Cook
in
France
A relaxed friendly hands-on cooking holiday in the Dordogne, France
T: 0033 (0)553 302405             M: 0033 (0)622 655789             Bombel, 24290, St Amand de Coly, Dordogne, France              Google Maps

About Us

Jim Fisher is an English chef and jointly runs Cookinfrance with Lucy, his wife of 26 years. Jenny, their seventeen year old daughter ("I'm nearly eighteen!"), goes to the renowned College of Catering and Hotellery at nearby Souillac.

They live in a converted barn in the rolling Dordogne countryside with Crookshanks, their tabby cat.

Jim tells their story...

Ten years ago I had a secure job, a modern house on a safe street in a nice provincial English town and my eight year old daughter went to a progressive school.

I lived the quintessential cosy suburban life. So comfortable was this life that I actually couldn't wait to get out because, for me, it wasn't really a life at all: it was dull existence.

Jim Fisher was a self-taught chef before reaching the semi-final of BBC Masterchef..

So, I did what most men do at the approach of the big "four-oh!" - I looked around for something new and challenging. Holding down a very secure and responsible job for the last seventeen years left me feeling somewhat exposed by the prospect of finding a new one, but I did have a card up my sleeve: I had become a self-taught chef.

Needing some gauge as to my competence in the kitchen, however, gave me the idea of entering the BBC Masterchef competition. One of the judges was personal hero Rick Stein who's first comment on seeing and tasting my winning dish was nothing other than, "Wow!"

Fresh from Masterchef, I went on to win the £5,000 1st prize in the Rick Stein/Radio Times sea fish cookery competition with an original dish.

Building on experience...

As a consequence of all this, I was invited to work under the popular TV chef at his Seafood restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall, where I learnt many aspects of the restaurant trade. Cooking for 120 covers every lunch time, with even more in the evening, certainly honed my cooking skills leaving me hungry for more.

A stint in the London kitchens of another TV chef, Alastair Little, extended my expertise. Here, I learned the benefits of cooking great food in a simple way - Alistair Little's own raison d'๊tre.

I subsequently appeared on the BBC Food and Drink programme working alongside chef Tony Tobin of Ready Steady Cook fame, cooking for 150 guests at a charity dinner.

A growing desire to travel...

Now confident in my cooking we set up Wine&Dine, a successful enterprise specialising in cooking dinner parties for people in the comfort of their own home. In partnership with wine expert and former wine-buyer for Sainsbury's, Julia Jenkins, I planned, prepared and cooked the meal, demonstrating the various courses. Julia selected and presented wines to go with each course.

Meals were based on my love of traditional regional dishes, not only from British shores, but also the Mediterranean and Pacific Rim.

Though hugely successful, Wine&Dine eventually took second place to our growing desire to travel with a view to setting up a cookery school. We sold our home, then, armed only with a one-way ferry ticket, scoured Europe in search of a suitable venue for our cooking holidays.

Come and join us...

Ten years later, and now the proud owners of a converted 17th Century farm set amid the rolling countryside of the Dordogne, we invite you to come and learn to cook some great dishes and immerse yourself, for a while at least, in our little corner of rural France.

PRICES
(all prices include VAT at just 5.5%)
How to pay 
Terms and Conditions
All inclusive Five Day/Five Night residential cooking holiday
(per person, based on two people sharing a room):
€845

One, Two, Three & Four-Day multi-day courses
(Per person, per day.  Additional B&B accommodation available on request. Evening meal €17 per day - eat what you cook!):
€130
Non-cooking friend or partner
(Five day/five night - lunch @ €12 & dinner @ €17 per person per day):
€395

B&B accommodation
(1/2/3 Day courses - at venue or local B&B. Per person, per night):

€45
Return rail transfers (Per person. Agreed times only - see below. Email us prior to booking tickets):
€75

Single occupancy supplement (5 day/5 night) for an exclusive en-suite room all to yourself (waived when sharing):
€195
Cooking & Painting holiday
(Five day/Five night residential.  Day courses from €130):
€845

RETURN AIRPORT/RAIL TRANSFERS:
We pick you up in our own seven-seater vehicle each Monday afternoon and drop you off the following Saturday morning. Destinations include Limoges airport, and Brive la Gaillarde and Sarlat train stations (see details of our airport and rail transfers).

If you want a transfer at another time or on another day, please EMAIL US or Tel: 0033 (0)553 302405 in order to discuss the possibilities.

Transfers are conducted on a first come first served basis. Detailed dates and times are to be agreed with us prior to booking your travel arrangements, so please do not book tickets until you've agreed them with us.

ACCOMMODATION:
Accommodation is normally on-site, but, under exceptional circumstances, 1 & 2 day guests may be accommodated at a very pleasant nearby B&B 5km away.

NUMBERS:
The optimum number of participants on a course is six, but sometimes we have fewer than that and have occasionally taken up to ten.

ITINERARY:
The itinerary may be subject to change according to the seasons and local weather and is variable in order to take advantage of regional festivals and holidays.

EMAIL US or phone now on: 0033 (0)553 302405 [Tip: leave out the (0) when phoning from outside France]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




           

Thinking of coming
on a course? We've made a video...




2012 is Titanic's centenary year.

So, step aboard for a loving recreation of the food, the atmosphere and the Edwardian glorythat was the greatest ship ever to sail the ocean!

Weeks commencing:

March 19th
April 9th
April 23rd

Titanic Cooking Course





Order a gift voucher now and recieve it today!

The perfect gift - a fun 'n' friendly hands-on cooking course in France.

Order your gift voucher now and receive it today!

Infinitely flexible and valid for up to a year from the date of purchase, a Cook in France gift voucher covers our full range of courses.

So, make someone's day a special one - order a gift voucher now and we'll get it to you today!


 


5 Day/5 Night Cooking Courses Include:

  • Expert hands-on tuition with British chef

  • All courses conducted in English

  • All cooking ingredients, equipment and aprons

  • A continental breakfast each day

  • Lunch each day

  • Dinner
    (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday)

  • Tea, coffee and wine

  • An evening meal on the day of your arrival

  • En suite centrally-heated accommodation

  • Recipe pack containing all the dishes cooked during your stay

  • Entrance fees to places visited

  • Private and secluded pool

  • Internet and Email


    • Want to be sure? Read our great testimonials


    Some of the things you'll be doing on the cooking course:

    Learn how to cook pastries, breads and soups

    Select and prepare the best fish and shellfish

    Butcher common joints of meat

    Cook classic French and Italian sauces

    Construct modern dressings

    Master the art of stylish contemporary food presentation



    Our day courses:

    • Hands-on practical tuition with experienced friendly tutors

    • All ingredients

    • Utensils

    • Aprons

    • Breakfast

    • Lunch

    • Wine and beverages