Five Day/Six Night Residential

Cooking Holiday

Our five day/six night cooking holiday runs from 4pm Sunday to 10am the following Saturday.

Our chef, Jim Fisher, tells you how it pans out...

You'll have a great time with us at Cookinfrance: we are relaxed, friendly and very positive about food. Simply put, we believe that food is good, and that cooking should be fun!

The course here covers all aspects of cooking, and we happily accept anyone from keen amateur to budding professional.

Knife skills, sauce-making, market visits...

Designed to cover as many facets of food and cooking as can be fitted into the week, your five day residential cooking holiday will also include visits to markets and other food-related venues.

Aimed at preparing and cooking real food for our own lunch and dinner, most of what you learn during the day will be put to the acid test at the dinner table.

A great value all-inclusive cooking holiday...

The cost of our five day cooking holiday includes:

• An evening meal here on the day of your arrival

• Practical hands-on tuition with the English chef (me, Jim Fisher)

• All cooking ingredients, equipment and aprons

• Continental breakfast each day

• Lunch each day

• Dinner on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday

• Tea, coffee and wine

• A meal at a typical local restaurant or auberge on Friday evening

• Entrance fees and transportation to places visited

• Free access to the private and secluded pool (open-air seasonal)

• Free Internet and Email access

Sunday arrival and a complementary evening meal...

Arrival is during Sunday whereupon you'll get to know your fellow guests over pre-dinner drinks and a complementary evening meal (don't worry, you don't have to cook this one - the real graft comes later!).

Cooking our own lunch and dinner...

Over the next few days, interspersed with tea and coffee breaks, we'll prepare and cook our own lunch, over which we can chat about what's been learnt so far. Then, it's back to the 'grindstone' for more hands-on cooking, again dotted here and there with the odd break.

At the end of the afternoon you can finally pat yourself on the back and have a well-earned rest (or do a bit of sight-seeing, or have a stroll around the area).

In the evening, we'll reassemble over a glass or two of wine, then, to complete our meal, we'll plate-up and serve.

Monday and Tuesday...

After a breakfast of steaming coffee and fresh croissants, it's off to the kitchen where I will briefly demonstrate some of the techniques you'll be putting into practice throughout the day.

However, most of the prep will be done by you as it's the best way to learn (and yes, that includes tidying and washing up as you go - it's good kitchen practice!).

Wednesday: a well-earned break...

On Wednesday morning we have a bit of a rest, but spend the time wisely with a trip to nearby medieval Sarlat and its wonderful market. Here, we'll pick up some produce to bring back and cook for lunch.

Wednesday either continues with more cooking, or you can just chill out and enjoy this lovely part of France.

Wednesday evening is your time to do with as you please, meaning: I won't be around cracking the whip! So you can go out to any one of the hundred or so restaurants and auberges in the area (if you don't have your own transport we'll happily take you into town and pick you up when you're done).

Thursday and Friday...

Thursday and Friday continue with more cooking, but on Friday afternoon we take you to our local walnut oil mill (one of the last water powered mills in the Dordogne) to see how the organic oil we use is made.

On Friday evening, come with us to our favourite restaurant where we'll treat you to an atmospheric meal in typical Dordogne style.

The food you could be cooking...

The Dordogne is a veritable hub of gastronomy; duck, for instance, is King here with dishes such as

• Magret de Canard Poêlé (pan-fried duck breast) served with Pommes Sarladaises (potatoes, onions and garlic fried in goose fat - though we prefer olive oil)

• Confit (duck legs salted, then rinsed, then slow-cooked in goose fat - sounds incredibly fattening, but the goose fat merely serves to seal in the flavour of the duck. The fat is removed prior to serving).

Other local dishes include:

• Bread Soup

• Chocolate and Walnut Tart

• Tarte Tatin (caramelised upside-down apple tart)

• Crème Brûlée (vanilla custard caramelised with a blowtorch)

Dishes from the Provence and around the Med...

• Bouillabaisse (fish and seafood stew)

• Moules Marinières (fresh mussels served in their own liquor)

• Orange and Garlic-Studded Leg of Lamb

• Chargrilled Seabass with a Vanilla Vinaigrette (an amazing flavour combination - vanilla and seabass)

• Slow Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic Mash and Red Wine Gravy

• Aligot (mashed potatoes with onion, garlic and dry white wine and local Cantal cheese - cheesy mash fit for a King!)

• Oven-dried Plum Tomatoes

• Sautéed Wild Mushrooms with Garlic

• Salt Cod (a piece of really fresh cod, lightly salted for an hour or so, then steamed) with Lemon Marinated Courgette

• Fougasse (focaccia-style flat bread baked as only they know how in Provence - and here!)

• Black Pepper Squid with Linguine (pasta is served extensively in southern France)

• Glazed Lemon Tart with Basil Ice Cream (yes, really!)

• Cenci with Monbazillac (deep-fried sweet pastry served with a local sweet white dessert wine)

The list is endless...

Above are just a few examples of what we do at Cookinfrance. I will tailor the course to you and the other guests, so, if there is anything else you need to know or just want a chat about any aspect of the course, please don't hesitate to contact me by email, or phone: 0033 (0)553 302405.

Want a second opinion..?

If you'd like to know more in the form of an independent source you can read two articles (1 & 2) written by a food writer who attended a recent course. And please do have a read of our great testimonials.

Want to bring a friend or partner?

Do you have a non-cooking friend or partner who would like to come along?  No problem - non-cooking guests are very welcome and, what's more, the price is about half that of the cook's rate and they'll get to taste all the lovely food!

Booking...

Booking is easy, and only an email or phone call away, so why wait?  Strike while the iron's hot - book a cooking holiday in France now and share an experience you'll never forget!