The Akaroa Cooking School

I can’t believe we’re wrapping up our fourth week already! It honestly feels like we’ve only just arrived, and somehow it’s already our final day.

Market day is always one of the highlights, but today seemed even more fun than usual! There was some serious speed shopping with Liz, plenty of delicious food shopping for our finale lunch, and of course stocking up on Parmigiano and Pecorino to squeeze into everyone’s suitcases before heading home. After all that hard work, we decided we’d earned a stop at the local bar for a few cold refreshments before making our way back to the villa.

A few glasses of chilled Prosecco certainly helped us cook up a storm in the kitchen, before settling in for a long, lazy lunch in the garden. The afternoon was all about slowing the pace with swimming, reading, and soaking up every last minute of this beautiful place before getting glammed up for our final evening in Cortona.

What a way to finish! It has been one of the funniest weeks I can remember. We ended the night with full tummies, sore stomach muscles from laughing so much, and hearts full of wonderful memories. These are the moments that make this experience so incredibly special, and I know we’ll all be smiling about this week for a very long time to come. ❤️🇮🇹🍷

It’s been so awesome having our son Oscar join us here!! He’s been an absolute star, helping out in the kitchen, serving, cooking and making all of our guests feel so welcome. We’re pretty lucky to have him on the team!

Today we welcomed another fantastic group, and we’ve already shared plenty of laughs. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those super fun weeks we’ll all remember. Everyone is buzzing with excitement, and tomorrow we kick things off with one of our favourite adventures… truffle hunting in Umbria with Felippo and his trusty pooch Pecca!

Fun facts about a plant you see growing out of every rocky crevice in Italy …

Capers are actually the unopened flower buds of a hardy little plant that can live for up to 50 years, often growing out of old stone walls in poor, rocky soil. The tiny buds are hand-picked every 8–10 days throughout summer before they bloom into the most beautiful white and purple flowers that the bees absolutely love.

If the buds aren’t picked, they develop into caper berries—another delicious ingredient that’s often served with antipasto.

Here’s the interesting part… fresh capers are incredibly bitter and can’t be eaten straight from the plant. They have to be cured in salt, brine or vinegar to develop that delicious tangy, salty flavour we all know and love!