Try an authentic Sicilian cookery and wine weekend with Fabrizia Lanza, 24-26 April 2009
Beautiful countryside retreat, Loyton Lodge, embraces the warmth of the Mediterranean this Spring by playing host to A Taste of Sicily, a weekend devoted to the food, wine and flavours of this historic Italian region.
Fabrizia Lanza, owner of the renowned Anna Tasca Lanza Sicilian cookery school joins Julian Chamberlen of Goedhuis & Co vintners at the stunning 300 acre Devonshire estate to treat guests to a memorable introduction to the very best of Sicilian food and wine.
Starting on Friday 24 April, the Sicilian weekend comprises cookery classes and demonstrations, wine tastings and master classes, informal discussions on the terroir, culture and history of Sicily, alongside beautiful lunches and dinners featuring the produce and wines guests will learn about throughout the weekend.
Fabrizia will teach guests pasta and foccacia bread making along with traditional, robust Sicilian sauces. She will present the traditions of candying and preserving, and the classic tastes of the region including ricotta, pecorino, pistachios and almonds. Guests will be treated to Fabrizia’s famous Cassata Siciliana and create Sicilian treats to take home with them.
Julian Chamberlen, director of renowned Vintners Goedhuis & Co will share his expert knowledge of Italian and Sicilian wines. He will introduce guests to Sicily’s complex and earthy wines and distinctive Marsalas, including those from Fabrizia’s own family wine estate Regaleali.
Isobel Barnes, director of Loyton Lodge, said: ‘My love affair with Sicily began when I travelled to the region many years ago. Our first Taste of Sicily weekend brings together two of the most knowledgeable wine and food experts of the region.
Loyton Lodge is a beautiful country hideaway with a very relaxed ambience guests can get as involved as they wish in the weekend’s activities, whether it’s foraging for the season’s first wild garlic with Fabrizia or simply booking a massage and putting their feet up to take a well earned siesta after lunch.’
Traditional Loyton Lodge activities including clay pigeon shooting are also included for those wishing to incorporate country pursuits in their weekend’s itinerary.
A delicious four-course dinner on Saturday night promises to be the highlight of the weekend. Prepared by Fabrizia, with accompanying wines from Julian, it will showcase the very best of Sicily’s produce. The dinner is open by invitation to outside guests.
The price of A Taste of Sicily weekend is £585 per person or £1015 per couple sharing a double room. The price includes accommodation, food, wine, tuition and clay pigeon shooting. A percentage of the profits generated from the weekend will be donated to the victims of the L’Aquila earthquake disaster.
Please book early to avoid disappointment. Bookings can be made via the Loyton Lodge reservations office 01398 331 051 [email protected]
About Loyton Lodge
Owners Alick and Sally Barnes have been entertaining at Loyton Lodge, their 300-acre Devonshire farm and top quality shoot, for over 40 years. They have created an elegantly designed yet comfortable lodge, where people can relax and enjoy the countryside without the trouble of self-catering.
Originally several courtyard buildings, Loyton Lodge was renovated in 2003 and is now a sophisticated combination of rural and metropolitan. With a gifted chef and experienced, friendly staff offering attentive yet unobtrusive service, guests can achieve the Barnes’s aim of luxuriating in the glory of the Devon countryside.
Loyton Lodge can accommodate up to 20 people.
About Fabrizia Lanza
Fabrizia Lanza was born in Palermo in 1961. She left Sicily at the age of 18 to study the history of art in France, and then worked in Florence, Rome and Verona for 20 years.
Cooking was always a passion and a great pleasure; now, at the cooking school created by her mother, Anna Tasca Lanza in 1989, cooking has become a profession.
Fabrizia has been involved in food and wine world since when she was a child and has built up a passion and interest in the history of Sicilian cooking. She now organizes cooking courses in the estate of Regaleali where her family produces internationally well known wines. She also organizes events on special food ingredients, such as chocolate or salt. She is now the owner of the Anna Tasca Lanza Sicilian cooking school where she organizes the food and culture programs devoted to traditional and fast-disappearing food techniques.
About Julian Chamberlen
Julian Chamberlen is a Director of the privately owned wine merchant Goedhuis & Co, an award winning company that has grown to become one of England’s most respected vintners.
Julian has been running successful wine courses for over 10 years, with the aim of demystifying the world of wine in a relaxed environment. With an enviable trade history, he has worked since 1984 with highly respected name such as Veuve Clicquot, Louis Latour, Chapoutier, Bibendum, Laytons and now as a Director at Goedhuis & Co.
With a great enthusiasm for Italian wines, his style is informal, light hearted and informative.