We’re really proud of what we do, and how we do it… and results are measured by feedback. Here you can read just a few of the comments we have received recently:
‘If you love food, good company and a really authentic taste of Spain then you will love Annie’s Spanish Kitchen holidays.
A short flight from a cold rainy UK in March this year found us in the beautiful white hill town of Vejer. In Annie’s patio house on the hillside we met our fellow “cooks” – no matter if you have no experience or are a skilful cook you are guaranteed to enjoy yourself in her generous company. Learn to love a full range of sherry from Manzanilla to Pedro Ximenez, and amaze yourself with the results of your days cooking. Visits to the local markets to buy fresh fish, fruit and everything you need. Baking bream cased in salt, preserving lemons, marinating anchovies, and the luscious puds with PX sherry – you will be hooked. Most of all it is fun, personal and provides a stock of memories and recipes to take back home. On a cold November night – I’m ready to go back.’,
Paul & Jane, UK
‘The main charm of the cooking course is the insight you give a visitor to the local culture and foods and wines. Your welcoming and patient personality and hospitality are also a big plus! The cooking itself worked well for me and I enjoyed the range of recipes that you offered and explained well. I’ve had a cooking afternoon making my Christmas Chutneys and Chilli Jams for pressies and finished off by preserving the lemons you gave me when I left! I plan to make the Oasis Tart at Christmas and who knows what else!’,
Fi Morley, Edinburgh
‘Annie B’s Spanish Cooking School is a wonderful recipe for a holiday in the beautiful village of Vejer. Annie is a wonderful host and cooks brilliantly. She is also a “must have” tourist guide. The day starts with visits to the grocer, vegetable market, butcher or fishmonger, all of them an experience in themselves. Annie introduces you to Vejer as you wind your way through the white washed alleyways and you work off the pounds climbing and descending the many stairways. Annie’s home is your home and the day is spent happily sipping brown” tea,” sherry and fabulous wines all the while cooking up a feast. The evenings are spent sampling the delicious specialties of dozens of little restaurants and bars of Vejer. One wakes up wondering if it is all a dream. Picture a white washed village perched on a high hill piercing a royal blue sky and you when you wake up to realize it is all real and you can look forward to another exciting day with Annie.’
Kevin and Lyn Smyth, Dubai
‘Paul and I joined Annie on a Fruits of the Sea Day and thoroughly enjoyed the day, so much so that I now eat pickled anchovies – something I would never touch before! I have also used several of the recipes since our return to the UK – even giving an Andalucia Orange and Almond Cake as a birthday present. Thank you Annie – we will be back!’
Paul and Val Leeming, Aberdeenshire September 2010
‘Thank you Annie B. for our wonderful cooking day in Vejer. My sister and I had booked the day as a treat for ourselves and what a treat it turned out to be. A fantastic day with so many highs that it’s hard to pick out the best bits. Shopping was great fun. So many top tips on what to buy and the chance to share the warmth of the relationships that Annie has built up in this lovely town. The Tardis like experience of walking into Annie’s wonderful patio house. The magic aprons – You put one on and you are ready to cook anything. The quick rewards – It was no time before we were sipping manzanilla whilst we sampled our perfectly fried lemon spritzed anchovies. Trying different drinks and getting lots of advice on buying wine and Sherries locally and matching them to food. The variety and amount of the food we cooked. When we saw what was planned, five courses including ajo blanco, sea bream in a salt crust and an orange and almond cake, we couldn’t believe that we would get through it all. But we did and it was so much fun. The course was great value and would make an amazing present for anyone holidaying in the area. It was a lovely day to spend like us as sisters and would be great for a mother and daughter, partners or a larger group of family or friends. “Put it on your list of things to do before you diet”.’
Kath & Gerry
‘My 16 year old daughter and I were fortunate enough to be able to take a morning cooking class from Annie B. I was so impressed by her organization, her charming, professional kitchen, the well-balanced, interesting menu, and with Annie’s teaching method. Simply, it was both fun and informative to cook with Annie who has many wonderful cooking tips, even for those of us who have done a fair amount of cooking before. My husband and 3 other children joined us for the great lunch we had prepared lunch around the pool! We all loved the Ajo Blanco – a first for us all! I’m already looking forward to going back and taking another class. Anna and I really had a blast!’
Sara, Seattle, USA
‘Middle of October. Ten in the morning. Early day sunshine wrapping itself around white painted houses in the old part of Vejer and us, wrapped in Annie B’s aprons to provide similar comfort as we stared at mouth watering recipes and an array of fresh local Andalucían produce, feeling, and looking, a little apprehensive. Me, my two sons and son-in-law from rain soaked Glasgow were in paradise or certainly the next best thing outside Celtic Park. A little over four hours later and we had prepared a truly exciting meal which was served that evening, al fresco, to a satisfied family of 9, including 2 vegetarians. It was an entertaining, enlightened and enjoyable experience. Ably supported and prompted by Annie and Penny we successfully completed all of the cooking and baking. Chicken in Moroccan marinade; tapines (local courgettes) with feta &mint; potato, sundried tomato & lemon salad, orange & almond cake – a quarter of what we conjured up. We were served cool larger, sampled Sherries, took photos and left with copies of all the recipes. Hey! Four guys. Vejer. Sunshine. Annie B’s. ½ day cookery course. Wonderful food. And the women did the washing up! Magic.’
Bill from Glasgow
……And from teenage cooks:
‘Thank you so so much for an amazing week! We’ve all learnt so much and got so much more interested and excited by cooking. You are our ‘guru’! I feel I’ve missed something. How could I possibly have written my testimonial without mentioning my AMAZING (though I say so myself) newly acquired squid gutting skills? Anyway, the point is that I am now a pro-squid gutter thanks to you. THANK YOU ANNIE.’
Eleanor(15.5), London
‘Thank you so so much! Ate my first ever clams, Dorado and tuna steak and actually liked them! What can I say, your inspiring teaching will soon be immortalised in the form of ‘’Annie B’s Little Elves’’ – what higher praise could I give it?’
Emma (16), London
‘Thank you so much for this fantabulistic week!! The fact that we are planning to form’’Annie B’s Little Elves’’ I think shows how much fun we have had! Hope to show you some of our new found cooking skills sometime soon. What a guru.’
Jazzy (16), London
