Learn to cook in Greece: 9 odysseys for hands-on foodies

Fancy learning how to prepare an authentic lamb kleftiko and filo-pastry pie? Hop on a plane and enjoy one of these gourmet breaks in Greece.

1. Monemvasiá

The luxurious Kinsterna Hotel, 6km southwest of fortified Monemvasiá, opened in 2010 in a restored 17th-century mansion. Its spa, rooms, suites and "residences" have since set a new quality benchmark for the Peloponnese.

Kinsterna hosts short demo courses run by its head chef. In Session I, participants select fresh ingredients from the gardens, which find their way into hearty filo-pastry pies. There's a fish dish to tackle too. Session II focuses on spoon sweets, marmalades and a sweet tart.

Rooms from £170 (R3 100), lessons from £60 (R1 100) (kinsternahotel.gr).

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2. Sífnos

Sífnos in the Cyclades has one of the more distinctive, scrumptious island cuisines, and was the birthplace of Nikolaos Tselementes (1878-1958), author of the first Greek cookbook. He documented such local dishes as revytháda (baked chickpea stew), mastelo (lamb and red wine clay-pot casserole), and kokoras krasato (cockerel in wine sauce).

Course participants will get to grips with these and other recipes as well as mastering a repertoire of local herbs. Courses can be booked on the spot through the concierge of the comfy Verina Suites in Platys Gialós or the equally cutting-edge Verina Astra just outside Artemónas.

Courses £16 (R293) per day including ingredients and lunch. Verina Suites and Verina Astra from £80 (R1 500) a night (verinahotelsifnos.com).

3. The Cyclades and Thessaly

Cooking courses on the Cycladic island of Tínos, famous for its dovecotes and marble relief sculpture, or in the Thessalian hill-town of Ambelákia, are offered by Cooking Lessons Greece. Tínos is a short ferry ride from either Piraeus or Rafína (the latter close to Athens airport). Ambelákia, 160km south of Thessaloniki and 350km north of Athens, is best accessed with a hire car as part of an extended mainland trip.

The one-day (10am-5pm) Tínos lesson involves ingredient shopping for a three-course lunch and then preparing it. The two-day course includes a tour of a local winery or the local Nisos brewery (same group size, price £220-£265 or R4 000-R4 800). The one-day Ambelákia course (9am-5pm) is similar in terms of group size and price but includes breakfast. The two-day course also throws in a winery visit.

One-day courses from £120 (R2 200), two-day courses from £230 (R4 200) (cookinglessonsgreece.com).

4. Arhánes village, Crete

With its long growing season and pastoral culture, Crete has since the '90s been a champion of traditional cooking and ingredients. The bistro-deli Bakaliko, in the central square of Arhánes village 14km south of Heraklion, offers light sit-down menus as well as local products to take home - wine, raki, olive oil, charcuterie and more. It also runs single-day cooking courses (9.30am-3pm) each Tuesday from May to October. After a welcome snack and pitches by local producers, the lesson begins in earnest with five pan-Hellenic recipes given a unique Bakaliko twist, ending with participants consuming the feast produced.

£85 (R1 500) a head for four to five people, otherwise £70 (R1 300), to a maximum of 12 (bakalikocrete.com).

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5. Santorini

Santorini is the other Cyclade with a notable local cuisine, relying on indigenous white eggplants, fáva (split yellow peas), baby tomatoes, caper greens, cheeses, and sausages from neighbouring islands. Yiorgos Hatziyannakis, head chef at the acclaimed Selene Restaurant and Bistro in Pyrgos, has been instrumental in the revival and promotion of traditional island cooking.

Selene offers three foodie experiences. The most popular is a guided folklore museum visit, short cooking demonstration and set bistro menu. There is also a one-day hands-on cooking course (every Thursday from 10.30am) at the upstairs restaurant. The three-day course, which includes winery and cheese-factory visits, a fishing trip and various meals, is available for groups only by pre-arrangement.

Museum visit/cooking demonstration £35 (R642), drinks extra; one-day course £65 (R1 200) or £110 (R2 000) with meal; three-day course from £275 (R5 000) (selene.gr/cookingcourses.aspx).

6. Cretan wine

The history of winemaking on Crete dates back more than 3 600 years to the Minoans. Heraklion-based Vintage Routes Crete offers three one-day food and wine tours, each including lunch. Its Heraklion Eat & Drink Walking Tour covers the central market and nearby bakeries and stores, with sampling of local cheeses, herbs, wines and fish, while the Peza Wine Roads Tour takes you into the countryside and villages to visit three wineries and taste about 14 different wines.

In western Crete, the Chania Wine Route heads into the hills to visit small, family-owned vineyards. The company is run by knowledgeable, passionate guides who use Cretan wine as a starting point to explore the region's local history and its culture.

From £70 (R1 300) (vintagetourscrete.com).

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7. Wine hotel, Epirus

On the edge of the Pindos mountains in Metsovo, the Katogi Averoff Hotel & Winery combines a 15-room boutique hotel with an acclaimed winery, surrounded by steep slopes, vineyards and woodland. It offers a fascinating one-hour tour of the winery with an audio-visual presentation of the winemaking process, followed by a tasting. Hotel rooms are, like the wines, divided into reds and whites; the best have the added bonus of balconies and fireplaces. The restaurant participates in something called the Greek Breakfast programme (greekbreakfast.gr), so you'll be treated to an array of local specialities that will set you up perfectly for the day.

Rooms from £55 (R1 000), wine tasting £5 (R90) (katogihotel.gr).

8. Olive harvest, Crete

Crete's fertile soils and hot sunny climate produce some of the best olive oil in the Mediterranean. The Mourtzanakis Residence, set in the hills just a 10-minute drive from Agia Pelagia on Crete's north coast, runs five-day Olive Oil Harvest trips through autumn. This includes working in the surrounding olive groves, delivering sacks of olives to the mill, watching the oil pressing, an oil tasting seminar, and a cooking seminar using virgin olive oil and other local produce. After a hard day's work, bracing mountain air and a tasty supper, you'll be guaranteed a good night's sleep in one of their peaceful studio apartments or villas.

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Rooms from £60 (R1 100) a night, olive-oil harvest participation £16 (R300) a day, cooking seminar £8 (R146) (ecotourismgreece.com).

9. Hotel Kritsa, Mount Pelion

In Portaria, on the slopes of Mount Pelion, known for its rural villages and fresh-water springs, this delightfully welcoming, old-fashioned hotel offers cookery classes, either in the hotel itself or on a nearby farm. Using local ingredients and age-old recipes, you'll learn to prepare traditional Greek dishes, such as filo-pastry pies, hearty stews and syrupy desserts. The guest rooms are peaceful and comfortable, and the best ones have balconies overlooking the main square. The hotel restaurant has outdoor tables on a terrace lined with potted hydrangeas and shaded by plane trees, and serves delicious dishes blending creative and traditional Greek cuisine. Hotel Kritsa can also help arrange hiking and canyoning in the countryside.

Rooms from £45 (R825), cookery lessons from £50 (R900) (hotel-kritsa.gr). - © The Daily Telegraph