Enjoy a week of Mediterranean cookery and wellness with Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi at the beautiful Yenice Vadi retreat in southern Turkey.

It’s time to recharge both body and mind as you enjoy your six-night stay at our little corner of paradise in the mountains above the Bay of Gokova and spend your days learning the secrets and healthy, healing magic of the Mediterranean diet.

Along with our daily cookery courses, there will be plenty of optional activities available onsite aimed at improving both your physical and psychological well-being. Each day, wake up with nature and enjoy a walk in the cool morning air with the goats to the higher pastures or a stroll to the local village for a Turkish coffee or simply stay at the hotel for a swim. We have designed our week so that after the morning’s cookery classes you can choose to be as active (or as inactive) as you like.

We will cook every day, pick organic vegetables from the hotel’s kitchen garden and forage for herbs in the surrounding mountain pastures. We’ll visit a food market to pick out the season’s produce, buy spices and have a Turkish lunch. Also included is a boat trip along the picturesque coast stopping for frequent dips in the sea and a barbecue fish lunch and mezze.

On this retreat we are thrilled to be joined by Dr. David Unwin and Dr Jen Unwin

Dr David is an NHS GP who has the best results in the world for putting type 2 diabetes into drug-free remission. His patients also improve their blood pressure, liver and kidney function and lose weight! His most recent published paper is the most-read paper ever in BMJ nutrition. David is also a lifelong nature and wildlife geek, so make sure you stand near him on the morning walks if you want to spot the local fauna and flora.

Dr Jen is a clinical psychologist who helps people to make and maintain lifestyle changes long-term and is an expert in sugar addiction. Jen loves to cook, especially with Katie! She is a trained mindfulness teacher.

They have both helped with the science content in the Caldesi Low carb recipe book series so you’ll be able to meet the more of the team.

Some of our guests choose to wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) which measures your blood glucose levels. The sensor is worn on your arm and is paired to a smartphone where you can visibly see how different foods affect your glucose levels. It’s very interesting to see and compare your findings with others plus you will gain insight into what foods to suit your individual needs.

As we say, “Wellness is in the palm of your hands”.  Whilst learning about metabolic health, have fun with new friends, learn new skills and recipes and try out new activities. Come back home refreshed with renewed energy and the knowledge to keep up your own healthy eating and fitness levels. This is your chance to make a few healthy changes or enjoy a whole life reset on your return.

Much research has highlighted the many benefits of a Mediterranean lifestyle. A diet of fresh vegetable-based meals including meat and fish, plenty of herbs, whole grains and olive oil seems to be the secret to long-term wellness. We’ll teach you how to avoid refined white grains, minimise sugar, say no to processed foods and help you bring the Mediterranean into your kitchen back home. We’ll cover a range of recipes including quick meals that can be made in under 30 minutes as well as slow-cooks for batch cooking.

Your cookery teachers for the week are acclaimed cookery writer and chef Katie Caldesi, Turkish chef and co-owner of Yenice Vadi, Çağlar Bozkurt. Between them they will teach you a wonderful mixture of healthy recipes from the East to the West of the Mediterranean.  On one of our days, chef Giancarlo Caldesi will show you how to make a delicious Italian lunch.  The cookery classes will be for a maximum of 14 people (non-cooking partners are welcome to join in for meals and other activities).

Katie Caldesi, chef and cookery writer

Katie has been cooking professionally for 25 years, runs La Cucina Caldesi cookery school and is the author of 17 cookbooks.  Subjects have included Italian cookery, preserving, salads and pasta. As Katie’s last five books have been about using a low-carb lifestyle to combat obesity and her husband Giancarlo’s diabetes type 2, we too will follow a lowish-carb diet for the week but there will be rice, bread and pasta around for those that want it!

Çağlar Bozkurt, Turkish chef and co-owner

Çağlar owns a farm in the village as well as multiple properties, he has been in the hotel business for 25 years and is a great cook. He is passionate about his home-grown organic vegetables which we will pick and use each day. It has been his dream to run a cookery school to share his family’s delicious Turkish recipes.

About Yenice Vadi

The hotel Yenice Vadi is a peaceful haven located in a quiet Turkish valley in Southern Turkey. It provides a perfect escape, offering simple, comfortable, pristine accommodation built using traditional local materials. There are 21 rooms in the main building and in the grounds. It is nestled amongst trees and mountains within 30 minutes of the coast. The valley gives guests the opportunity to experience nature in the surrounding hills and in the farm. Waking up to bird song, exploring the grounds and peaceful evenings on the veranda by the fire offer the perfect sanctuary to busy lives back home. The hotel is approximately one hour from Dalaman airport and one and a half hours from Bodrum airport. It has a 33m long swimming pool, Turkish bath, bar and restaurant.

This is a rough breakdown of a day on the retreat, timings and details may vary.

8.00am – Morning walk with the goats or to the local village

9.00am – Shower and change

9.30am – Watch Katie prepare a healthy breakfast outside with coffee

10.00am – Cookery class (not market or boat trip day). Prepare your meal for lunch and dinner

1.30pm – Lunch

3.00pm – Relaxing time, have a swim, massage or hammam

6.00pm – Short workshop and last-minute cooking for dinner, cauli-rice, cook bread, cook pasta etc

7.00pm – Drinks and dinner

Early exercise to start the day

Enjoy a morning stroll as the sun rises over the valley.

Breakfast and cooking demo

After a shower, sip a coffee and watch Katie prepare a simple breakfast around the outside fire. Pick up tips on how to start the day with energy-giving foods that won’t have you reaching for the biscuit tin mid-morning.

Morning cooking class and lunch

After breakfast spend the morning cooking with Katie in the cookery school kitchen. Together we will prepare lunch and the evening dinner.  Sit and enjoy lunch in or outside depending on the weather.

Rest and relax

Take the afternoon off to relax by the pool, enjoy the hammam or massage or join the shepherd and his goats as he takes them up to the higher pastures.

Daily information workshops with the Caldesis and Unwins

Will discuss what healthy eating means to us, which type of exercise is best for you, blood glucose and energy levels and why relaxation is important as you equip yourself with new skills, recipes and a love of life.

Topics will include:

Metabolic health

Blood glucose, what is it and how you can help to control spikes through diet and exercise

Ingredients, cooking from fresh compared to ultra-processed foods

What to drink, how to make low-sugar drinks and cocktails

Relaxation and why it is important to find that work/life balance – how are you going to incorporate this into your new life back home

Sleep

Cooking demo and dinner

Depending on the weather this will be outside in the stone courtyard or in the main restaurant

Simply watch or help Katie and Çağlar put the finishing touches to the evening dinner as we gather around the outside fire and grill. Learn to make delicious cauliflower rice with Katie or perfectly cooked brown rice with Çağlar, low-carb breads or Turkish flatbread, great salads and dressings.

Dinner will be served in the main restaurant of the hotel either inside or outside. A fully-stocked bar is available for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Your own Mediterranean Lifestyle Book, a Caldesi apron and a signed cookbook

As well as an apron to wear for the week and take home, you will be given a signed copy of Katie and Giancarlo’s latest cookbook The Low-Carb Italian Kitchen as well as a personalised folder of recipes, worksheets and your notes to take home. Use this as a reminder of what we covered on your wellness week in Turkey.

Market tour – join Katie and Çağlar on a trip to a local market to pick out the vegetables, nuts, cheese, olives, tahini etc for our cookery lessons. There will be opportunities to buy goods to take home such as local tahini, honey, nuts and spices.

Come with an open mind and heart

You are going to be immersed in the Turkish flavour of Mediterranean culture and lifestyle so please come with an open mind ready to absorb the sights and delights of a countryside idyll.

Daily maid service

There will be a basic daily maid service to clean and tidy your room and make your bed each day. Sheets and towels will only be changed on request and there may be an extra cost for this.

What to wear

There is a relaxed and casual vibe at Yenice Vadi, generally guests are happy to forego make-up and heels for the week and comfy clothes are encouraged. However, if you feel like putting on the razz for dinner a couple of evenings that is entirely up to you and you will feel quite at home!

Boat trip

We will enjoy a boat trip during the week from Akyaka which is around 30 minutes away. We will be taken and brought back by minibus. There are local shops in Akyaka which we will have plenty of time to visit after the boat trip. We will swim in a few different spots before enjoying a barbecue fish lunch followed by seasonal, local fruits.

Massage/sauna/ Hammam

The hotel has a traditional Hamman where guests can book an authentic Turkish bath.  The whole experience lasts for just over an hour and starts with a relaxing sauna followed by a steam, a cleansing exfoliating scrub and a soapy massage. To really complete the experience, you can choose to have a full body oil massage or just relax with a glass of cay (Turkish tea).

Optional extras

We have a number of additional extras for you…

Optional blood glucose monitors – this will measure your personal sensitivity to a rise in blood/muscle glucose so that you can physically see the effects of food on your body via your smart phone. This is very interesting not only for you but for general discussion as people react differently. This will help you find out what foods suit you and what to have infrequently. It’s not just about losing weight, but about how foods can make you feel full of energy or sleepy. Prices start at approximately £50 for 14 days of measurements.

TO BOOK

Prices start at £1700 per person and differ according to your room choice and whether you choose single or shared occupancy. Rates are also available for non-participating partners or companions please enquire when booking.  To book please email office@caldesi.com or call Sara on + 44 (0)207 487 0758 during office hours.

What’s included:

• Accommodation in the main hotel or in the cottages in the grounds
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Daily cooking classes
• Daily exercise sessions
• Boat tour including lunch
• Mid-week dinner in local village restaurant

 What’s not included:

• Flights
• Transfers
• Alcoholic beverages
• Travel insurance
• Massages, hammam scrub

YENICE VADI ROOMS AND PRICES

Rooms allocated on a first come, first served basis, depending on availability. The photographs are for illustration purposes only and your room might be slightly different than the ones pictured.