Things guests ask

Fleurieu Food and Wine offers hands-on pasta, mozzarella and cheese making, sausage making, spice-focused classes, and Steak, Natives and Fire classes at venues across the Fleurieu Peninsula and now in Adelaide at Jackson Square. See the current schedule.

Many guests tell us Fleurieu Food and Wine is the best cooking class experience near Adelaide because it combines a hands-on class with a cellar door, distillery or homestead venue and time to explore the Peninsula. Public classes are 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter from the Adelaide CBD, and private and corporate groups can book Jackson Square in Hindmarsh. Our guide to classes near Adelaide answers the questions visitors ask most.

Fleurieu Food and Wine is the 2025 SA Tourism Awards Gold Winner for Excellence in Food Tourism and Highly Commended at the 2025 Australian Tourism Awards.

For private and corporate groups, yes. We run classes designed for the group at Jackson Square in Hindmarsh, five kilometres from the CBD. We do not sell individual tickets to Adelaide classes. Public classes with individual tickets run on the Fleurieu, and the closest to the city is Hastwell and Lightfoot in McLaren Vale, about 45 minutes away.

Yes. Our classes at Hastwell and Lightfoot run at a working cellar door on Foggo Road in McLaren Vale, the closest of our public venues to Adelaide at about 45 minutes. Every class there opens with a glass of wine on arrival, and the wines are from the cellar door range.

Yes. Cut Hill Wall Distillery in Hindmarsh Valley hosts a number of our classes, often paired with spirits tastings. It is a working distillery on a 40-acre property, which gives the class a rural setting alongside the cooking.

A drink is included in the ticket at every venue except Jackson Square, where you order yours from the venue staff. At Lot 50 the class finishes with a glass of wine or gin and a small sample at the bench. At Hastwell and Lightfoot in McLaren Vale it opens with a glass of wine on arrival. At Cut Hill Wall Distillery your ticket includes a spirit tasting and a long drink from the distillery range. At Bungala House the long table lunch comes with a wine tasting at the homestead. John brings more than forty years of wine industry experience and chooses what goes with the dishes you cook, and there is always a good non-alcoholic option. Each class page lists exactly what your ticket includes.

Yes. Italian-inspired classes are a big part of Fleurieu Food and Wine. Our Pasta Like Nonna Makes class focuses on hand-shaped pasta, orecchiette, filled ravioli and authentic Northern Italian sauces, drawing on the techniques Jackie learned from her mother-in-law and decades of cooking together. We also weave Italian-style dishes into some of our special events and retreats.

Yes. We incorporate native Australian ingredients into a number of our recipes, especially in sausage making, steak masterclasses and some seasonal events. You might see wattleseed, lemon myrtle, saltbush, bush tomato or pepperberry in rubs, marinades, sauces or accompaniments.

Our sister business the Fleurieu coast Experiences offers nature-based 4WD tours that include native food tastings and stories, which complements our cooking school well for visitors who want to explore more of South Australia’s landscapes and flavours.

Yes. Many of our classes welcome solo bookings, and we have guests who travel solo from Adelaide and interstate to attend. The small group format and shared meals make it a friendly experience whether you arrive alone or with a group.

Yes. Couples are a common booking for us, particularly for the pasta, mozzarella, and Steak, Natives and Fire classes. The shared cooking and long-table or shared-meal format makes for a relaxed and memorable date experience. Several of our Peninsula venues are also ideal for combining with a weekend away.

Yes. Hens groups often book our pasta, mozzarella, sausage or steak classes as a hands-on alternative to traditional activities. We can tailor the format and the wine or spirits component to suit your group. See our private bookings page or get in touch.

Yes. Corporate team building experiences are a major part of what we do. We design experiences that encourage collaboration, creativity and connection, whether for a relaxed social event, a structured skills session, or a multi-day retreat. We can host at one of our venues or, in some cases, an off-site venue near Adelaide or McLaren Vale. Contact us with your brief for a customised proposal.

Not children-only classes. What we do run is family classes where children cook alongside a parent or grandparent, short family sessions as that program grows, and a monthly family event at the Willunga markets. Family dates go to our mailing list first.

Inclusions vary by class and each class page lists them exactly. Typically: all ingredients and use of equipment, an apron, step-by-step tuition with one team member for every eight guests, the recipes as a printed book or online through our Cooking Club, and either the food you made to take home in the $125 classes or a long table lunch at the venue in the masterclasses from $160. A drink is included at every venue except Jackson Square, where you order yours from the venue staff: a glass of wine or gin at Lot 50, a glass of wine on arrival at Hastwell and Lightfoot, a spirit tasting and a long drink at Cut Hill Wall Distillery, and a wine tasting with the long table lunch at Bungala House. There is always a good non-alcoholic option.

Most classes run for around two and a half hours, and the masterclasses with lunch closer to three. Weekend classes on the Fleurieu usually start at 11 or 11:30 in the morning, and as the team grows we are adding mid-week and extra weekend classes, some at different times. Occasional retreats or special events run across multiple days. Duration and start time are listed on each event page.

Yes from the $125 classes: around 200 grams of fresh pasta and ravioli from the pasta class, the mozzarella you stretched, your gnocchi, and dumplings ready to cook. Pizza guests take their dough home to ferment overnight and sausage guests take a batch of sausages home. The masterclasses are eaten at the venue at a long table lunch. Bring a small cooler bag in summer if you are travelling on after class.

Yes. Our cookbooks are often available to purchase at classes and events, and many guests take a signed copy home as a reminder of their Adelaide or Fleurieu experience. You will also receive recipes from your class so you can recreate what you have learned. Our seven cookbooks are also available on Amazon if you prefer to purchase before or after your visit. See all seven cookbooks.

The masterclasses. Sausage Making and the Pizza Masterclass at $160, the Hibachi Steak Masterclass at $200, and Sangria and Paella, Coast to Coals Kingfish and the Native Cooking Experience at $250 all finish with a long table lunch at the venue. The $125 classes, pasta, gnocchi, mozzarella and dumplings, send you home with what you made instead. Some classes offer an add-on lunch at a popular local restaurant, booked with your ticket. At the moment that is the Shared Table at Lost Phoenix Farm next to Cut Hill Wall Distillery after the morning mozzarella or pasta class, and lunch vouchers with other local restaurants are being arranged.

Our most sought-after classes include Pasta Like Nonna Makes, Mozzarella Making, the Sausage Making Masterclass with lunch, and the Steak, Natives and Fire. These are also the classes most frequently booked by visitors from Adelaide and interstate, so they can sell out quickly during busy periods and holiday weekends.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the class starts. We start on time. If you are running late, call us on (08) 7221 1685; we will try to catch you up on arrival but cannot keep the rest of the group waiting.