I enjoyed the recent feature about learning holidays, particularly the piece about cooking in Goa ("Cook up a new skill", January 21). However, I am Greek and my French wife would like to learn the basics of the cuisine somewhere in Greece this summer. Can you help? Greece is an excellent place in which to learn a new skill at the same time as having a holiday. There are numerous cooking schools, but one which comes highly recommended is Diane Kochilas' Glorious Greek Kitchen on the eastern Aegean island of Ikaria. Diane, an American of Greek descent, is a chef and cookbook author who runs courses at the 100-year-old villa she shares with her husband. There are week-long cooking courses in summer which cover iconic dishes such as soufiko, a Greek version of ratatouille, and dolmades, grape leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts, raisins, and mint. The course includes visits to colourful local food shops and their owners including Kollia the baker and Diamanto Plaka, an elderly woman who makes goat's cheese from her herd's milk. Accommodation is at the nearby Hotel Cavos Bay. Class sizes are a maximum of 10 and courses cost from $2,706 (Dh9,940) per person for six nights including lodging, classes, meals and excursions, based on two sharing a room. For further details, visit www.dianekochilas.com.
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