A tour of discovery to the Basque Country

Speaking with Jon Warren (co-creator of the Discover the Basque Country tour and founder of San Sebastian Food) it quickly becomes clear that one of his favourite words is ''experience'', closely followed by the adjectives ''real'' and ''authentic''.

The Discover the Basque Country tour (created in conjunction with Irish journalist and Basque Country expert Paddy Woodworth) is testament to Jon''s personal rule of keeping it real: "It''s a chance for people to have a really memorable, unique experience.

"So many holidays can be sanitised; what we offer is the opposite: everything is laid bare, from inside restaurant kitchens to behind the scenes at fiestas... we haven''t cut any corners."

The Tour will have its first run this July in the village of Lesaka in Northern Navarre, an opportunity to ''discover a rich and ancient culture whilst enjoying the pleasure of superb cutting-edge gastronomy''.

The Tour is a heady mix of culture and cuisine: Talks from expert historians among ancient surroundings are interweaved with more laidback ''pintxo'' tastings and hands-on cookery lessons with a local Michelin-class chef.

Though essentially based on immersing its clients in a genuine experience, the Tour is by no means devoid of luxury; guests enjoy, for example, private transfer to their hotel in Sare (French Basque Country), a beautiful sixteenth-century former coach house, where they are greeted by cocktail and canapés.

Beginnings

The Discover the Basque Country tour was born out of a chance meeting between two lovers of the Basque Country: One of its culture, the other of its gastronomy.

Originally from Bray in Ireland, Paddy Woodworth has been writing about the Basque Country since 1975. In a space of more than 30 years he has published two books about the Basques and lectured widely on a variety of Basque topics in the US, Britain, Ireland and Spain, which he combines with a personal love and attachment to the territory.

Jon Warren moved to San Sebastian in 2008, since which time he has been on a journey of culinary discoveries. He now aims to share his adventure with other visitors to the area through his company San Sebastian Food and a regular slot in Gourmetour.

"I was fascinated by the culture of the Basque Country," says Jon, "but felt it would be very hard for me (alone) to do a tour without (Paddy''s) depth of knowledge.

"Paddy had thought about setting up a tour business, but didn''t have the time to dedicate to it.

"He was very keen that the locations we choose for the tour should have significance; for example, there are chapters in his book (The Basque Country: A Cultural History) about Lesaka and Sare."

The 4-day Discover the Basque Country tour builds on tours that Jon already runs through his company (San Sebastian Food), which share the same objective: to avoid the archetypal ''five star level'' treatment and instead offer ''a chance to see or experience things (the clients) wouldn''t normally have access too''.

San Fermines with a difference

The tour in July has been organised to coincide with the San Fermin fiestas of Lesaka, lesser-known than their Pamplona counterpart but, perhaps for that very reason, more intimate and arguably more authentic.

In his book, Paddy is unreserved in his esteem for the fiesta, which for him has no equal in the Basque Country; "performed with grace and elegance but without pretence, within a general atmosphere of well-mannered bacchanalia".

With the cultural side largely covered by Paddy and local historian Rafa Eneterreaga, who knows "every nook and cranny" of Lesaka, the other side of the tour is its equally deep insight into Basque cuisine, Jon''s area of expertise:

"What I love about the cookery class is that it''s very authentic," says Jon. "It''s a real working kitchen (with) orders coming in, deliveries for fresh fish... people get to learn the secrets, the tricks. They''ll definitely go away with a good understanding of Basque Gastronomy."

Other features include a guided Pyrenean tour as well as a special tasting menu at San Sebastian''s Bokado restaurant in their private dining room with balcony, whose location next to the city''s port affords guests a mesmerising view of the city: "the perfect end to the tour".