Discovering Menorcan & Catalan Cuisine on the Island of Menorca

Discovering Menorcan & Catalan Cuisine

on the Island of Menorca

The island of Menorca, quietest and greenest of the Balearics, has a distinctive cuisine based on local ingredients, especially seafood and a fine array of vegetables, influenced over the centuries by the Moors, the French and the Catalans. ‘Poc a poc’, slowly, slowly, say Menorquins describing their way of life – including their reverence for carefully prepared traditional dishes.

We stay for a week in a delightful hotel, a Manor house dating back to the 14C, set in a private 100 hectare estate, with a swimming pool and an outstanding restaurant. We visit a farm for cheese and cold meats, watch a shellfish gatherer in action, visit markets, forts, cathedrals and museums in the architecturally pleasing towns of Ciutadella and Mahon; taste wines on a local estate and sample the famous Menorca gin; and discover Menorcan cuisine in a series of demonstration and hands-on classes conducted by the Barcelona-trained chef, Victor Bayo.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

L, D included

After meeting at Mahon airport just after midday we have a half hour transfer by road to our hotel and settle into the beautifully furnished rooms. A glass of pomada (menorcan gin, ice and lemon juice) precedes a candle-lit dinner in the vaulted stables of the Manor – a welcome menu created by Victor to showcase Mediterranean and Menorcan cuisine.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

A leisurely morning breakfast in the courtyard precedes an introduction to the cooking course entitled ‘Menorcan cuisine is not just mayonnaise’ – a referral to the invention of mayonnaise on the island by a French chef in the 18C. We have a traditional Saturday late lunch – perhaps confit of duck with a wilted spinach and pine nuts salad, followed by grilled turbot with mild pickled raspberries – then time for a siesta or a swim. A stroll on the estate takes us to an 18C Spanish watchtower and along the coast to a picturesque fishing harbour.

DAY 3

B, L, D included

This morning we visit a typical Menorcan farm producing cheeses, salamis and spicy sausages, then drive west through a beautiful stretch of unspoilt countryside to visit a small archaeological museum and have a picnic lunch. We see a British 18C Martello tower on a short walk around the Cap de Cavalleria, the most northerly point of the island. Returning to our hotel, we have some free time by the pool before a demonstration class on the cooking of lobster – dinner this evening highlights one of the island’s most celebrated dishes, a caldereta of lobster.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

We visit a shellfish gatherer on the coast to learn about their techniques, then visit the great fortress of La Mola which protects the entrance to Maó harbour. We taste Menorcan wines at a local winery en route back to our hotel. This afternoon’s demonstration class is on island ways of preparing shellfish and meat and dinner features dishes such as langoustines with onion jam and aubergine and traditionally baked lamb.

DAY 5

B, L, D included

Our first visit this morning is to the lively fish market in the island’s small capital Maó (Mahon in Catalan) where we learn from Victor how and why he selects fresh fish. We walk past the Georgian mansions built by the British to visit the excellent Museum of Menorca, housed in a former monastery, and see the fine Baroque church of St. Francesc before a short visit to the Xoriguer gin distillery – gin was introduced by the British navy in the 18C when Maó’s deepwater harbour was the key to the control of the Mediterranean. This afternoon Victor demonstrates the preparation of two fish dishes for dinner, plus one of his delicious puddings, perhaps Explosive blood orange sorbet with chocolate shavings.

DAY 6

B, L, D included

We head northwest after breakfast to see one of the island’s most famous prehistoric monuments, the Naveta des Tudons, a cyclopean burial mound like an upturned stone ship, then visit the delightful town of Ciutadella, the island capital under the Romans, the Moors and the Catalans. We see the 17C Castell de Sant Nicolau which guards the harbour entrance, visit the 14C Cathedral, then walk through the fish and vegetable market on our way to lunch on the harbour. We visit a fascinating series of gardens – mediaeval, botanical, indigenous plants and an old orchard – within a former sandstone quarry before returning to our hotel. We have a light tapas supper this evening in an excellent restaurant in an old stone cottage in a nearby village.

DAY 7

B, L, D included

Today is very much hands on, learning about the estate’s kitchen garden, preparing various authentic rice dishes and enjoying them for an al fresco lunch. After time for a siesta and a swim we begin our class preparing a special farewell dinner, perhaps including gourmet dishes such as octopus with Piemonte white truffle, sirloin with grilled foie gras, violet potato foam and Mahon cheese - and to finish, a chocolate dessert filled with hot pistachio praline.

DAY 8

B included

After a final morning relaxing in the hotel grounds we return to the island’s small airport for early afternoon flights home.

Note on food

Some of the pleasures of good food are seasonal produce and spontaneity, therefore specific dishes mentioned are as a guide only.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 8 on a double shared basis

All meals with wine at lunches and dinners, other than those excepted in the daily notation

All land transportation in a private vehicle as described except during free periods

All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods

All classes conducted by chef Victor Bayo

All special visits to producers as described

An apron and recipe dossier for the course

Wine tasting as described

Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff

Visa and Health Requirements

Visitors from the EU and the US currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Spain. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Spain.

At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Spain. Residents of countries in the EU can only claim free (emergency) medical treatment in Spain by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is issued in the UK by the Department of Health. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the FCO.

Insurance

It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.