Cooking holiday in Kerala, independent holiday reviews

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  I am reborn! Simply the best holiday I have ever been on.
Cooking holiday in Kerala, reviewed 31/10/2006 by Jo Osborn. 

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Enjoying cooking lessons with a bat flying over head. Scrubbing baby elephants clean with a coconut shell. Eating the most amazing food in a cosy family atmosphere.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared to stay longer than you expected. We had booked 3 days which very easily turned to 6 - it's the perfect place to explore the true Kerela.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Jacob really knows his local area and was able to take us to see things you would miss out on if you went with a guide book.

We went to local co-operatives to see natural organic dying and recycled handmade paper making. This was set up to help young people with disabilities, so I know the money I spent on Christmas presents was going to be spent wisely and had a minimal effect on the environment. All the food is grown locally and most of the food and spices are grown organically on the farm.

4. Any other comments?
I seriously think the 6 days I spent at Kerala farmstay are the best 6 days holiday I could hope for. Jacob and his family treat you so well, they really look after you.

I will definitely be back for my intermediate course one day, in the meantime I just keep opening my spice jar, that Jacob gave us as an end of course present, and sniffing in the aromas to keep the memories alive. Thank you for a fantastic time.

  Some stories to tell the grandchildren, I would not hesitate to recommend it to a friend.
Cooking holdiay in Kerala, reviewed 02/11/2006 by Catherine Stewart. 

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The amazing hospitality, enthusiasm & passion Jacob, Mrs Matthews & the rest of the team put into our holiday & the cookery course - we not only learnt about all the spices used but saw them growing on the farm, tried our hand at cooking around 20 dishes in 3 days and got to enjoy the fruits of our labour each evening! The farmstay was a beautiful, relaxing environment where you could take a break for a few days, eat fantastic food, enjoy fabulous conversation and learn more about Kerala away from the tourist route. It also served as a great base to explore other parts of Kerala and we managed to visit Munnar, the backwaters, have a brilliant Ayervedic massage, bathe elephants and visit many of the local businesses whilst staying there too.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Expect to add an extra couple of days to your stay once you get there! From what I could gather, most people end up staying longer than planned once they get there as it's such a magical place that's hard to leave (we booked 3 nights & ended up staying 6!!!)

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
In an area where the natural habitat is being lost to rubber plantations, Jacob is re-planting organic spices, food & fruits that were once part of the original landscape. Jacob is also currently looking at setting up a co-operative with local farmers to further encourage this. In each cottage, the sheets and towels are locally-sourced - we visited the handloom company that produce the beautiful hand-woven bedding.

We also visited a local lorry-painting company, silk-dying & paper-making companies set up for children of tea plantation workers with special needs, local shops and markets and ensured that the drivers we used were local people who shared our custom when we needed to travel around!

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