Vegetarian Delights: Embracing the Mediterranean Lifestyle Diet

At Figs on the Funcho, this vegetarian cooking holiday celebrates Mediterranean flavours through Ottolenghi-inspired dishes, fresh local produce, and hands-on cooking in a peaceful Algarve riverside setting.

Why Choose This Cooking Holiday

This vegetarian cooking holiday in the Algarve is designed for those seeking a slower, more intentional way of travelling — where food, wellbeing, and connection to place come together naturally.  You’ll explore the principles of the Mediterranean lifestyle diet through relaxed, hands-on cooking sessions, shared meals, and time to unwind between workshops.

The experience has been recognised for both its culinary depth and its thoughtful approach to hospitality.

Awards & Recognition

• LUXLife Hospitality Excellence Awards 2025 – Art & Culinary Wellness Escapes Destination of the Year – Southern Europe (Winner)

• Algarve Business Awards 2025 – Sustainability (Finalist)

• LuxLife Hospitality Awards 2024 – Best Culinary Boutique Retreats Portugal (Winner)

• LuxLife Food & Drink Awards 2024 – Mediterranean Style Cooking Holiday Portugal (Winner)

Vegetarian Delights Itinerary

This five-day itinerary blends hands-on vegetarian cooking, wine experiences, gentle exploration, and time to relax by the river. Sessions are unhurried and designed to reflect the rhythm of Mediterranean living.
Please note: the itinerary may be subject to change.

Day 1: Arrive and Settling In

Arrive at Figs on the Funcho and ease gently into the week as you meet your fellow chefs. Once you’ve settled into The River House, we gather for welcome drinks and tapas, followed by a short, relaxed workshop and a shared evening meal. There’s no rush — just good food, easy conversation, and the start of new connections. As the evening winds down, we linger over local cheeses, biscuits, and a glass of Portuguese wine or port, letting the slower pace of the Algarve take hold.

Day 2: Local Life and Algarve Flavours

After breakfast, we head into our local village to visit the market, where stalls brim with seasonal produce and everyday Portuguese life unfolds around us. We select ingredients together, using a few Portuguese phrases along the way to chat with stallholders. We pause for coffee and pastries, then visit the birthplace of the celebrated Portuguese poet João de Deus, offering a glimpse into local culture and history.
Back at Figs on the Funcho, you’ll take part in a hands-on cooking session, preparing a light lunch using what we’ve gathered. The afternoon is yours — swim in the pool, read by the river, or simply relax. In the evening, we cook together again, exploring vibrant vegetarian dishes inspired by Ottolenghi, before sitting down to dinner with carefully chosen regional wines.

Day 3: Wine, Food & Slow Conversations

The day begins with a fresh Mediterranean-style breakfast before we head out to a nearby wine farm. Here, we enjoy a guided tasting paired with vegetarian-friendly bites, learning about local wines in a beautiful setting overlooking the River Arade. Back at Figs on the Funcho, the afternoon centres around another shared cooking session, followed by a leisurely dinner where the table fills with dishes you’ve prepared together. It’s a day for slowing down, savouring flavours, and enjoying long conversations as the sun begins to set.

Day 4: Mediterranean Inspiration & Free Time

After a light breakfast, we dive into a focused vegetarian cooking workshop inspired by Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions. You’ll explore bold flavours, techniques, and combinations, with plenty of hands-on involvement. On occasion, we may be joined by a small number of day guests who come to experience the workshop. The afternoon is deliberately left open — ideal for a countryside walk, a swim, or quiet time by the river. In the evening, we come back together for our final workshop, creating a celebratory meal and enjoying the food we’ve prepared alongside thoughtfully selected Portuguese wines.

Day 5: Final Breakfast and Farewells

After a final wholesome breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye. You’ll leave with new recipes, renewed confidence in vegetarian cooking, and memories of shared meals and peaceful days by the river — the kind that stay with you long after you return home.

A Note on Cuisine

Guests will create vegetarian dishes throughout the holiday, with vegan alternatives available if required (please notify us in advance).

Many guests are drawn to our vegetarian approach to cooking. If you’re also interested in a plant-forward experience that includes fish-based dishes inspired by Portugal’s seafaring past, you may enjoy our Portugal’s Spice Route & Beyond cooking holiday.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this cooking holiday fully vegetarian?

Yes. This is a fully vegetarian cooking holiday inspired by the Mediterranean lifestyle diet. All dishes prepared throughout the week are vegetarian, focusing on fresh, seasonal ingredients and balanced, flavour-led cooking. Vegan alternatives can be provided on request.

Do I need previous cooking experience?

No prior experience is required. This is a relaxed, hands-on cooking holiday designed for enthusiastic home cooks and food lovers of all levels.

What type of cuisine will we cook?

You’ll explore Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian cuisine with influences from Portugal and neighbouring regions. Many of the dishes are Ottolenghi-inspired, with an emphasis on vegetables, legumes, grains, herbs, olive oil, and vibrant flavour combinations.

Is this a hands-on cooking holiday or more of a demonstration?

This is a hands-on cooking holiday. Guests actively take part in preparing meals during the workshops and enjoy the dishes together in a relaxed, sociable setting.

Cooking with Locals

On selected days, local Algarve residents may join the cooking experiences, offering a warm, informal insight into daily life, food traditions, and what draws them to live in this part of Portugal.

Your Hosts

Cheryl and Graham host Figs on the Funcho’s vegetarian cooking holidays, shaped by a shared belief in flavour-rich, nourishing food and a relaxed Mediterranean way of eating. In 2017, following Graham’s diagnosis with an autoimmune condition, they adopted a vegetarian lifestyle — a turning point that deepened their focus on seasonal produce, spices, and generous plant-forward cooking.

Over the years, they have taken part in a wide range of hands-on cooking experiences and courses, including Portuguese, Middle Eastern, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Californian lifestyle, seafood, and modern vegetarian cuisines. Guests will notice Ottolenghi-inspired influences in the way dishes are built — layered flavours, vibrant vegetables, herbs, spices, and textural contrast — alongside Mediterranean principles that prioritise balance, enjoyment, and wellbeing.

Rather than following recipes rigidly, Cheryl and Graham adapt techniques and flavour combinations into approachable vegetarian dishes that can be recreated at home. Throughout the holiday, they cook alongside guests, sharing practical insights, flavour pairings, and the small details that turn everyday ingredients into satisfying, memorable meals.

The experience is welcoming, hands-on, and grounded in real life — good food, shared around the table, in a peaceful Algarve setting.