South Australia Cooking Schools and Gourmet Retreats

South Australia is a truly unforgettable place to holiday.

Order your free info pack today and find out why more and more Kiwis are heading to Adelaide and South Australia.

If you like to combine your love of food with travel, discovering new towns, landscapes and people along the way, then a visit to South Australia's cooking schools and gourmet retreats is the perfect way to unite your passions.

South Australia is seriously proud of its food and has carved a name for itself in food tourism, with myriad food and produce trails featuring top experiences, bustling produce markets and culinary experiences delivered by food icons and talented chefs.

So if you adore fine produce and would like to know more about how to prepare food like an expert, a visit to one of South Australia’s cooking schools or gourmet retreats should not to be missed.

Outdoors on Parade

Adelaide

Located just minutes from the heart of Adelaide, Outdoors on Parade stock an abundant choice of homewares and kitchen accessories for every occasion as well as hosting monthly cooking classes featuring some of South Australia’s finest chefs and fabulous local produce and wines.

Bottega Rotolo

Adelaide

Bottega Rotolo is one of Adelaide’s premier fine food merchants, providing premium quality food products from South Australia and around the world. Its hands-on cooking school is a great way to learn new kitchen skills. The classes are based on traditional and authentic European and Asian cuisine featuring Adelaide’s finest chefs and food identities from around the world.

Rosa Matto’s Cooking School

Adelaide

South Australian chef Rosa Matto has been hosting cooking classes since 1989, where she gives lessons from her custom-built open studio kitchen in Goodwood. Rosa’s classes are very hands-on and range from sauce, bread and pasta making to full dinner party menus—sometimes with the assistance of other local chefs. Students use fresh, local produce and get to taste each other’s creations and enjoy a glass of South Australian wine.  Rosa now offers bi-monthly courses for the passionate amateur of coffee, where you’ll explore the history, folklore and mystique of coffee drinking and learn the art of making the perfect cup of velvety coffee.

The Hilton Adelaide

Adelaide
Simon Bryant

Join Simon Bryant and The Brasserie team for an entertaining dining experience in the Hilton Adelaide at a ‘Seriously South Australian’ cooking demonstration. Be wined and dined by Simon and his team as they demonstrate how each course is made, offering insiders' tips and industry secrets. Perfect for the beginner or more advanced cook, you’ll enjoy a three-course dinner including paired wines from the region selected.  

Cheong Liew

The father of fusion cuisine, mixing French technique with Asian flair, Cheong has defined his innovative style as “East meets West”.  Enjoy a private experience in the Grange Kitchen with Cheong and see what goes on behind the scenes, be a part of the action and enjoy a menu of Cheong's creations at the same time. The Kitchen Table is available Wednesday to Friday and can seat four to eight people.

Sticky Rice Cooking School

Adelaide Hills

The Adelaide Hills is home to Sticky Rice Cooking School, offering hands-on cooking classes to help you create restaurant quality meals with tuition provided by Australia’s masters of Asian cuisine.  Themes for the remainder of 2009 include ‘Sushi Class’, ‘Spanish Tapas Class’, ‘Asian Seafood’, ‘More Moroccan’ and more.

Chapel Hill Winery Gourmet Retreat

Fleurieu Peninsula

Chapel Hill Winery Gourmet Retreat is an epicurean getaway, catering exclusively for residential guests in a unique rural vineyard environment, with views of the sea. Its facilities include ten luxuriously appointed bedrooms, a state-of-the-art kitchen and magnificent recreation areas including a wood oven and barbeque on the terrace. Chapel Hill also runs hands-on cooking classes in the Gourmet Retreat Kitchen, where guests can learn to prepare magnificent dishes using fresh local produce before savouring the flavours and textures of the food, matched with Chapel Hill wines.  

2 Birds and a Squid

Kangaroo Island

Strange name, delicious food! 2 Birds and a Squid is the brainchild of renowned chef Sue Pearson, who moved from the UK to Kangaroo Island in 2000 and has been cooking up mouth-watering gourmet catering packages and picnics ever since. She has expanded her business to include FISH, a gourmet fish cafe at Penneshaw. Twice a year Maeve O’Meara and Sue Pearson team up to offer Gourmet Safaris around Kangaroo Island where you’ll have the opportunity to meet the producers, taste the produce and get plenty of ‘behind secret doors’ experiences.  The next gourmet safari will be held in November and you’ll find more details on the Gourmet Safaris website.

LifeTime Private Retreats

Kangaroo Island

Luxury is all part of the package at LifeTime retreats on Kangaroo Island. You'll have your own beach and your own chef – with packages also including daily yoga and meditation, all food and drink, snorkelling gear, high teas and croquet. Tours, massages, mud treatments, diving, cooking lessons and fishing expeditions can also be arranged.

Verjuice Workshops with Maggie Beer

Barossa

Marvel at the magic of Maggie Beer, one of Australia’s favourite cooks and writers, and a pioneering champion of Barossa regional cuisine. In her Farm Shop near Nuriootpa, you'll find Maggie's gourmet products and award-winning books, and enjoy great coffee and lunch overlooking the lake.   Her cooking, using mainly local produce, has been pivotal in the development of South Australia’s regional cuisine. Her Pheasant Pate, Verjuice and Quince Paste are exported around the world.  The Farm Shop offer daily Verjuice cooking demonstrations at 2pm where you can learn how to use this most versatile of Maggie’s ingredients.  Bookings essential.

Cheesemaking

Across South Australia

Learn how to make cheese at Blessed Cheese in the McLaren Vale, Fleurieu Peninsula.  You can also relax in the cafe enjoying fine South Australian cheeses, local produce and Artisan wines before heading out on the McLaren Vale Cheese and Wine Trail.

In the Adelaide Hills, there's a cheese making school at The Udder Delights Cheese cellar door. It offers seven-day a week cheese tastings and sales.

The Barossa Valley Cheese Company also offers cheese-making courses including lunch with wine, and you’ll get to take your cheese away at the end of the day.

Published 26th Mar 2009

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