Become a pro at making food TASTE incredible at the dinner table and LOOK amazing on camera! Learn both the art of cooking and food photography during this immersive, fun, AND DELICIOUS 7-day retreat in Central Portugal.
With Anja Burgar form Use Your Noodles and Sophie de Jong from The Farming Chefs
29 Sept- 6 Oct 2026
with Anja Burgar from Use Your Noodles & Sophie de Jong from The Farming Chefs
Step into a slower, more creative way of living during our intimate Regenerative Cooking and Food Photography Retreat with Anja Burgar and The Farming Chefs in the heart of rural Portugal.
This immersive retreat blends seasonal farm-to-table cooking, regenerative food culture, and atmospheric food photography into one unforgettable experience. Together, we will harvest ingredients from the garden, cook beautiful meals from scratch, style vibrant tables filled with Portuguese flavors, and learn how to capture emotion, warmth, and storytelling through photography.
Led by culinary photographer Anja Burgar and hosted by The Farming Chefs, this retreat is designed for anyone who longs to reconnect with food, creativity, and nature — whether you are a content creator, passionate home cook, photographer, or simply someone seeking inspiration.
Throughout the week, you will learn:
Expect long shared tables, local wines, hands on workshops, delicious dinners, walks through the Portuguese countryside, and a deeply nourishing creative atmosphere.
No professional camera is required, your camera on a good phone already works. Bring curiosity, creativity, and a love for good food and meaningful experiences.
• All tuition fees, including daily hands-on cooking and and photography workshops and lessons focussing on food from seed to plate.
• 7 nights’ accommodation in a beautifully restored Portuguese Mill by the Basagda River featuring:
– Beautifully renovated rooms
– Wonderful Breakfast spread
– Wifi Free Rooms to unwind
– A Swimming Pool
– A Private Tennis court
– A Wood Fired Sauna
• All meals, including:
– Daily breakfast (catered or enjoyed with your own creations)
– Delicious lunches or meals created during the cooking workshops
– Gourmet evening dinners prepared by Filipe da Cunha from The Farming Chefs or cooked together during guided sessions
• A celebratory “family-style feast” Cooking workshop on the final evening, showcasing all the skills learned throughout the week
• Restaurant experiences, including lunch at a traditional Portuguese restaurant.
• Local wine served with selected lunches and dinners
• Private group transfers to and from Castelo Branco Bus station on arrival and departure days
• Transport for all scheduled excursions and from the Farm to the Villa daily.
• Free day to explore local UNESCO village Monsanto.
• Staff on-site to support with service, setup, assistance during workshops, and a smooth, seamless retreat experience
The price for this immersive culinary art retreat is €4520 per person, based on a shared en suite bedroom. Price for a private en-suite is €4780.
For those joining with a friend or partner, bed configurations are flexible, with options for either single or double beds to suit your preference.
Anja Burgar is a culinary photographer, visual storyteller, educator, and creator of the Food to Frame program. Through her work, she loves telling stories with food, bringing emotion and atmosphere into her images. She loves finding beauty in everyday moments around the table.
Her creative journey began through her food blog, Use Your Noodles, where she discovered her passion for making food look beautiful while capturing the feeling and story behind it.
Over the years, she has worked with food and beverage brands, created commercial work, and
collaborated with companies such as Lightroom and VFlat World. Through her workshops and retreats, she loves helping people explore food photography in a creative and intuitive way. She is focusing on storytelling, atmosphere, and the joy of creating.
Sophie de Jong is a chef, regenerative farmer, educator, and founder of The Farming Chefs, a culinary project dedicated to reconnecting people with real, sustainably grown food. After years working in professional kitchens, Sophie moved her practice onto the land, where she grows vegetables, herbs, and fruit regeneratively and teaches students online how to transform seasonal produce into deeply flavourful, nourishing meals.
Her work blends technical culinary expertise with an intuitive, soil-centered philosophy. Through workshops, courses, and international retreats, Sophie guides participants to cook with confidence, reduce waste, master from-scratch techniques, and rediscover the joy of simple, honest ingredients.
Sophie’s teaching style is clear, warm, and empowering—perfect for both beginners and passionate home cooks seeking to elevate their craft.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS NEED:
– A phone or a camera (a camera is preferred, but a phone works just as well)
– Extra batteries, memory cards and chargers if they plan on bringing their camera
– A tripod would be nice, but not obligatory
Guests will stay at the beautiful Hotel Moinho do Maneio, a peaceful rural agriturismo surrounded by nature in the heart of Central Portugal. The accommodation combines traditional Portuguese charm with modern comfort, offering quiet spaces to rest, recharge, and fully immerse yourself in the slower rhythm of the retreat. With natural swimming areas, beautiful landscapes, and thoughtfully designed rooms, Moinho do Maneio perfectly complements the creative and nourishing atmosphere of the experience.
The Farming Chefs is a regenerative farm in the Portuguese countryside in Aldeia de Joao Pires, created by chefs Sophie and Filipe, where farming, cooking, and storytelling come together around seasonal food and slow living. The farm is home to vegetable gardens, fruit trees, preservation projects, outdoor cooking, and long-table meals inspired by the rhythms of nature. More than just a farm, it is a creative space where people reconnect with food, landscape, craftsmanship, and a slower, more meaningful way of life.
To secure your place on the 7-day retreat, please click the Retreat Booking button below, complete the form, and pay the deposit. Once the retreat is confirmed you will receive a payment request to pay the full 50%. The final balance will be due 8 weeks prior tot the start of the retreat.
The retreat takes place in Central Portugal near the village of Aldeia de João Pires.
Check in will be at the hotel https://maps.app.goo.gl/uBUt7nHW4CdMN1sr5
Private group transfers to and from Castelo Branco Bus station on arrival and departure days at 13.30 and at 10:30.
Price range: 4780,00 € through 9040,00 €
This immersive retreat blends seasonal farm-to-table cooking, regenerative food culture, and atmospheric food photography into one unforgettable experience. Together, we will harvest ingredients from the garden, cook beautiful meals from scratch, style vibrant tables filled with Portuguese flavors, and learn how to capture emotion, warmth, and storytelling through photography.
| Retreat Bedrooms | Private Ensuite Room, Shared Double Ensuite Room (with partner/friend) |
|---|
From 23 to 27 September, I attended a course called “Regenerative Preservation Techniques and Flavor Enhancers” with The Farming Chefs in Portugal.
It was a thorough and inspiring course.
Each day focused on one preservation technique, which we also applied in practice — everything was done on site:
Bread baking; preserving grain
Cheesemaking; preserving milk
Preserving vegetables and fruit
Final day: the responsible creation of flavor enhancers
Each course day, we followed the entire process from beginning to end.
The instructor (Sophie de Jong) is a true professional who clearly knows her craft. She is not only an excellent cook herself, but also highly skilled in conveying the teaching material.
Every evening we enjoyed a delicious meal, prepared and served by Filipe, Sophie’s partner and the other half of The Farming Chefs.
The course went far beyond simply providing a collection of recipes; it delved deeply into the background and principles of regenerative farming and cooking.
Sophie helped me understand the dilemma of today’s food industry (both production and the food supply chain).
The Western world currently succeeds in producing enough food for everyone. However, in order to make that food sufficiently shelf-stable for supermarkets, the industry is forced to process it in such a way that all “vital, restorative factors” are removed.
As a result, we may have an abundance of food — but essentially dead food.
The Farming Chefs do not pretend that they can overturn the entire system overnight, but they clearly demonstrate where each individual can make small changes.
In this way, everyone can — at least for themselves — produce and preserve healthy food and begin a new way of relating to and experiencing food.
Thank you Sophie and Filipe for one of the best vacation experiences of my life! I was part of the April 2026 cooking/farm retreat and loved every minute of it.
Sophie and Filipe were very welcoming, opened their home to us and shared their vast knowledge; not to mention the delicious meals they prepared for us. Super Yummy! I learned so much and had an active part in all cooking, planting & harvesting.
Our retreat group was diverse, friendly, sharing and fun. Their farming operation was well explained, opened to roaming, in a beautiful setting, and interesting. The whole experience left me motivated towards better eating, to expand my herb garden and to start a small veggie garden again. I felt refreshed and renewed with a huge smile on my face.
The accommodations at the villa were relaxing, warmly welcoming, served delicious breakfast, beautiful river/woods setting with modern conveniences. I loved everything about the retreat. I would recommend it to anyone interested in food or farming, regardless experience or where you live as you are going to learn a lot! Thank you Sophie, Filipe and family for your hospitality, for an unforgettable experience and for your YouTube channel which introduced me to you all.
We had an amazing five-day retreat! Sophie and Filipe radiate positive energy and are incredibly professional and passionate, both on the farm and in the kitchen. Their unique combination of skills made the retreat fun and enriching on every level.
The program was wonderfully varied, with a perfect balance between workshops, enjoying their delicious farm-to-table creations, inspiring information, outings, connection, and free time. We learned so much, especially about regenerative farming practices and soil health; real eye-openers that made us appreciate food and farming even more.
They are flexible and intuitive, easily adapting the program to the needs and energy of the group, creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
The accommodation was fantastic too. We alternated between the farm and our nature-filled base, but the distance was easy and the change of scenery added to the experience. The place itself is stunning, surrounded by nature with plenty to enjoy during free hours: a swimming pool, sauna, river, tennis court, hiking trails right out the door, and more.
A truly unforgettable experience for anyone who loves real food, nature, and learning about the beauty and importance of regenerative farming.
Ready to Recharge and Enjoy Real Food in Nature?
Cook, connect, and grow in the heart of our regenerative farm.
Real food. Deep rest. Lifelong memories.
