Hola chicos, this is the time of the year when I start feeling bored of the same daily routine and just fancy getting away. I would love to be able to have at least a weekend away just with Nick and enjoy some quality time together. There are plenty of amazing places to visit around Europe but in particular I really would like to visit Portugal.
I have never been there and I have heard lots of great things about it. In particular I have in my mind, Lisbon and now this dream of getting away to Lisbon is even easier to do with Monarch’s new flight path to Lisbon, flying from Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
To celebrate their latest route, Monarch invited me and a group of lovely bloggers to have a little taste of Portugal through an exciting Portuguese cooking event with the Atelier des Chefs cookery school in London.
It was a lovely evening that involved drinks and nibbles to start with and then we moved onto cooking and finally dining with a 2 course meal and even more drinks! Woohoo!! How great is that?
I was so keen to experience the #FlavoursOfLisbon as this was going to be my first time cooking and tasting this. I have never tried any of these dishes before. The menu for the night was Portuguese Pork and Clam Stew (Carne de Porco a Alentejana) and Portuguese Custard Tart (Pasteis de Nata).
This was an interesting event for me as everybody who knows me is aware of my lack of cooking skills! I’m not very good at it and I’m better if I’m miles away from the kitchen, LOL! Thank goodness Nick likes cooking and he actually does it quite well. The girls and I enjoy his home made meals during the weekends especially when he fancies doing a roasted dinner! Yummy! 🙂
I thought I was going to feel very awkward like a fish out of water but I was wrong. I had a very good time and enjoyed learning how to cook this meal. Everybody was very nice and the chef was very patient with me. She taught me some very useful tips about food preparation like, for example, how to peel and cut the garlic in a quick and easy way. I also learned how to properly peel the skin from an orange. They are probably silly things that you might do every day when cooking but for me her tips were great, LOL!!!
Cooking the meal was a group effort which made the whole evening even more enjoyable. To make it a little bit different and entertaining, we were divided into 2 groups and made it into a competition. It was actually very fun and I enjoyed it a lot!
The instructions for the main meal weren’t difficult to follow which I was very glad about as I was worried that I would be doing something wrong and end up ruining the food for everybody, LOL!
I was responsible for cooking the pork which I thought was an important task for me to be trusted with. I was crossing my fingers all the time, hoping that I wasn’t going to burn it and thank goodness I didn’t. The cooker was so hot it felt like I was in a sauna whilst I was cooking!!! At the end, all the effort was of course worth it because it tasted amazing.
The main meal had clams as a second main ingredient. I have never tried this before and I was a little bit apprehensive because I thought it was going to taste very fishy, but I was wrong. It was actually very nice and delicious. I think my Dad would be very proud of me as he loves sea food! 😉
In between cooking the main meal we also prepared the dessert. We started with preparing the custard and then we rolled the pastry. We then filled the pastry with the custard and placed it in the oven to cook. The Pasteis de Nata was also very tasty.
After finishing our cooking and before we were ready to move to the dining table we had a lovely group photo taken which I love as I will now remember everybody that also attended the event.
We all moved to a long table to enjoy our main meal and the dessert. The main meal was accompanied with delicious potatoes. I was very pleased with this Portuguese meal and now I really fancy flying to Lisbon to try it directly from the masters! I love the dessert so much too that instead of having one I actually had 2, LOL! If you would like to try these recipes yourself at home you could check the recipe of the Carne de Porco a Alentejana here and the recipe of the Pasteis de Nata here.
It was very nice to meet new people and also to see some familiar faces from previous events. They were all very friendly and I had a really good time!
What do you think of this Portuguese meal? Have you tried it before? Would you love to try it yourself too? Have you been to Lisbon or Portugal before? If yes, what other meals would you recommend to try? Please leave a message as I would love to read what your thoughts are.
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
Linking up with:
This sounds like such a great event and the food looks lovely! x
Looks amazing food very enjoyable event for everyone.
It all looks very tasty, great photographs.
Chris Desjardins
I read the whole way just hoping you had the recipes, thank you so much for sharing! What an awesome opportunity and it looks like a great meal!
This looks yummy! I’d love to try a cooking school (I do like cooking!) #KCACOLS
This is just next to where I work. I’ve always wanted to try one the lessons where you learn to cook lunch and then eat it, although admittedly I’d be better at the second bit! #KCACOLS
What a lovely experience, cooking all together and then eating it together as well. What a fab way to get to know Portuguese cuisine, which sounds yummy! #KCACOLS
Ooh this looks like it was such a fun cooking class and you got to make a yummy meal. Events like this are fun to do and blog about!
#KCACOLS
MM. I LOVE egg custards so may try that recipe out! It seems Masterchef may have a place for you next time round Franca 😉 thanks for hosting #kcacols
This looks great I would love to try a cooking school! #KCACOLS
That looked like an amazing evening with amazing food. My hubby is the cook in our house too, he loves trying out new recipes.
Portugal looks like a lovely place to go, hopefully I will get there one day 🙂
#KCACOLS I will get used to adding this (eventually lol).
I don’t think I’ve ever tried any Portugese food – it looks really nice though! It sounds like a really fun event too 🙂 #KCACOLS
What a great opportunity and so much fun all together too. #KCACOLS
Oh you lucky girl – what a gorgeous event to be invited to! I’ve never been to Portugal but love that kind of European feel so am sure we will try and visit at some point – I think it would make the perfect weekend away with the hubby! Lovely photographs too! #KCACOL
Wow what a great opportunity! I am a useless cook but it looks like you had a great time and the food looks delicious! xx #KCACOLS
That is fantastic! I have been attending a cookery school on Jersey and I have to say that I love it! 🙂 #KCACOLS
You take such wonderful photographs, they really make you feel like you were there. I’ve never heard of an event like this, but it sounds like so much fun. I’ve really enjoyed being creative in the kitchen lately, and would love the opportunity to learn tips from real chefs. I would love to do some traveling in Europe one day-taste all the foods of the world! #KCACOLS
sounds like you had a great day. The custard tarts look really nice #KCACOLS.
Those clams are making me drool! What an awesome event to be invited to!
#KCACOLS
I don’t think I have tried Portuguese food before, but I’m not sure. This sounds like the kind of event that I would love, I’m a real foodie – love to cook, love to eat. Your meals sound delicious and the whole day sounds great fun.
Amanda. #kcacols
wow, what an exciting opportunity! looks like you had a lot of fun #KCACOLS
What an amazing opportunity! Lucky you! Fab photos too #KCACOLS
Oh wow what an amazing opportunity and a fab event to be part of! The food looks delicious, fab photos too! #KCACOLS
I can practically smell all of that lovely food. It looks delicious! I love the whole idea of sharing an experience like that. It really bonds people together. I love meeting new people and learning new things. I’m glad you had a great time. #KCACOLS
I love the look of the Portuguese Pork and Clam Stew. I have never tried this type of food before but would love to give it a go xx
#KCACOLS
This is making me hungry! I don’t think I’ve ever tried Portuguese food but I would like to now. Lovely pics too x #KCACOLS
Hey, reading as part of #KCACOLS this evening. Lisbon is one of my favourite cities in Europe – not just because I love custard tarts! I went there a number of years ago and just found the whole place beautiful. It was very non-touristy and that is what appealed. The weather was horrid, but it didn’t matter. I would love to go back with my partner and daughter one day – once I think she can handle the walking! 🙂
Oh wow, what a fun night out to enjoy with the hubby! The dishes looked delicious and you did a fine job, even though you’re apparently not much of a cook! Job well done.
#KCACOLS
Tori
http://www.themamanurse.com
Look how well you did! Well done Franca it all looks amazing and a nice group that has gotten together. Photos really make the food ping out at me!:)
mainy – myrealfairy
#KCACOLS
Ooo what a fun event to participate in. The food looks yumlicious X #kcacols
This looks amazing, I think I would have felt nervous at first too but what an experience. I have never been either but have now been tempted to go look up some recipes on trusty Google. Lovely post as always. #KCACOLS
Aw what a fab idea for an even – looks like you did a great job with that pork! The thing I always love most about going on holiday is eating out and sampling the local cuisine, so it would be so lovely to learn how to cook it. Fab post x #KCACOLS
This looks fab! I’m a veggie so I wouldn’t like the main but the dessert sounds great. I’ve been to Lisbon a couple of times and it’s great. #KCACOLS
I wish I had not read this when I was starving! The food looks amazing, reminded me of a great trip to Portugal. Event looks like you had a fab night. Thanks for hosting #kcacols
I am a rubbish cook too! Nor sure I would of coped with this but well done it looked like it was a success. #kcacols
Oh wow what an amazing opportunity for you and the other bloggers! It looks like so much fun and the food looks amazing! #kcacols
Sounds like a great experience! I actually have been to Lisbon many years ago – it’s the only place I’ve been in Portugal. My cousin got married there. I really liked it. #KCACOLS
This looks like a fun time. The food looks very tasty.#KCACOLS
Looks like a great event. And the food looks delicious, well done. In our house it’s the other way around. I do most of the cooking and Daddy Long Legs does the dishes. Thank you for hosting #KCACOLS
Nadia – ScandiMummy x
Looks like you managed okay. I don’t really cook either, but I do love trying new food. #KCACOLS
This looks like such a fun event. The food looks lovely too. Portugal is somewhere to visit thats been on my list for a while. #KCACOLS