roast your own under the watchful eye of a roast master and learn how to pour the perfect espresso shot.

Learn about the importance of camels to Saudi Arabian culture as you sit down to a hearty traditional farm lunch in Hail, once a major stop on the caravan route to Hajj. Take in panoramic views from the hilltop A’arif Fort, before enjoying a written demonstration of elegant Thamudic script.

In Edinburgh, join an expert at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, to learn more about fine single cask, single malt whiskies purchased for members directly from top distilleries throughout Scotland. Relax and sample some of their finest malts in a private tasting room usually reserved for members.

Dive into a cooking class, learning with the guidance of local experts as you uncover the secrets behind flavourful Singaporean cuisine. Try your hand at crafting a selection of local dishes, enjoying the fruits of your labour as part of a delicious lunch experience.

Discover some of South Africa’s finest wines and most majestic scenery across the Cape Winelands region, including Franschhoek, Paarl and Stellenbosch. A wide variety of options to fully appreciate the region include winery tours, a behind the scenes ‘wine safari’, wine-blending, electric bike wine tastings and Heli visits.

Enjoy a Penfolds 'Make Your Own Blend' Tour – an immersive experience for any budding winemaker. After a winery tour and tastings, guests are invited to the Winemakers Laboratory to try their hand at making their own wine from Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, just like Penfold's celebrated Bin 138.

Tantalise your tastebuds as you savour an incredible array of delicious street food at at Gwangjang Market, a gastronomic paradise. Discover the range of flavours and treats available from bindaetteok (crispy mung bean pancakes) to mayak gimbap (seaweed rolls stuffed with pickled vegetables).

Discover San Sebastián’s epic pintxos tradition on a trail through the narrow streets of the old town with your guide picking out an array of these small Basque tapas from fresh prawns, cod and squid to succulent veal, pork, mushrooms and white asparagus paired with pours of cider, beer and local wines.

This culinary hot spot on Spain’s Basque coast is framed by golden beaches and wooded hillsides. It boasts grand architecture, a dynamic surf culture and an array of festivals and cultural events. It is also second in the world for the highest number of Michelin stars per square metre with a vibrant pintxos tradition and lively bar scene.

Step out on a food walk which takes you on a gastronomic journey of cross-cultural influences from authentic Sri Lankan cuisine to a fusion of Indian-Malay, Dutch and Portuguese. Experience the different cultures that make up Sri Lanka as your senses are overcome with tantalising tastes and fragrances.

Nestled lakeside amongst snow-capped mountains, Lucerne is world renowned for its rich chocolates and distinctive cheeses. Join a local foodie and visit one of Lucerne’s oldest chocolate shops (with tastings). Then an artisan cheese shop for an expertly curated selection of the region’s finest. Finish the culinary adventure with lebkuchen (gingerbread) or birnenweggen (pear strudel) in a local bakery.

Expand your culinary repertoire with the secrets to making the perfect spring onion pancakes ("Dan Bing"). Following a true paddock to plate experience under the tutelage of an expert guide and a local farmer, pull onions from the field and transform them into the delicious classic Chinese snack.

Discover why exotic Zanzibar is known as the beautiful ‘Spice Island’ when you join a chef-led master class on Zanzibari spices and Swahili cuisine. Create your own menu of Swahili dishes using the traditional blend of African, Indian, Arabian and Persian influences together with a colourful fusion of sea-fresh fish, tree-picked coconuts and fresh limes.

Board a ferry to Bruny Island where you’ll enjoy stunning scenery and indulge in quality local produce including freshly shucked oysters, freshly baked bread, and homebrewed beer. Afterwards, head to Adventure Bay before returning to the mainland where you will sample locally produced cider, enjoy a gourmet lunch, and visit the first alembic copper still in Australia, purpose-built for making apple brandy.

Spend a day with A&K’s Culinary Insider, a connoisseur of northern Thai cuisine who featured in Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Taste your way through Chiang Mai, visiting favourite foodie spots, from a fresh food market and an artisanal coffee roaster to a noodle maker, local eateries and a night market.

In the Turkish Riviera, Bodrum’s bejewelled harbour has witnessed fleets of empires past mingle over countless generations, culminating in a vibrant fusion of culture and cuisine that endures to this day. Explore local culinary secrets in a private cooking demonstration, learning how hand-pressed olive oil has bound this cosmopolitan fusion of flavours together throughout the centuries.

Enjoy a private hybrid cycling tour of Sonoma’s lush, green vineyards with an expert in all things vino. Your charming guide will share fascinating stories about the friendly vintners in the valley and the viticulture process as you make stops to sample award-winning wines along the way.

Immerse yourself in an exclusive and private behind-the-scenes tour of the De Bortoli Yarra Valley vineyard and winery. Tour the wine making facilities, enjoy the spectacular views of the vineyard, learn about viticultural practices, indulge in a decadent gourmet cheese and wine tasting, enjoy the opportunity to sample wines from barrels, tanks, as well as vintage varietals from the museum. Afterwards, enjoy a 3 course Italian-inspired lunch with matched wines.

Savour Hanoi specialties like banh cuon (steamed rice paper rolls), bun cha (rice vermicelli with grilled pork broth) and more on an insider’s journey to discover the city’s best street eats and authentic restaurants that only the locals know about.

Nibble on finger sandwiches and scones served with the thunder of the magnificent Victoria Falls as soundtrack to a classic English afternoon tea. Stanley’s Terrace at Zimbabwe’s oldest and grandest hotel also offers unparalleled views of the waterfall and its impressive spray as the Zambezi River crashes over a precipice.