Portuguese cooking class in Sintra with a food-loving couple

Meet Margarida and Romain

Maggie and Romain are a lovely food-loving couple, who not surprisingly met over food! They are also the perfect duo – as one is the expert at making the custard and the other is the puff pastry expert, together they can whip out delicious pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts)! Maggie, a Portuguese native, is an IT product manager, who was born and brought up in Sintra. While Romain is French and works as a tourist guide in Lisbon, he leads bike tours teaching tourists about the rich history of Portugal. Together they will be bringing the French touch to the Portuguese pastry world! Maggie learned to make pastel de nata at a workshop while Romain was taught by a French baker. They are excited to share the Portuguese culture and traditions in a fun and engaging way. Also, this will be an insightful experience that they get to host together as a couple, sharing their love for food, cooking and Sintra!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

Cooking experience (1 - 4 guests) You will be welcomed by Maggie, Romain and their two kitties (Newton and Penny), to their apartment in Sintra, close to the Portela de Sintra train station. In your 2 hour Portuguese cooking class in Sintra learn to make the iconic Pastel de Nata from scratch, like a local or choose a traditional Portuguese menu. In the Pastel de Nata class Maggie and Romain will teach you how to make the puff pastry and the traditional custard. Get ready to roll your sleeves and help Romain to make the puff pastry dough. While that sets, help Maggie make the custard, shape and fill the tarts before you bake them. While baking together, they will share fun stories on how they met, learned to bake and some interesting facts about Portuguese culture and culinary traditions. After your Portuguese custard tarts are ready, join Maggie and Romain at the table to share the meal you helped prepare, which will be served with a few dishes that were pre-cooked.

If you choose the traditional Portuguese menu, Romain and Maggie will teach you to cook a home cooked Portuguese meal from scratch. Learn to make bacalhau à brás (codfish with egg, onion and chips) or arroz de polvo (octopus with rice). Please let them know your preference in advance, while booking the Sintra cooking class online.