Cooking lessons in Polish mountains

In the rushing modern world we suggest a little jump in time, to how life looked a century ago and how cooking was then. Based in one of the last unspoiled areas of Europe, here in South Eastern Poland, we didn't forget how to use a bread oven, clay pots and wooden spoons.
During a week spent in a 100 years old wooden house we will teach you how to cook and bake beautiful food out of very basic, all natural ingredients, as our grandmothers did. We will drive around a bit, showing you the beauty of the region as well as meeting some very interesting people cultivating the old handcraft of cheese making, beekeeping etc.
There will be no rush, no obligations and a lot of time to think about what an awful lot we have lost in the civilization progress. Obviously all our team speaks English, so don't worry about communication.
Our cooking holiday will not be just another trip for you - it will be the only cooking time machine travel you can get.. Our trips are based on groups of 4-6 guests staying 7 days, ideally Saturday-Saturday, almost all year long. Below a detailed itinerary, which might be slightly modified according to the season of your stay and to your preferences. We have specified all meals we are having out of the lodge, however most suppers, lunches and breakfasts will be eaten at home.

Your stay program

Day 1.
Airport pickup, transfer to the lodge. Depending on your plane arrival lunch or supper in the lodge.

Day 2.
Day with traditional polish kitchen in the lodge. Two ladies from the rural women circle will split the group while preparing traditional polish dishes: pierogi (half-moon-shaped noodle dumplings filled with a minced mixture, the most common being pork, onions, cottage cheese and seasonings. Mushrooms, cabbage, potatoes and rice are also used as filling ingredients.) beetroot soup with tortellini, beef rolls with dumplings, stewed cabbage. In the meantime we will prepare and bake a real bread and produce our own natural butter.

Day 3.
Early morning trip to meet the traditional sheep cheese producers in the sub alpine meadows, production and smoking of the cheese, outdoor breakfast and cheese degustation. Hiking to the mountain shelter Rawki or to the Polonina Wetlinska according to weather conditions. Transfer to our friends secret moonshine factory, where he produces excellent quality alcohol using very old recipes and equipment, lunch in the pottery. Visiting the Solina dam, Lesko town and supper at the regional Inn in Sanok, after supper Hungarian wine degustation at our friends cave.

Day 4.
Until lunch with two of our local ladies we will teach you how to make traditional pickles of fruit and vegetables. After lunch a butcher will arrive and briefly introduce you to basic meat treatment and preparation of traditional polish sausages, pates etc.

Day 5.
Jacek, the official Polish Champion in pastry creations will spend an entire day with you at the lodge to introduce you to the traditional polish cake and pastry manufacturing.

Day 6.
Trip to local beekeeper and honey making workshop. Driving through the beautiful Solinka valley we will arrive to a nonexistent village Lopienka, where close to the only remain of the old community - a Greco-catholic church, we will have a catered lunch with Ukrainian specialties. We will move down to our friends hunting/nature museum, where we will spend the evening preparing some venison ended with a venison filled supper.

Day 7.
Assisted by our well known already ladies we will cook some soups which are a must-be at a traditional polish meal. You will be surprised by variety of liquid meals we prepare in Poland. After lunch we will start preparing the last night's barbecue.

Day 8.
Transfer to the airport. Your return flight. (There is an option to extend your stay in Cracow, Warsaw and take a part in some local tours).

Dates: any 8 day stay in 2009, on request info@excitingpoland.com

Price: 1250 USD / person
(a group of 4 person)

Price includes:
- all events from the programme unless changes were introduced due to your intervention or season,
- all transport for events scheduled in the itinerary,
- english speaking guide/cook for the total length of your stay,
- all food and ingredients used for cooking,
- 3 meals per day (except the first and last day),
- accommodation in our lodge.

Not included in our price:
- your journey to Poland,
- all personal expenses, tips, alcoholic beverages,
- insurance,
- transport other than specified in the itinerary.

Cracow- an ancient magic city.
Cracow offers a wide spectrum of museums, art galleries full of exhibitions, theatres, historic cellars, clubs, cafes & restaurants with live music, is an exciting destination for the travelers on the world map!
The city’s cultural heritage is mirrored in its intellectual achievements – the Jagiellonian University is the oldest in Poland. The student population of the city numbers almost 100,000 and this large student population fires a lively nightlife scene that burns brightly in the atmospheric cellar bars away from the tourists above. Cracow has sharply contrasting seasons with cold, snowy winters and fresh springs and autumns. Visitors should beware of the locals’ use of the word fresh – an optimistic reference to blatantly cold weather. The labyrinthine cellars of the Old Town are an ideal place to escape the winter chill. However, come summer, the quintessential Cracow experience is relaxing in a pavement café on the main square enjoying one of the long and balmy nights.

Cracow (Krakow) is now well established as a major tourist destination. At the height of summer, Poland’s fourth largest city throngs with tour groups, all manner of tourist tack and countless pavement cafés that seem to occupy every cobble of the main square. Out of season, late at night or even in the first slivers of morning light, it is clear why so many people flock to visit. This magical city, situated in the southeast of the country, between the Jura uplands and the Tatra Mountains, on the banks of the Wisla (Vistula) River, has one of the best-preserved medieval city centres in Europe. Dozens of churches cover almost every architectural period and are surrounded by monasteries and abbeys – walking through the Old Town streets is like drifting back through the musty pages of a historical novel.

Cracow – a tourist horn of plenty
Cracow, Poland's former royal capital, is one of the most attractive spots on the tourist map of Europe. This is a place where legends, history and modernity intertwine. The city, which lies on the banks of the Vistula River, is famous for its priceless historical monuments of culture and art.

Welcome to Warsaw interesting and happening city in Europe!
Today the city has undergone a huge transformation process. Many old buildings gave way to modern sky scrapers and dilapidating old town was restored. Worth seeing subsection includes sample walks around Warsaw and has suggestions on trips outside of Warsaw.

Warsaw – a charming capital
Warsaw is a city with many faces where tradition intermingles with modernity. From the terrace on Zamkowy Square, where the Royal Castle and St. Anne's Church are located, is a view of the new Świętokrzyski Bridge. The dominating silhouette of the city centre belongs to the Palace of Culture and Science, which today shares the city skyline with numerous office towers. You can feel the breath of history in the Old Town, on Nowy Świat Street and everywhere where the city's roots have been preserved.

We hope you enjoy your stay in one of the most interesting and happening places in Europe!
This site enables you to make the most of your travel to Warsaw. It offers export recommendations for sights to visit, places to stay, car rentals, excursions, restaurants as well as provides useful practical traveller’s information. Hotels, car rentals and excursions can be now reserved online using our fast and reliable service. If you wish to contact us regarding personalized trip to Warsaw or Poland please e-mail us and one of our reservation clerks will get back to you with useful information.