A four-day cooking course in Tuscany sounded like an experience of a lifetime. But did Flavours disappoint?
Having attended many cookery schools over the years (Rick Stein’s in Padstow, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saison in Oxfordshire and Gordon Ramsey’s in Chelsea, to name a few), I was more than excited to visit Italy for my first foreign residential course. Following a chaotic transfer from Pisa, we arrive at the venue. Villa Selvatelle is a pretty Tuscan villa, set amongst olive groves in typically stunning countryside. It’s roughly half-way between Pisa and Florence. The ensuite rooms are generously proportioned. Some have a balcony. Even in early May, the huge swimming pool in the grounds is inviting, particularly in the afternoon sunshine, when temperatures reach the mid-20s. There is a large common area with a long dining table, where the seven course attendees, and my wife, are served dinner each evening, with lashings of local Chianti. Apart from the Chef, I am the only man. The course, run by Flavours Holidays, is a four-d...