Your people. Your retreat. A week built around food.
Bring up to 17 friends, family or colleagues on a private Mediterranean Food Journeys retreat on the Costa Brava. No other guests, just your group, and every day designed around what you love to eat, drink and do.
Over the years we've filled a little black book with the beaches, restaurants, winemakers and producers we love most. A private retreat puts all of it at your group's disposal.
Suki & Steve
Milestone birthdays
A 40th, 50th or 60th that people will still talk about.
Friends & family
The trip you keep saying you'll organise, done for you.
Company offsites
Team cooking, long lunches and space to think.
Celebrations
Anniversaries, hen weekends, reunions.
A Catalan masia among the olive groves
Private retreats are based at Torre Ronsat, a traditional masia and Modernista tower on twenty acres of olive groves and gardens, with views over the Gavarres and the sea seven miles away. Two pools, a tennis court, trails into the hills and a farmhouse kitchen with a table long enough for everyone. Every room has air conditioning.
Nine bedrooms for seventeen
Cooking, exploring and eating well
Culinary workshops
Hands-on cooking with Steve each day, with dishes and techniques from right across the Mediterranean.
Gastronomic excursions
Wineries, olive farms, markets and beaches, chosen from our black book for your group.
Food & drink
Breakfasts, long lunches, dinners, local wines and Suki's cocktails.
Transport
Transfers to and from Girona, plus taxis to and from every excursion.
A retreat just for you
No other guests, just your group, with our team looking after you all week.
Things to take home
Your own MFJ recipe book and apron, so you can keep cooking it all.
We design the week around you
From your first message to your last breakfast, it's a conversation, not a booking form.
Tell us about your group
Fill out the form with your dates, numbers, the occasion, and the food you love (and don't).
We plan your week
We send you a draft itinerary and a detailed quote.
Secure your dates
A 50% non-refundable deposit secures your dates. The balance is due 3 months before you arrive.
Arrive and switch off
We collect you in Girona. From there, we look after you.
What five nights might look like
Every private week is different. Here's an example of how one could look.
Arrival & welcome dinner
Girona pick-up, a swim, then cocktails and a long first dinner in the garden.
Market morning · Paella al fresco
A local market, then an al fresco paella-making workshop.
Olive oil tasting · Fresh pasta
A family olive farm, then tortelloni made by hand back at the house.
Coastal walk & beach picnic
One of our favourite coves, a picnic, and an afternoon off.
Winery visit · Celebration feast
A tasting at a small Empordà winery, then a celebration dinner.
Slow breakfast & goodbyes
Recipe books, aprons, and a transfer back to Girona.
A retreat for every season
Every season on the Costa Brava has its own food and its own pace, and we plan your week around what's best when you come. Private retreats run all year round, except August.
Spring
Wild asparagus, artichokes and new peas, olive groves in flower, and the first swims of the year.
Summer
Long days by the pools, beach picnics, seafood straight off the boats and suppers outside under the stars.
Autumn
New-season wines, mushroom hunting in the hills and the olive harvest, with new oil to taste straight from the press.
Winter
Black truffles, calçots and sea urchin season, quieter beaches, and long, slow dinners together.
Pricing for your group
Prices are for your whole group, not per room, so how you split rooms and costs is up to you. Every quote we send lists each part of your retreat separately: accommodation, food and drink, culinary workshops, excursions and transport.
3 nights
From €1,235 per person with a group of 17.
- Accommodation
- Daily culinary workshops & excursions
- Meals, wine & cocktails
- Girona transfers & excursion taxis
5 nights
From €1,941 per person with a group of 17.
- Accommodation
- Daily culinary workshops & excursions
- Meals, wine & cocktails
- Girona transfers & excursion taxis
Built to your budget
- Upgraded experiences
- Private dining and events
- Celebration add-ons
Prices shown are totals per stay, including IVA. Your quote itemises each element with IVA at the rate that applies to it. Flights and travel insurance are not part of the retreat.
Upgrades from the black book
A day out on a boatLunch at a top restaurantPrivate winemaker dinnerPaella on the beachLive music nightBirthday cake by StevePriced individually. Ask us when you enquire.
Yes. Tell us when you enquire and every menu will be built around them.
You're very welcome. The base price applies, so you'll simply have more space.
Not at all. Join in as much or as little as you like.
Your 50% deposit is non-refundable. The balance is due 3 months before your start date and is also non-refundable once paid, so we recommend travel insurance for every guest.
If only more of life was as magical as this retreat.
What our guests say
Thank you for making this weekend so magical. Walking down the hill to the beautiful beach set-up, with champagne and oysters, really was one of the best days of my life. You all worked so hard to make it so seamless. We're well fed, relaxed, and have new memories for life.
What a place, what a menu and what a team! Steve, Suki and the rest of the team had thought of every detail. From making paella and a picnic on the beach to our brilliant tapas class, every experience was wonderful. The four days we spent there were absolute perfection.
A real novice to any form of cooking, I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Steve is not only a brilliant chef but a superb teacher, and he handled a diverse group of friends with effortless ease. Everyone said afterwards what a fantastic experience it was. I cannot recommend this highly enough!
Your gastronomic getaway
Tell us about your group
Fill out our short form with your dates and a little about your group, and we'll come back to you with ideas and availability.
Fill out the enquiry form