This activity went straight to the top of my list of the best things to do in Paphos, as I loved every second of it and Sofia’s personality shined through straight away.
So what is this and why do you have to book it for your holiday in Cyprus? Well I’ll cover all below.
Who Is Sofia
Sofia is a sweet lady who lives in Letymvou in Paphos, an area inland and quite hilly, where Sofia makes food in her garden, the most notable items being the fresh halloumi, ricotta and bread.
This is Sofia and Andreas personal house, it’s not a tourist attraction as such, albeit it’s certainly growing in popularity.
Two tourists were walking along, when they spotted Sofia making bread in her front garden. They asked her if they could come and watch, at which point she welcomed them in and they had a taste. From watching her work her magic to trying the food she created, they were mesmerised and highlighted this to others. Very quickly, this grew from her usual daily routine to an actual key activity in Paphos for visitors.
Since then, she has opened up a table area at the back where you can have lunch, utilising ingredients she sources on her land or locally, so no ultra processed foods!
Cooking Bread
When we first arrived, Sofia had a number of loaves set out ready to be baked, all with beautiful designs etched into them. She had baked some for us, some for others eating that day, as well as a few for her local church.
She then loads them into the giant oven, as you get to smell the aroma of bread being baked filling the air.
While we were just observing today, I believe they also run workshops on bread making and cheese making if this is something you’d like to learn.
Halloumi Tasting
Sofia then took us around to the back garden, where she showed the cheese that had been being produced. She had two different variations, one being halloumi and the other being ricotta. The whey is drained away, leaving the curds.
She sprinkled some salt on them, before we got to try them. I straight away asked whether the halloumi would be cooked, as I’m used to eating it grilled, but our guide then explained that you don’t eat fresh halloumi grilled as it would lose all its shape and taste, so it’s better to eat it as it is.
They were right, this was so much better than the supermarket cheese I’m used to eating, I kept sneaking some more bites as it was so moreish.
They were both made from a combination of sheep and goat milk, all local of course.
House Tour
After trying the cheese, they welcome you to walk around their house to see the way they live. It does feel a bit bizarre, like staring into someone’s house as if they’re a museum, but it’s also very sweet, seeing their family photos on the wall, the traditional ornaments and heirlooms and the items they use on a daily basis.
It’s fascinating to see how someone lives in a different country, to learn about their culture and way of life, so this does really intrigue me. The sewing machine she had looked identical to the one we had in our house growing up which made me curious to find out more, but my stomach was rumbling and it was time to eat!
The Meal
We had spent the morning touring the Tomb of the Kings, followed by the Kato Paphos archaeological park, therefore we had truly worked up a hunger and being around 2pm, we were so excited to eat.
The first dish to arrive was the freshly cooked bread. This wasn’t the one we had seen go in, as that still had 2 hours to go, but she had made some that morning for us. That gorgeous freshly baked bread aroma instantly hit my nostrils as I floated off like a cartoon. She also brought out a salad full of olives, cucumber, tomatoes and lettuce, a nice healthy start to our feast!
Of course, you can’t have the fresh warm bread without the cheese, so we were also provided with plates of halloumi and ricotta. They were dangerously placed right next to me, I’m not sure how long they lasted on the plate before I nibbled them all.
Following this was my favourite item to arrive, the ravioli with some grated cheese on top. I had to ask if this was made locally, which I was stunned to hear once again it was all made from scratch using local ingredients she either produced or neighbours had. It was phenomenal and the taste was sublime.
Sofia then emerged in the room announcing “chicken, chicken, chicken” in a chirpy happy tone, which made us all instantly smile. Of course, she was talking about the chicken and potatoes she was carrying into the room.
The guide talked about the potatoes, well known Cypriot ones which were longer than ones we’re used to in the UK, which gave them a distinctive flavour when cooked. They were so buttery and tasty, I wanted to smuggle a few in my pocket when nobody was looking, but thought best not to.
She also brought out huge plates of lamb, I mean a seriously decent amount, I was already filling up by this stage so I had to slow it down, something I’m not used to doing. But they love their hefty portion sizes in Cyprus!
To finish off, not that there was any space left in my tummy, they brought out a dessert. I can’t quite remember the name but we all agreed it’s closest resemblance would be a churros, while it was the perfect sweet ending to our meal.
Ok, Sign Me Up, But How?
At the time of writing, Sofia and Andreas don’t run a website or manage social channels. They have a Facebook page but it hasn’t been updated in years.
You can reach them by phone on +357 99995961 (mobile) / +357 26642224 (landline), while English isn’t their first language (obviously), Andreas is pretty decent at the language and will happily take the booking over the phone.
If you’re staying in Paphos and want to book this activity, you can speak to the hotel staff who can call the number up to make the booking.