Dining experiences at homes of local hosts
 

I came across this idea about local people hosting tourists for a dinner at their homes and they even provide mini-cooking classes too! It is called BonAppetour. It seems like quite fun thing to do.

I was wondering if any of you have taken part in such activities before and if you have any advice?

There's also EatWith. I will try it out soon in NYC.

Anyone care to share thoughts on in-home dining experiences?

I am considering booking an EatWith dinner in Lima. As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be any vetting of hosts. I have three options according to my specific requirements and the one menu that appeals to me most luckily has nine 5-star reviews, but would I book a host with no reviews? I don't think so.

https://www.eatwith.com/search?datef...q=Lima%2C+Peru

Many years ago I read of such organizations through out Europe, unfortunately I didn't follow up. Maybe a good search might bring it up.

In a similar realm, I did an Airbnb Experience when on vacation in Sorrento, Italy in July that involved a cooking class in a couple's home just outside the city. It had incredible reviews and ended up exceeding my expectations. It was a three course meal that we cooked with them which ended up being an amazing experience. Searching in Lima there look to be a ton of options for that type of experience if it fit the bill of what you're looking for.

Back to finally update my question on Lima, I was able to secure a reservation with Senora Maria Zuniga in this Mark Wiens video. It was worth every bit of 100 soles (US$30) per person. The booking process wasn't quick or easy with lots of back and forth through email and whatsapp and a 70% deposit bank transfer. We had an 8-course lunch, two of them desserts. Her hospitality is as warm and comforting as her food. Oh, and she doesn't speak English and sits down at the table with each course to explain the dish and its cultural foundation. Two thumbs up. ^ ^

We had two amazing experiences with Eat With in Barcelona. One was an afternoon of market shopping and then a group meal that we all helped cook. The other was a dinner in a really cook sort of warehouse apartment where the hosts were professional chefs. It was in the fall and themed as "A walk through the woods" lots of fall-like dishes.

Is there something similar to EatWith or BonAppetour that's aimed more toward the UK and/or Ireland? I did some brief searches on both services for an upcoming Ireland trip and didn't find much. Even Airbnb Experiences didn't pull up all that many listings. (Granted, I only searched SW Ireland. It's possible Dublin and/or Belfast have a lot more listings, for instance.)