Scribbler in Seville

If you and your family like to stay at beautiful, tastefully designed beach resorts close to nature, with a wide selection of activities and eating places, all a short walk away – cooking school, play areas, pools, bars, restaurants, beach – then Pine Cliffs Resort in the Algarve is well worth considering.

As the name suggests, the resort, near Albufeira, is set atop cliffs – spectacular orangey-red sandstone, in this case (thankfully with a lift to take you 50 metres down to, and more importantly, up from the beach). The immaculate lawns gardens are shaded with umbrella pines – a few days into our short stay, my 9-year-old daughter suddenly clicked – “Ah, pine… and cliffs! Now I get it!” It’s all very tasteful, with lots of open spaces, natural elements (those pines trees are hypnotically beautiful) without acres of concrete, local ceramic tiles used as signs, pretty fountains and plenty of Portuguese flair.

From down on the beach, Praia das Belharucas, which stretches in either direction as far as the eye can see, you can’t even spot any buildings in the resort, as it’s set back from the cliffs: the lift is discreetly hidden away, reached by a wooden boardwalk. One of the great advantages of this coast is what it doesn’t have – the rampant over-development and rammed-in tower blocks of some parts of neighbouring Spain’s Costa de Sol. In summer there are watersports, and a beach restaurant.

If you want to play tennis, there’s a club under the auspices of Annabel Croft, the British player (who coincidentally went to my school), while golfers can enjoy the nine-hole course and academy. Children will love the Junior Club and Porto Pirata club, and for winter months and cooler days (we stayed in December) there’s a big indoor pool and jacuzzi.

For mums and dads there’s one of the plushest spas I’ve ever been to, Serenity (full name: Serenity – The Art of Well Being) , offering facial and body treatments with all the top European beauty products, and exquisite décor. For ultimate pampering, the private Aurum Suite has gold walls and a contemporary crystal chandelier, to make you feel special while you sip champagne and luxuriate in the jacuzzi. Even the Pilates class at the Health & Fitness Club is a pleasure – in fine weather this takes place in a shaded outdoor pavilion in a quiet area of the gardens, overlooking the sea.

We stayed in the Pine Cliffs Gardens apartments, which were brand new and very luxurious, with premium brand gadgets (Bosch microwave, AEG coffee machine, top quality stainless steel hand-blender, juicer, cooking utensils) and beautiful furnishings including comfortable dining chairs and sleek bathrooms with huge showers. The ample balcony, overlooking a pool shaded by more of the distinctive cloud-like umbrella pines, was well equipped with wicker table, chairs and loungers.

Not often do I covet a lamp in a rental apartment, but the artistic floral golden yellow-hued prints on cushions and lamps by Carlos Carvalho were gorgeous, and the Moorish-style tables were a nice touch. Sheets were super-soft, beds super-comfortable. You get the picture.  This didn’t feel like a rental apartment, it felt like a high-end interior-design showpiece. Even the apartment block had a fragrant name – Jasmin.

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But the main reason for our visit, on a warm, sunny December weekend, was the family cooking class at the new Mimo Algarve. The Mimo group of cooking schools was founded by an English couple, Nicole and Jon Warren. Mimo already offers food experiences in terms of hands-on cooking classes, as well as supper clubs, tastings and tours, in three Spanish cities: San Sebastián (where the Warrens are based), Seville and Palma de Mallorca, and has since opened in London.

Mimo Algarve occupies a stunning light-drenched space within Pine Cliffs Resort – you can take a class, go to a supper club, or browse the local Portuguese gourmet goodies in the shop – sardines, olive oil, spices like smoked paprika, Mimo’s own-brand sauces, all in gorgeous packaging so they make perfect gifts.

Having already done a cooking class with Mimo in Seville, I knew to expect a smoothly organized, engaging and fun experience. Lucia Ribeiro is brilliant with kids (she has two herself), knows how to engage them, and speaks excellent English – she lived in London, working as a chef with Gordon Ramsay, and is a strong advocate for women chefs in her native Portugal.

I had asked for a Portuguese cuisine class, so we were cooking the classic Algarve dish cataplana, pork or fish cooked with vegetables in a round copper dish with a lid, so that all the flavours mix together. We did fish with clams and prawns, with a tofu option for the flexitarian-ish, non-dairy daughter, and a little carnivorous extra surprise thrown in for the meat-eating son. Such dietary complications don’t phase her remotely.

One of our favorite aspects about the class was that they provide special kids’ cooking knives – sharp enough to cut, but cleverly designed with rounded ends so they’re safe for children to use. Lucia explained clearly how to chop and slice with them, without risk of accidental digital amputations – my kids always listen more to a non-parent.

My children were – uncharacteristically – enthusiastic about chopping veg and herbs for the cataplana, and also loved watching clever techniques like making sorbet (passion fruit flavour) in the Termomix (our first experience of this hallowed all-round culinary marvel), then frozen in the blast-chiller.

Lucia gave us lots of handy everyday cooking tips, such as her foolproof rice method. Also, we loved the fact that there was no unnecessary food wastage – Lucia vacuum-packed any leftover chunks of veg for later use. She is also careful about sourcing her ingredients – she knows all the local fishmongers, ensuring that where possible wild, rather than farmed, fish is used.

The whole class was fantastically streamlined, with our three-course meal prepared without hardly realising how much work we’d done (OK, no clearing up – detritus and dirty implements magically disappear) as it was all so enjoyable. Lucia and her assistants were impressively patient, with a welcoming environment of infectious enthusiasm for families (my son was there too, but is less keen to be pictured than his lens-loving sister).

When we finally sat down to eat our three-course lunch, it was with a distinct feeling of satisfaction and achievement, and plenty of wine too of course – my personal pick was a sauvignon blanc from the award-winning Quinta dos Abibes, which has been making wine since the 18^th century.

We all felt extremely well-looked after throughout our stay at Pine Cliffs Resort: the pleasingly plush and spotless apartment; the faultless service by friendly staff; the hot tub next to the indoor pool – kids just love those bubbles; delicious meals with generous portions in the Corda café – we recommend the octopus salad and chicken fajitas. Breakfast was the most astonishing spread, in a four-sided buffet, from made-to-order omelettes, to pancakes with maple syrup, pastries, cereals and fresh fruit and veg juices.

Again, help-yourself dining is heaven for kids, although they do tend towards the over-optimistic, filling their plates merrily and then realizing they can’t eat half of it (lesson duly learned on the first day). All in all, the resort is highly recommended for a family holiday, especially the hands-on gastronomic experience.

The minimum age for children in a Mimo Algarve family cooking class is 4 years old (5 in a kids’ cooking class) . The class lasts 1.5 hours and costs €75 per adult, with one child under 11 free per paying adult.