Discover the flavours of Mallorca

New for 2009, Hotel L'Avenida, Mallorca's chic eight-bedroom boutique hotel in the heart of Soller on the island's North West coast, is introducing a ‘Flavours of Mallorca’ cookery and foodie weekend throughout February, March and October 2009.

The cookery weekends, based at the converted, century old Modernist style private mansion in the heart of the town, will be run by local chef Benet Vicens, who is the owner of the popular restaurant Bens d'Avall, in the neighbouring town of Deia.

During the three-day course, Benet will introduce guests to a wide range of Mallorcan produce, showing them how to use ingredients such as locally caught seafood and lamb from the surrounding Tramuntana Mountains, in a variety of contemporary and innovative dishes.

Over the last few years Bens d'Avall has acquired a reputation for its modern take on traditional Mallorcan dishes and Benet has won much praise across the island for his commitment to protecting local produce, such as the three types of local Mallorcan tomatoes that he helped to cultivate in conjunction with the Botanic Gardens of Soller, in order to save them from extinction and maintain their distinct flavour for the island’s cuisine.

From 12th February 2009, the cookery courses will operate every weekend in February, March and October, with guests arriving on a Thursday and beginning their stay with an informal evening of tapas and local wine tasting at L'Avenida.

After breakfast on the Friday, guests will visit the Macia Batle Bodega at Santa Maria, located in the heart of Mallorca's traditional wine growing region, for a wine tasting tour before returning to L'Avenida for a light lunch.

On Friday afternoon, Benet will show participants how to make a delicious range of dishes such as a ‘Carpaccio of Soller prawns served with basil and Soller lemon ice cream’, a local fish dish served with fine herb vinaigrette, ‘Lamb with a roasted pepper 'Tumbet' and camomile salsa’, plus a choice of desserts. These will then be served to the cookery course participants at a gala dinner in the hotel that evening.

On Saturday morning Benet will accompany guests on a visit to the bustling fruit and vegetable market in Soller in order to select local ingredients for a further practical demonstration of dishes, which will be prepared and served as lunch at Benet's own country house, with its spectacular views over the surrounding olive groves and countryside. The afternoon is then at leisure to explore the local area, relax by the pool in the courtyard garden at the hotel, or have a pampering aromatherapy massage in the hotel’s spa treatment room.

On the Sunday morning, guests will enjoy a final breakfast at L'Avenida before being presented with a hamper of local Mallorcan produce and an information pack including all the recipes that they have learnt over the weekend.

The ‘Flavours of Mallorca’ cookery weekend costs €1485 per person (approx £1,240 per person) and includes three night's accommodation based on two people sharing a double room, continental breakfast, all tuition, food and wine relating to the demonstrations (excluding mini bar consumption), gala dinner on Friday night, return airport transfers, transfers to the bodega and the bodega tour. For the cookery weekends to take place, a minimum of six and maximum of 16 people are required. Spa treatments cost from €40 per person.

For further details or to book ‘Flavours of Mallorca’ cookery weekend, log on to Avenida-hotel.com.