Olive picking, Istria, Croatia
Croatia’s northernmost region is famous for its olives, and the Meneghetti hotel and winery produces four different varieties of oil from the 750 trees dotted across the estate. From early October to mid-November, guests can join the olive harvest and oil-making process, as well as oyster-shucking on the nearby fjords and truffle hunting (until the end of October). The hotel also offers wine tastings and tours, while the restaurant produces dishes created from the 1.5 hectare kitchen garden, with more than 44 species of fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Doubles from £210 B&B, meneghetti.hr
Truffle hunting, Transylvania, Romania
The lush, dense forests that roll out from the Valea Verde are famous for their “black gold”. From now until February, guests at Valea Verde can book the Truffle Hunting Weekend programme which mixes foraging with plenty of truffle-infused dishes. The guided hunt begins with an explanation of the different types of truffle and an introduction to the dogs that do the searching. Back at the hotel, dinner is a five-course truffle-tasting menu, before a breakfast of truffled eggs Benedict the following day.
Two-night breaks from £211pp full-board, valeaverde.com
Black lobsters, Fjällbacka, Sweden
Autumn is the time when the North Sea’s seafood-rich waters give up their bounty, with the lobster season kicking off in September. Enjoy a week’s self-driving tour of west Sweden, beginning in Gothenburg, including three days in Fjällbacka with a huge choice of lobster-fishing trips and seafood safaris from the town’s small port. The M/S Mira has three-hour lobster safaris that offer the chance to join in with pulling up the traps and harvesting the lobsters (msmira.se, £67pp), along with trips to the unspoilt Koster Islands, surrounded by a marine national park.
A week from £905pp B&B including car hire, discover-the-world.com
Figs and pomegranates, Andalucía, Spain
Autumn in the Alpujarras, a wave of hills in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada is the perfect time for hiking or cycling through the olive groves and almond trees, with plenty of harvest-themed celebrations and activities. Stay at Las Chimeneas, a charming hotel in the traditional hilltop town of Mairena, where hosts David and Emma offer visits to the local olive harvest and guided tours of their organic farm nearby, with the chance to pick figs, pomegranates and walnuts. Dinners offer Spanish classics with a North African twist.
A week from £880 half-board, including car hire, three picnics and an olive mill trip, inntravel.co.uk
Hazelnuts and herbs, Linguaglossa, Sicily
In late October the slopes below Etna’s famous crater buzz with people harvesting the area’s unique hazelnuts, along with fennel, asparagus and wild herbs. The Bonneherbe Estate offers 90-minute foraging experiences (£30pp) and can also organise horse-riding trips and picnics. The 17th-century Palazzo Previtera is a lovingly converted, art-filled guesthouse in the nearby town of Linguaglossa that oozes traditional Sicilian style, with ornate painted ceilings, original floor tiles and rich silks in the three suites and two cottages.
Doubles from £152 B&B, palazzoprevitera.com
Grape stomping, Provence, France
Few things are more traditional than “stomping” the grapes once they’ve been harvested, and at Les Pastras (lespastras.com), an organic farm in the picturesque Luberon region, guests can join in the grape treading in huge, waist-high barrels. The experience includes a traditional cheese and charcuterie lunch, washed down with free-flowing wine from the estate and a truffle and olive oil tasting. Stay at Le Mas du Colombier nearby, a family-run hotel with a peaceful pool area and walking trails from the door.
Doubles from £90 B&B, lemasducolombier.com
Herbs in Trentino, Italy
Mountain herbs grow in abundance on the slopes of the Dolomites. During October guests in the Valsugana region can join a foraging tour into the surrounding woodland to harvest everything from gentian and nettle to myrtle and Swiss pine, and in November you can go hiking in the Adamello Brenta natural park, where the trails that encircle Lake Tovel offer spectacular reflections of the auburn-tinged woodland that surrounds it. Castel Pergine makes an ideal base nearby, a dramatic 13th-century castle with 20 rooms, some chic and modern, others filled with antiques.
Two-night breaks from £110pp B&B, castelpergine.it
Cheese and wine, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Harvest and taste Italy’s best on this week-long “food adventure” staying at Casale Villarena, a simple but comfortable hotel set on the hillside above the fishing village of Nerano. The trip includes an afternoon joining the olive harvest, a visit to an agriturismo to taste lemons and oranges straight from the trees and the chance to make provolone and mozzarella. A wine tasting at the Marisa Cuomo winery is also included, with plenty of time to explore the region’s spectacular historic sites and unspoilt hiking routes.
A week costs from £1,960 for B&B, including car hire and all excursions, expertoitaly.com
Mushrooms and berries, Padaste Island, Estonia
Until the end of October, Pädaste Manor, a 16th-century estate on Muhu Island, is offering an Autumn Enchantment package, including two morning yoga classes and a four-course dinner. The forest around the hotel groans with wild harvest in autumn, including chanterelle mushrooms, bilberries, wild garlic and juniper. Easily explored on foot, the best way to experience the landscape is on horseback, or by carriage ride – both of which can be arranged at the nearby Tihuse farm (tihuse.ee), home to 200 native Estonian horses.
A two-night break, including all of the above and a €50 spa voucher costs £251pp B&B, padaste.ee
Grape picking, Douro valley, Portugal
Experience a day in the life of a grape harvester on this two-night break at the Quinta da Pacheca, set deep among the vine-clad slopes of the Douro Valley. After a welcome dinner, the following day begins with a traditional breakfast of onion soup and grilled sardines, before being given an authentic harvester’s attire – complete with straw hat and secateurs – and set to work on the vines. Lunch follows a morning picking, with a tour and tasting, before grape-treading, accompanied by large glasses of port.
Two-night breaks from 664pp half-board, including transfers, grapescapes.net.
