FOOD & DRINK : Make your own home a sought-after dinner ticket by mastering classic French menus, moreish Greek nibbles and the art of beer.

1. 47GOWILD IN
YORKSHIRE
Sometimesthere is
such athing as afree lunch; at least,
onceyou’ve paidto learn howto
forageforfood safely and legally in
the Britishcountryside.Tastethe
Wild runs avarietyofcourses in
NorthYorkshire,wheretheyown a
plotofwoodland in pastoralcountry
nearthetownof Boroughbridge.
TheWildFoodWeekendisstretched
overtwo breakfasts,two lunches
andtwodinners,withforaging
walks andclasseson preparingwild
game andcookingover awoodfire
(£225;tastethewild.co.uk). Bythe
timeyou head home,you should
beconvertedtothe joysof salting
yourownforaged mushrooms and
making stockpilesof preserves
fromfutureweekendwalks.
l ARRIVEBoroughbridge is just off
theA1 north of Leeds. Knaresborough
andThirsk train stations are nearby.
l STAYThe on-site tipi sleeps up to
four and can be bookedfor an extra
£10pppn; the website also lists b&bs.
46BREWING IN
LONDON
The Bermondsey Beer
Mile is awelcome new map label in
London: aclutchof small breweries
set up underthe railway archesthat
strikeoutfrom London Bridge
stationtowards Kent –the homeof
English hops. Mostonlyopenfor
tastingsonSaturdays, and a
weekendtrip is alsothe best betto
experienceUBREW,wherevisitors
cancrafttheirown brews.The
six-hour, all-graincourse startsfrom
scratch (£95; ubrew.cc), andends
with – afewweeks later – atruly
unique beerto bring home. Inthe
meantime,take a strollviatheold
riversidewarehousesofShad
Thamestothe nearbyGeorge Inn,
a NationalTrust-owned beautyfrom
1677that gives a glimpse into past
centuriesof London beer-drinking.
l ARRIVEBermondsey tube station
is one stopfrom London Bridge.
l STAY Bermondsey Square Hotel is
inspired by the ’60s (from £120;
bermondseysquarehotel.co.uk).
FOOD&DRINK
Makeyourownhomeasought-afterdinnerticketbymastering
classicFrenchmenus,moreishGreeknibblesandtheartofbeer7
49BREAD-MAKING INSCOTLAND
For something so basic, breadcan be hardtofathom: afoodstuff
far morethanthe sumof its parts,whose successcanturnonthe
slightestoffactors. Bread Matters aimstotake mostofthe mysteryoutof
the processwith itscourses inthe renewably powered Macbiehill Farmhouse,
overlookingthe hillsoftheScottish Borders.The most popular isthetwo-day
FundamentalCourse (£425; breadmatters.com).After sometheory,to show
what’s goingonwithyeast andflour at a microscopic level,there’stimefor
plentyof practice,ending upwith a half-dozentypesof breadtotake home.
l ARRIVEMacbiehill is a 45-minute drive south of Edinburgh. Participants are
encouraged to come by train, with transfers offeredfrom EdinburghWaverley.
l STAY Find local accommodation suggestions on the course website,
including manor-like Rutherford House (from £90; rutherford-house.co.uk).
48COOKING
IN IRELAND
Wicklow isthefirst
county southof Dublin, and it
helpfully gathers someofthe best
Irishexperiences inone placefor
those shortontime,fromdriving
past mountains and ruinsontheold
Military Roadtoexpandingyour
cooking skillsover aweekend atthe
ivy-clad, 19th-century Ballyknocken
House. Itsowner,theWicklow-born
celebritychefCatherine Fulvio, has
added Italian influencetothe Irish
menu, so atdinneryoucanexpect
the likesof sorrel soupwith soda
breadto befollowed by spinach and
ricotta-stuffed rosemarychicken.A
FoodieShort BreakforTwo includes
a night’s accommodation, Irish
breakfast, afour-coursedinner and
two placesononeof avarietyof
half-daycourses (£340fortwo
people; ballyknocken.ie).
l ARRIVEBallyknocken is an hour’s
drive south of Dublin.Airlines like BA,
Flybe and Ryanairflyfrom mostUK
airports (from £50; ryanair.com).
Pouringthe latest
creation atUBREW
A selection of bakes
at Bread Matters
BEST
WEEKENDSAWAY
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February 2016 Lonely PlanetTraveller 95
PHOTOGRAPHS:VERONICABURKEATBREADMATTERS,ADDIECHINN

2. 5 2 W E E K N D S
50AWINETOUR INSPAIN
La Rioja may beSpain’s best-knownwine region, but Ribera
del Duerocanclaim sometopvintages, in more sensethan
one. Prizedwinesfromthis stretchofthe Duero river includeVegaSicilia
and Dominiode Pingus; and at around 800 metres in altitude,thevines
grow higherthan in mostAlpinevineyards.SmoothRedoffers athree-day
taster,withchauffeuredtours andtapas lunchesthat bringoutthe best in
theTempranillo-basedwines (from £598 incl hotels; smoothred.co.uk).
l ARRIVEHub townAranda de Duero is two hours’ drivefrom Madrid.
Airlines like BA, Iberia and Ryanairflyfrom theUK (from £65; ryanair.com).
51FEASTING
INATHENS
Long before its linkwith
rice pudding, ambrosiawasthefood
ofthe gods inGreek myth, believed
toconfer immortality.Thatdelicacy
is sadly not available beyond Mount
Olympus, but anAthenianAmbrosia
Cooking Experience isopento all
whowishtofindoutwhat powers
modernGreeks.Taught byAthenian
Eleni Melirrytos,theone-dayclass
headsto a local marketto pick up
ingredients, beforetackling a menu
that might includecheesyfilo pies,
stuffed aubergine, and pistachio-
filled baklava (from £48;
cookwitheleni.com).The nextday,
seewhatthecity’s mostexciting
restaurants aredoingwithGreek
produce at addresses likeAthiri and
southGreece-inspired Mani Mani.
l ARRIVEAirlines such as BA, easyJet
and Ryanairfly toAthensfromUK
cities (from £80; ryanair.com).
l STAY The elegant Hera Hotel has
a central location just south of the
Acropolis (from £55; herahotel.gr).
52ANORMAN
CONQUEST
Itscombinationof long
seacoast and richfarmcountry has
always made Normandy awelcome
guest atthe Frenchdinnertable,
with specialitiesfrom scallops and
salt marsh lambtoCamembert and
calvados. Irish-bornSinéadAllart
has spent adecade helpingvisitors
mastertheculinary nuancesof her
adopted homethroughcourses at
La Blonderie, an 18th-century
manor house just inlandfromthe
beachesoftheCotentin Peninsula
(three-day/four-nightcourse £910;
wildekitchen.net). Excursions to
a local cider maker and the market
in medieval Bricquebec provide
changesof pace in between sessions
concocting Normanfavourites such
as pouletValléed’Auge (chicken in a
creamy apple andcalvados sauce)
andteurgoule – local rice pudding.
l ARRIVELa Blonderie is a half-hour
drivefromCherbourg, served by
ferriesfrom Portsmouth and Poole
(from £70; brittany-ferries.co.uk).
Riberadel Duero wine
varieties arechosento
cope with bigyearly
temperaturedifferences
Pistachio baklava is
made inGreece and
acrosstheeastern
Mediterranean
BEST
WEEKENDSAWAY
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LonelyPlanetTraveller February 201696
PHOTOGRAPHS:SERGECHAPUIS/CHAPUIS-PHOTO.COM/VEGASICILIA,FOODCOLLECTION/AGEFOTOSTOCK