Cooking
holidays in South-West France, traditional French cooking taught by a French
person in a relaxed atmosphere.
For real-food
lovers!
French
cooking with a French cook... because it just makes sense!
French
cuisine is rich in history and tradition, but South-West cooking in
particular is one of the
most diverse, thanks to the geography and the climate. The
culinary heritage is very much alive, being passed
from one generation to the next.
Our
cooking holidays are designed to make you discover and
practice South-West France cuisine.
It is all about fresh seasonal ingredients and local produce,
and mostly rustic, heart warming food... no fancy nouvelle cuisine here!
Our morningsl consist
in going to local markets and farms to sample and learn about the local
specialities, and our afternoons are spent in the kitchen,
producing local dishes for our meals.
YOU
WILL LEAVE US HAVING LEARNT MANY OF THE BASIC TECHNIQUES FOR
PREPARING FRENCH DISHESamongst which are: mayonnaise, omelette, pâté, quiche,
finger-licking gravy and sauces,
confit, stews
and gratins, without using any measuring instrument. Our goal is to
teach you so that you have a feel for the food, and thereby increase your confidence so you
can improvise cooking a French meal without a recipe book.
This
totally informal workshop is
run in English or
French by Marlène, your host. Passionate about food, experienced both in
teaching and cooking, she is dedicated to sharing with you traditional French
home cooking techniques and recipes.
Re-discover
shopping for food, buying products of quality, and experience
cooking from scratch: pick
aromatic herbs from our garden, collect fresh eggs every day, pluck and prep home-bred
poultry, pick fruit and
mushrooms (in season), ... We source ingredients from local producers,
farms and markets. We could be making bread, stews, roasts, soups, quiches, pâtés,
tarts, cakes, curing and smoking meat, or even making your
own sausages. We can joint and cut the duck, and make confit and
rillettes as it
is tradition in the South-West. (See below the jointing and cutting of a
duck)
What
better way to discover the area than visiting village markets and farms,
and being introduced to the succulent regional
products such as Bazas beef, cèpes, prunes, " gariguette"
strawberries, melon, asparagus, Marmande tomatoes, ... We will also
attend local food events and festivals when they occur (see below pictures
of the Asparagus Celebration in April 2007).
Nov.07.
Sue amazed by her gargantuan brioche
Sep.07.
Claude,
Maria and Christopher enjoying a laid-back lunch at the goat farm
June
08. Mike working on his bread dough
Apr.08.
Mark
(aka "Poutouk") was a natural at milking goats
We
think that cooking comes from the heart,
and that food should make your belly smile, so we make sure you learn to cook
dishes that you will enjoy producing back home for years to come, from
fancy dinner parties to every-day family meals. Of course we will also make sure that you have
great fun in
the process... It is your holiday after all!
The
purpose-built kitchen has 4 distinct and fully equipped workstations, each
with its own stainless-steel 5 rings cooker. There is a suggested maximum of
4 participants
per venue, to make sure everyone gets individual attention.
You also have the possibility to book a cooking short
break.
Apr.08.
Wine
tasting at the chateau ofLeyritz-Moncassin
June
08. Wayne frying his "pommes paillasson"
July
08. At just 16, Kate was our youngest participant yet
June
08.
YOUR
HOLIDAY PROGRAM:
-
You arrive on
Sunday afternoon, and are welcomed with drinks and canapés. We get to know each other
a bit. Basically, you just settle in and make yourself at home. We meet up
for dinner.
-
On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we leave after
breakfast to go to a market or visit a producer. We come back to prepare a
quick lunch based on our findings. From 4.00pm, we meet again in the
kitchen, where everyone gets involved in a
real team effort to prepare dinner.
Aug.08.
Raquel executed a "brulé" like a professional
Aug.08.
Aurora, are you sure you can sweet-talk this salmon into behaving?
Apr.08.
Christelle, proud of her fresh ravioli dough
From
4.00 pm or 5.00 pm, we meet in the kitchen to prepare dinner.
- Friday
is free, to give you a chance to relax and visit (If you wish, we can drive you to
town). Lunch is provided if you stay at home. We meet up early evening
for our "aperitif" and dinner.
-
Departure is on Saturday morning.
Depending on the season and on their
availability, we will visit some producers among the following:
cheese maker, duck farm, game farm, wine-producing
château, bread maker, fish farm ...
June
08. Daryl, our specialist in presentation
July
08. Sandra and Kate had a little flour-fight
Apr.08
Marian
executed a beautiful mushrooms "Bordelaise"
July
08. Lora and Nicole, lit up our kitchen with their smiles
Aug.08.
A real buzz in the kitchen
Mr
Aureglia, butcher in Bazas, gave us a quick lesson in signs of
quality
Aug.08.
At Casteljaloux market
Spring
This is the time of year when we have had
enough of the cold, when flowers start blooming, new vegetables appear, everything gets colourful
again, including our plates. Our Spring course celebrates just that!
Among
many other ingredients, we will cook with the organic asparagus grown by
our neighbour, locally made goat cheese,
local lamb and veal, and our home-bred guinea-fowl. We will smoke salmon
or trout, and we will also prepare
succulent desserts with
the local "gariguette" strawberries (from April), ...
Summer
Very warm
weather, very long days. We will
be preparing meals in the coolness of the house, and come out onto
the terrasse to enjoy them as the sun cools down. We will make the best of the
abundant fruit and vegetable, preparing great dips and sauces to accompany
them. We will prepare the basque fish soup, the
"cousin" of the bouillabaisse, and sit back to enjoy
great selections of tapas.
We
will get beautiful fruit and vegetable from a producer down the road, cook
farm-bred
duck and chicken, we will make terrines with locally bred rabbit and
the garden herbs, fresh pasta, soufflés with local goat cheese, tarts with the garden
peaches, cherry clafoutis, ...
We will also use our home oak-smoked salmon or trout.
Autumn
The
scenery is changing, getting ready for winter, so are we. This is the
return of the pot-roasts, the season of game. The whole region catches the
"blue disease" (this is how they call the hunt for wild
pigeons). It also is the time to pick mushrooms, and
the "season" of the fat duck. We will enjoy our evenings on the
terrace gathered around the outdoor chimney.
We
will go to the forest down the road and pick wild mushrooms and gather
chestnuts, we will get
our fat ducks from a farm and make our own confit, rillettes and cook the
foie gras, we will make game pâté, onion jam, home-bred coq au vin, rabbit in prunes with home made fresh
pasta, tarte Tatin, ...
Winter
At
this time of year, we need to come back to a cosy home, enjoy the warmth
of the wood-burning stove, and give in to our appetite for rich soups,
stews and other belly-warmers! It is also time to make good use of the
confits made earlier in the year.
We
will make the local garlic soup, the unmissable "cassoulet" and
"garbure", we will use Bazas beef for a beautiful "daube" and an oxtail
stew, we will make
the famous poule au pot (hen), and pot-roast home-bred guinea-fowl with
cabbage, ...
French Christmas
This
is serious business, pure indulgence! All about quality and quantity
combined to feed the people you love. A feel of luxury, but without too
much fuss, not to lose the honest quality of the noble ingredients.
We
will cook with: Scallops, fresh foie-gras, truffles, home-smoked salmon,
traditional roast turkey or goose, Christmas log,
chocolate truffles ...
Rates:
The
following are all 5 days/ 6 nights stays which include:
full
board accommodation (breakfast, light lunch and dinner)
linen
and towels
daily
chamber maid service
cooking
workshop, all ingredients, equipment and apron.
welcome
drink and canapés
water,
tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day
aperitif
before dinner
wine
with meals
outings
and tastings
You
can also pick your theme for your cooking holiday, to concentrate on the
cuisine that interests you: Cooking for dinner parties, cooking for
friends, desserts, chocolate, terrines and pâtés ...
The
holidays take place all year round, just inquire about the dates that suit
you. But keep in mind that you can create your own customized holiday, and
mix the activities (see our "short
breaks" page). Why not try a wine-tasting and cooking
holiday?
2008
PRICES:
VENUES
2008 DATES
PRICE
PER PARTICIPANT
On
the basis of 2
people sharing
Seasonal
cooking
all
year round (6 nights)
895
EUR
Short
break Seasonal
cooking
all
year round (3 nights)
450
EUR
French
Christmas
December 2008 (6
nights)
1080
EUR
Prices
quoted above are per person. Maximum 2 occupants per room.
Accompanying
non-participants quoted as follows : 190 EUR for 3 nights and 390 EUR
for 6 nights,
full board, outings included.
For
individual occupancy: 25 EUR/night extra.
The
rooms will be allocated on a first come - first served basis, on
confirmation and payment of your holiday.
2009
PRICES:
VENUES
2009 DATES
PRICE
PER PARTICIPANT
On
the basis of 2
people sharing
Seasonal
cooking
all
year round (6 nights)
950
EUR
Short
break Seasonal
cooking
all
year round (3 nights)
480
EUR
French
Christmas
December
2009 (6 nights)
1140
EUR
Prices
quoted above are per person. Maximum 2 occupants per room.
Accompanying
non-participants quoted as follows: 210 EUR for 3 nights and 430 EUR
for 6 nights
For
individual occupancy: 27 EUR/night extra.
The
rooms will be allocated on a first come - first served basis, on
confirmation and payment of your holiday.
One-Day-Courses
and Gift Vouchers:
We
will be happy to send a personalised gift voucher to the person of your
choice should you wish to book a cooking holiday or a one-day-course as a
present.
If
you are having a holiday in the area you can join us for a one-day-cooking course.
We
can plan together a whole day of cooking, for that little extra French
experience in your holiday. We can concentrate on local cuisine, or
explore a broader range of French cuisine.
We cook all
morning, preparing of course lunch
in the process, and back to the kitchen in the afternoon. You will take
away the fruits of your labour to enjoy with your family.
Price
of the one-day-course: 95 EUR/pers for 2008, and 105 EUR/pers for 2009. including one day tuition,
lunch (wine included), take-away dinner
for 2, and soft drinks throughout the day.