Blue Roads Uk/Europe | Culinary Experiences - A Veritable Journey for your Palate

Tasting the local cuisine should be an important part of any holiday, and Goway Back-Roads Touring ensures that particular emphasis is placed on food and drink within our tours. Our included Culinary Experiences enable you to enjoy truly authentic, locally sourced and produced cuisine. Dine at iconic restaurants run by award-winning chefs, take cooking classes using regional ingredients, visit local farms, enjoy food and wine tastings at local producers and combine two passions with foodie walking tours. Furthermore, throughout our tours, you’ll dine in small, authentic restaurants, frequented by the locals, and guaranteed to give a true reflection of the tastes of the region.

Also, visit Authentic Local Experiences.

ENGLAND

The Pudding Club
The Pudding Club was founded at the Three Ways House Hotel in 1985 to prevent the demise of the great British Pudding, at a time when restaurants seemed to offer only tiny portions of Frozen Cheesecake and tasteless Gateaux. Today the Pudding Club and its supporters can claim that their efforts have re-established such delights as Jam Roly Poly, Syrup Sponge, Spotted Dick and Bread and Butter pudding as favourites throughout the country - and beyond.


Enjoy dinner at the world-famous Pudding Club on our Highlights of Britain tour. (link to come)
 

Rick Stein’s Seafood - England
Rick Stein is famous enough to need no introduction. The UK-born chef has won scores of prestigious awards over the years and his many publications and TV series have made him a household name across the globe. Enjoy lunch with Blue-Roads Touring at Rick Stein’s famous Seafood Restaurant in Padstow and taste for yourself the chef’s unique influence on rich local stocks of seafood caught in the cold waters of the Celtic Sea. A seafood bar located in the centre of the restaurant will allow you to see chefs preparing critically acclaimed seafood dishes before your very eyes!

Enjoy a seafood lunch at ‘Rick Stein’s flagship restaurant on our ‘Corners of Cornwall’ Tour.

SCOTLAND

Scottish Banquet at Comlongon – Scotland
The 15th century Comlongon Castle, complete with a stone stronghold, is full to the brim with medieval antiquities and set within stunning grounds. Enjoy a sumptuous three-course Scottish banquet with the group in our own private, wood-panelled, medieval dining room lit only by candelabra. A typical menu includes the traditional and hearty Haggis, Neeps and Tatties to start, fresh, light Pan Seared Scottish Salmon for main and glorious ‘Tipsy Laird’ (Scottish trifle with a sponge, Drambuie custard, meringue, cream and chocolate) for dessert. Comlongon’s award-winning chefs create a new menu every day as each dish is crafted from the best seasonal fresh produce the region can provide.

Experience a traditional Scottish Banquet on our Highlights of Britain tour (link to come)

Whisky Distilleries – Scotland
Discover the secrets behind Scotland’s famous whisky with unique behind-the-scenes tours of some of the country’s fascinating distilleries. Explore Scotland’s whisky regions and the unique distilleries to learn more about the renowned malts on our A Scottish Journey tour and Orkneys & Scottish Highlands tour.
 
Visit whisky distilleries on our A Scottish Journey tour.

WALES

The Victorian Kitchen - Wales
Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea at Cefn Park, where the owners of this country estate will tell us the fascinating story of how they unearthed and restored the original Victorian kitchen. The kitchen, built in the early 1800s, is thought to have been unused for 100 years before being used as an underground shelter during World War II. It was blocked at the end of the conflict but has now been found by Archie Graham-Palmer after he took over the property from his father.

 
Visit The Victoria Kitchen on our The Wonders of Wales tour.

FRANCE

Vineyard Lunch - France
France is renowned for some of the best food and wine anywhere in the world. Discover why as we enjoy an unbeatable culinary experience at a private vineyard in the village of Seguret, near Orange in the Provence region of southern France. You will be greeted by the owners who will give you a fascinating guided tour of the vineyard. Afterwards, taste some of the delicious boutique wines produced here before sitting down on the terrace in the most beautiful of surroundings to enjoy a delicious Provencal lunch, cooked using the finest local ingredients.
 
Enjoy a Vineyard Lunch in Seguret on our Provence & The French Riviera tour.

Wine Tasting - France
Explore the delights of Burgundy, one of the most famous and influential wine-growing regions in the world. Accompanied by our local wine expert, we will explore the Route des Vins de Bourgogne, learn about the history of this celebrated wine region and enjoy wine tasting at a local vineyard.
 
Stay in three of France’s greatest wine regions, visit prestigious vineyards to taste wonderful white and rich red wines on our Vintage France tour. (link to come)

La Belle France
Enjoy a tour of Chateau de la Bourdaisière’s gardens including its dahlia garden and tomato conservatory, which houses no less than 600 heirloom varieties. We then learn the art of French cooking with one of the chateau’s chefs before sitting down to enjoy the lunch we have cooked.
 
Learn to cook the French way on our Palaces & Chateaux of the Loire tour. (link to come)

Calvados Tasting – France
In a typically Augeron setting, visit a small-scale family cellar, which has produced cider and calvados since 1865. For generations, Pierre HUET Calvados has taken the greatest care to produce cider and mature quality Calvados. Tour the manor and estate before sampling the award-winning cider and calvados.

Cider and calvados tasting is included on our La Belle France tour.

SPAIN

Sherry Tasting with Picasso – Spain
The renowned sherry region of Jerez de la Frontera is home to Bodegas Tradicion, a tiny winery that uses only traditional methods of ageing and maturation. It is one of the oldest family-owned wineries in Jerez, with over 350 years of history. After a guided tour of the bodega, where we’ll learn about the traditional methods of production, we’ll be treated to a tasting of VORS (very old rare sherries). To top it off, we’ll also gain exclusive access to the bodega’s private art collection which includes works by Goya and Picasso.

Sherry tasting is included on our Spanish Inspiration Tour. 

Tapas Cooking Class – Spain
During your stay in Southern Spain, enjoy authentic Spanish tapas and learn more about this age-old Iberian tradition. The word tapas is derived from the Spanish word “to cover” and the concept was, according to many, originally born as a way to protect sherry glasses from fruit flies between sips by covering the top of the glass with a slice of bread, ham or chorizo. In Andalusia, enjoy a tapas tour during which our guide will take you to a selection of local tapas bars where you can enjoy a wide variety of delicious dishes – perfectly complemented with a glass of local sangria.
 
Enjoy a Cooking Class with your guide on our Spanish Inspiration tour.

ITALY

Lunch at Castle of Verrazzano – Italy
Visit Castle of Verrazzano, located on a hilltop in the Chianti Classico area, the first grape growing and wine-producing area in the world! After visiting the castle and its historical ageing cellars, we taste a selection of wines and then enjoy lunch, which has been prepared using ingredients from local producers.

Enjoy lunch at the Castle of Verrazzano on our Tuscan Treats & Cinque Terre tour.

Cooking Class – Italy
Roll up your sleeves and don your apron because, this lunchtime, you are the chef! Against the backdrop of the dramatic Tuscan Hills, meet a skilled local chef who will teach you the art of making the perfect pasta. Compare notes with the rest of your group before sitting down to enjoy the lunch you have cooked. A glass of the local Chianti wine to accompany your meal is highly recommended! On your return home, you will be the envy of friends and family alike as you surprise them with home-cooked pasta – the Italian way!
 
Learn to cook the Italian way on our Italian Indulgence and Tuscan Treats & Cinque Terre tours. 

Cooking Class and Traditional lunch – Italy
Learn the art of traditional Campania cooking at Tenuta Seliano – the farm-inn of Baronessa Cecilia Bellelli Bartta. Using produce from the immediate local area, including Tenuta Seliano itself, ingredients will include buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, fruits and vegetables, goat and buffalo meat, and, naturally, pasta. We’ll try our hands at preparing and cooking vegetables, pasta dishes, and desserts including making tomato sauce and ragu and our very own liqueur to take home. We’ll then sit down and enjoy the fruits of our labour.

Enjoy learning to cook, and eat a traditional lunch on our Enchanting Southern Italy tour.

CROATIA

Bibich Winery – Croatia
Bibich Winery is located in the hills of Skradin, east of the idyllic port city of Šibenik along Croatia’s island-speckled coast. Enjoy wine tasting and tapas at this family-run winery while learning about the history of the region and how their exceptional wines are produced.
 
Visit Bibich Winery on our Croatia & The Dalmatian Coast tour.