Jungle Kitchen

Amazing hosts, fantastic Villa wonderful culinary experience with great views and truly learning the art of Thai cuisine. I have done many courses in Bangkok, Phuket, Samui and it is the best of all. A must do when visiting the island.

We visited Koh Samui in November 2023 for my wife’s 30th birthday. We have always been interested in cooking classes whilst travelling and came across the Jungle Cooking class on [ ]. After booking, Tom reached out to introduce himself and ask what dishes we would be interested in cooking and if we had any dietary requirements in our group (7 of us). He suggested 3 dishes which would cater to everyone’s dietary needs (we had 1 vegetarian, 1 who was gluten-free and the rest of us didn’t eat beef).
It was very easy to communicate with Tom and arrange the pick-up from our villa. We were welcomed by Tom and his wife, Lin, at the front door of their beautiful home and we had the most amazing experience.
We were given a tour of their garden where they grow most of the ingredients used in the class and we began preparing the 3 dishes.
What makes this cooking class different from any others we have done is the homely element and the method of cooking. We cooked all of our 3 dishes on charcoal, a method we have never used and we’re told by Tom that was this to showcase what it was like cooking these dishes decades / centuries ago.
Lin and Tom were wonderful hosts, taught us how to make incredible dishes and it was a pleasure to not only attend their cooking class but also spend the evening with them.
We would recommend this cooking class to anyone in Koh Samui looking for authentic Thai food and a wonderful evening with two genuine people.

Wonderful experience, well organised, excellent food and a beautiful outdoor space to cook in. Thanks again to Tom and Lin - we had a blast!

Couples/Friends
November 2023

The 4 of us booked the class through TripAdvisor, that process was easy as can be. Soon after, Tom and Lin reached out to us to confirm any special dietary needs and if transportation is needed to their home/outdoor jungle kitchen. Tom was great to arrange taxi transportation from our Koh Samui hotel to the kitchen. When we arrived Tom met us at the door and introduced us to another couple joining the class, talking with them about travel and food was a great experience. Tom then gave a tour of their estate and history of their kitchen and cooking class. Lin created a special welcome drink for our group, very refreshing. The class began with Lin going through the menu and describing what we will be cooking. Lin took the time to describe each ingredient and began instruction as we began to assemble the dishes we were cooking that night. The whole evening was very special as Lin showed the group what to do over the open coal flames. Tom would keep the discussions going all while being a photographer for the night. We cooked three dishes then sat down and enjoyed the feast with some optional beverages. Bring some cash for the beer and wine. The whole evening lasted 4+ hours, the food, the drinks, and the cooking class exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend the Jungle Kitchen Cooking class!

Such a hidden gem!
My wife and I were searching for a nice evening event for us and our guests on Koh Samui for the day before our wedding. We were so unbelievable happy that we found Lin and Tom. They were incredible helpful from the second we contacted them. Immediately Tom elaborated and proposed an open kitchen concept that fited our idea of a nice and relaxed evening perfectly. There was simply nothing to complain about. All the details were strait on point: The pick up from our place was funny, because it is quit a ride up the hill. As we arrived, we got some passionfruit daiquiris as a welcome drink. Btw the viewpoint close by is spectacular. Overall Chilling hill is a magical garden. We got in touch with most of the ingredients, we needed for cooking later. The experience of cooking and eating (Duck/ Red Snapper) was simply magnificent. On top Lin and Tom were unbelievable hospitable. Everyone was overwhelmed by their hospitality. Even the bigger group size of about 19 people was handled perfectly. It was an evening we will always remember. It was hard to compete with the atmosphere during this evening on our actual wedding day ;-)
Thanks for everything
Sarah and Chris

We spent an afternoon at The Tamarind Tree cooking school with 2 of our best friends. The day really starts on the journey up to Chilling Hill as the views are spectacular. Lyn and her team met us on arrival and took us for a tour around the quirky and fruitful hillside garden. The kitchen is new yet authentic and Lyn soon had us wearing aprons at our work stations making curry paste. The afternoon was relaxed and well organised, Lyn has a calm and clear manner and is interesting and knowledgeable. The meals we cooked from scratch were all made to our individual tastes and we all ate together afterwards enjoying the treetop and garden views. I highly recommend this cooking school and will definitely be promoting this to all our visitors and guests. Thanks Tom for all the great photos too!

Beautiful cooking experience high up in the mountains of Koh Samui. What I would call a hidden gem - combining Thai authenticity with first-world service.
Lin and Tom are exceptional hosts - Tom ensuring that everyone makes it up the mountain to Chill Hill and generally providing a host of information and knowledge about the amazing location and Lin - teacher and chef - ensuing that the most delicious of food is prepared, cooked and served.
The kitchen is geared up for everyone to actively participate in the cooking, with many work-stations.everything is kitted out in traditional materials - giving a feeling of how it might have been in the good old days, cooking in the jungle.
Nan (owner of the garden) provides a tour of all the fruits and herbs - many of which we got to try. The food was some of the best Thai food I have ever tasted so Lin's recipes and tips are spot on - I am pretty sure that my cooking skills alone could not have produced anything quite so delicious!
After we finished cooking we ate together - on the wide open balcony overlooking the gardens. Before leaving, Tom and Lin took us a short walk up to the viewpoint for an amazing view of the island and sea beyond to Koh Phangan before driving us back down the hill to reality and the hustle and bustle of Koh Samui.
A not to be missed experience.