- Approx. 5–6 hours (including transport 1 Hour away from Heraklion)
Crete Cooking Class & Cheese-Making at Shepherd’s Farm...
6 Hours: Immerse yourself in authentic Cretan traditions with a hands-on farm experience in Crete at the Shepherd’s Shelter. Your day begins with hotel pick-up and unfolds into a rich journey through rural Cretan life. Explore sustainable farming on a guided tour, harvest fresh garden vegetables, and help prepare a hearty traditional Greek meal using time-honored methods.
Learn to milk sheep and craft fresh tyrozouli cheese, then roll dough for kaltsounia cheese pies. Taste the cheese in its maturation space for a true farm-to-table experience. Afterward, enjoy a Cretan feast featuring wood-fired bread, appetizers, salad with garden vegetables, gemista, lamb with roasted potatoes, and kaltsounia with honey and cinnamon, accompanied by local wine and water. Perfect for food lovers, culture enthusiasts, and families, this immersive Crete farm experience offers a genuine taste of the island’s culinary and cultural soul.
Location
- Begin your experience with a guided farm tour, where you’ll explore the grounds and learn about sustainable farming practices and traditional rural life in Crete. Next, head to the garden to harvest fresh vegetables for making gemista, a classic Greek dish, giving you a true taste of farm-to-table cooking. You will then prepare ingredients for the wood-fired oven, learning the techniques that bring rustic Greek cuisine to life.
- Experience the ancient tradition of milking the sheep, a hands-on insight into everyday farm life, and move on to cheese making, where you will create fresh tyrozouli, a staple of Greek gastronomy. Afterward, try your hand at rolling dough and preparing traditional kaltsounia, small cheese pies made with the freshly made cheese. Once the cheese is ready, enjoy tasting it in the maturation space, where it has been left to age to perfection.
- After the day’s activities, savor a delicious farm-to-table meal. The menu includes fresh wood-fired bread, a variety of appetizers, a salad with vegetables harvested from the garden, gemista from the wood-fired oven, lamb with roasted potatoes, kaltsounia with honey and cinnamon, and plenty of water and wine.
Highlights
- Farm Tour – Discover traditional Cretan farming and sustainable living
- Harvest Ingredients – Pick fresh veggies from the garden
- Sheep Milking – Try this age-old Cretan practice
- Cheese Making – Make and taste fresh tyrozouli cheese
- Kaltsounia Workshop – Bake traditional cheese pies
- Cretan Feast – Enjoy a full meal with local dishes and wine
- Warm Hospitality – Taste homemade wine and experience authentic Cretan culture
- Seasonal Add-ons – Hiking, raki distillation, and more (seasonal)
Inclusions
- Round transfers from /hotel/Port/Airprot
- Guided Farm Tour
- Hands-on Vegetable Harvesting
- Traditional Cooking Experience (wood-fired oven prep)
- Sheep Milking Demonstration & Participation
- Cheese Making Workshop (tyrozouli)
- Kaltsounia (cheese pie) Preparation
- Cheese Tasting in Maturation Room
- Full Traditional Cretan Meal, local wine and water
- Seasonal Activities (e.g., hiking, raki distillation – when available)
Exclusions
- Gratuities
Useful Info
- What to Wear: Comfortable clothes and shoes (suitable for outdoor/farm activities)
- Suitable For: Families, couples, food & culture lovers, small groups.
- Vegetarian options available (please inform in advance)
Cancellation Policy
- 30% payment in advance is required, fully refundable in case of cancellation received 48 hours prior the arrival date.
- For any cancellation within 47 hours prior to the start of the tour or non - shows, full cancellation fees apply
- A written notification of any cancellation or change is necessary to be sent to PRIVATE TOURS Greece
