Field notes № 04 · Crete, Greece

A little
starstruck
in Crete.

Peskesi Farm & a cooking class in Archanes

From Yanni & Denise · As told by Denise

We went to Peskesi for a farm tour and happened to meet someone whose cookbooks I had already bought.

Three people smiling behind an outdoor kitchen counter beneath a large stone cooking hearth — A happy encounter at Peskesi’s outdoor kitchen.

Around Peskesi

Beautiful at
every turn.

While we were staying in Archanes, a small, beautiful village outside Heraklion, we spent a day at Peskesi Farm. Our guide, Panagiota, took us through the gardens and told us about the farm’s history and the owners’ wish to teach others about the Mediterranean diet.

The farm is organic and biodynamic, and so thoughtfully designed. It was beautiful at every turn. Its fruits and vegetables supply the Peskesi restaurant in Heraklion, where we plan to have our last meal in Crete before returning to San Diego.

A woman in black speaking beside a leafy vegetable bed while a man in a white shirt listens — Among the vegetable beds at Peskesi.

Bundles of dried herbs hanging across a stone room above jars, a wooden table and a fireplace — Herbs overhead, jars along the walls.

Small flowering plants spilling from pockets around a tall terracotta planter — Something to look at around every turn.

A familiar face

I was a little
starstruck.

While we were there, we met Irini Tzortzoglou, who won MasterChef UK in 2019. I follow her on Instagram and have bought her cookbooks, so it was quite a surprise to find ourselves getting to know her and her husband, John.

We discovered so many connections. Greece really does feel small sometimes. Everyone seems to know each other! It was an honor to meet her, and such fun talking with them both.

After the tour

And then
they fed us.

Freshly made tirouzouli, a cheese very similar to ricotta, olives, an eggplant dish with bulgur, and the best zucchini fritters ever. That is my verdict, and I’m sticking with it.

Plates of fresh white cheese and eggplant with bulgur beside olives and a basket of bread — Tirouzouli, olives and eggplant with bulgur after the tour.

Golden zucchini fritters piled on a white plate on the outdoor wooden table — The zucchini fritters we are still talking about.

Two participants laughing at the cooking table with a bowl of filling and grape leaves in front of them — Getting to work on the dolmathes.

At our hotel in Archanes

Our turn
to cook.

Our hotel was also hosting an al fresco cooking class. We learned a few inside secrets for making dolmathes, stuffed grape leaves, and had a lovely time making them together.

Afterward, we learned about the different types of olive oil. Yanni, meanwhile, kept asking when the wine was coming.