Santo da Serra Market, Cheese Tasting & Cooking Demo

A live journey into rural Madeira´s Sunday market, cheese and home cooking

Join Sean & Chef Sergio live from Santo António da Serra, often called Santo da Serra, for a virtual experience that brings together one of Madeira´s most authentic Sunday markets, local food traditions, artisan cheese and a Madeiran cooking demo.

Santo da Serra is a rural mountain village in eastern Madeira, shared by the municipalities of Santa Cruz and Machico. Set on a green high plateau above the coast, it is known for its fresh mountain air, countryside landscapes, levadas, farming traditions and lively Sunday market.

For us at Eat & Walkabout, this is exactly the kind of Madeira we love to share. It is not about rushing from one viewpoint to another. It is about slowing down, walking through the market, smelling the roasted frango, tasting local flavours, meeting people and understanding how food, land and community are still connected here.

We begin live at the Santo da Serra Sunday Market, where farmers, artisans, local families and visitors gather every week. This is one of the best places to experience rural Madeira in a simple and authentic way. You will see fresh produce, seasonal fruit and vegetables, flowers, local snacks, homemade products and traditional crafts.

A Sunday morning here is something you see, smell and taste. You may catch the aroma of fresh roasted frango, see people stopping for a poncha, or hear the local rhythm of a market where neighbours meet, vendors sell their produce and visitors discover a more local side of Madeira.

After the market, we continue into Madeira´s countryside food traditions with a visit connected to Santo Queijo, an artisan cheese producer in the Santo da Serra area. We will talk about local cheese, rural food culture and the importance of small producers in keeping Madeiran traditions alive.

The experience finishes with a relaxed Madeiran cooking demo, where market ingredients, local cheese and countryside flavours come together. This is a virtual taste of the kind of food experience we love: local, human, practical and rooted in place.

This live virtual experience is also connected to our in-person Madeira Culinary Day Tour: Artisan Cheese Farm & Cooking Class, a private culinary day from Funchal into Madeira´s countryside.

You can also explore more of the island in our Madeira Travel Guide and our Santo António da Serra Travel Guide.

Click the image below to register free for the live virtual experience.

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This live virtual experience takes place on a special date:

Live virtual experience date:
Sunday, July 12th, 2026 @ 12:00 PM Madeira Time (90 min. approx.)

Register free here:
Reserve your free place for the live stream

12:00 PM - Welcome from Santo da Serra Market

We begin live from Santo da Serra Sunday Market, one of the most authentic rural markets in Madeira. We will introduce Santo António da Serra, its location between Santa Cruz and Machico, and the local Sunday atmosphere that makes this mountain village such a special place to visit.

12:15 PM - Market walk with local food stories

We walk through the market stalls, looking at fresh produce, seasonal fruit and vegetables, flowers, local snacks, crafts and the everyday rhythm of rural Madeira. We will talk about the aromas, flavours and small traditions that make this market special, from the smell of fresh roasted frango to local drinks, simple dentinhos and the social life of a Sunday morning with the locals.

12:40 PM - Santo Queijo and artisan cheese tasting

We continue with the story of Santo Queijo, an artisan cheese producer from the Santo da Serra area. We will introduce the cheese, talk about local production and explain how small producers help keep Madeira´s countryside food traditions alive. This is also a chance to connect the market with the wider rural food culture of the island.

1:00 PM - Madeiran cooking demo

Using local ingredients and countryside inspiration, we join a relaxed Madeiran cooking demo connected to home cooking and rural flavours. This is a simple, real and practical way to understand the food behind the island, from local cheese and market ingredients to the kind of dishes and stories that make Madeira so memorable.

1:25 PM - Questions and Madeira travel inspiration

We close with questions from the live chat and ideas for visiting Madeira in person, including our artisan cheese farm and cooking class, rural food experiences, Santo da Serra, Machico, Santa Cruz and future Eat & Walkabout journeys in Madeira.