Holiday itinerary
Tucked away in rural France in the Lot-et-Garonne region just an hour’s drive south east of Bordeaux, this tastefully restored French farmhouse is the setting for your 6 night / 7 day French cookery holiday.
During this culinary packed week, you’ll visit local producers, buy your food from local markets and learn to cook delicious French dishes using techniques and French cook Marlène’s recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. All tuition is in English unless you request it in French.
The aim of the course is not to give you Michelin star cooking techniques but instead to give you the skills and insight into local life to cook fabulous meals that in Marlène’s own words will ‘make your belly smile’.
Combine fun, hands-on French home cooking with visits to the local producers and excursions to the region’s markets for a cooking holiday with a difference.
Suitability
- Cookery holidays are suitable for all levels from complete beginners to experienced cooks
- Minimum age 5 (under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult)
- Your hosts are British and French so all cooking classes are taught in English, or in French if requested
Travelling Solo?
- These cookery holidays make great singles holidays and singles are welcome to join an existing group, there will be NO single supplements for solo travellers and you will have your own private room for no extra cost
Non-Cooking Guests
- Non cooking guests are welcome to share a room with a cooking guest and prices for the non-cooking guest will be discounted accordingly, please see our ‘costings and extras’ tab for prices
- To book with a non-cooking guest, email or contact us via live chat (click on the ‘start chat’ link at the bottom of this page) or call us to check availability
Cookery Holiday Start Days
- All arrivals are on Sunday afternoons, year round, subject to availability
- Holidays are for 6 nights / 7 days
- If you can’t find the date you are looking for or you'd like to arrive on another day of the week, please email us and we’ll check availability for you as quickly as possible
Cooking Holiday Itinerary
The itinerary is for guidance only and is subject to change depending on the group’s needs and wishes but is typically as follows:
Day 1
- Arrival day , check into your room anytime after 4pm
- Take your time to explore the house, gardens and local area before meeting your fellow guests
- Around 7pm, you will enjoy a welcome drink and canapés with chef Marlene, who will talk you through the lessons
- Around 7.30pm, enjoy a 3 course dinner with wine with the group
Days 2 - 5
- Enjoy a leisurely French breakfast before heading off to meet either a local producer or whichever local food market is operating that day
- You may visit a duck producer, a local butcher, a winery, a fish farm, a duck farm, a game farm, a cheese maker, a prune producer, go mushroom picking or chestnut gathering or visit one of the local markets including Casteljaloux, Lavardac, Barbaste, Nerac, Marmande, Fumel and more local village markets
- After your market or producer visit, enjoy a light lunch back at the farmhouse
- After lunch, head to the kitchen around 2pm for your cooking lesson
- Around 7pm, enjoy an aperitif followed by the delicious dinner you learned to cook that day
Day 6
- Today is a free day to explore or just kick back and relax on the sun loungers in the gardens
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided today
Day 7
- After breakfast guests are asked to check-out of their rooms by 11am ready for departure taking home with them new cooking skills and an insight into French life that will stay with them long after the holiday is over
About Your Cook
- Your host is the easy going, fun and friendly Marlène, who lives at the house with her British husband Marc and their 2 children. Marlene is French but teaches all classes in English
- To read Marlene's story of how she came to set up her cooking school, click here
- Marlène’s philosophy is that food is central to life, cooking comes from the heart and believes that meals should be full of flavour and not too difficult to prepare
- Not only an accomplished French cook learning from her own mother and grandmother from an early age, Marlène has taught many visitors to France how to cook for several years and she also occasionally operates a restaurant with up to 24 covers from the farmhouse
- Marlène takes traditional French recipes as prepared in French homes and teaches you how to cook with confidence using French cooking techniques as well as taking you on a culinary journey of local French markets, food and drink producers
What Will I Learn?
- Courses concentrate on making home cooked meals, from classic French to typical South West dishes
- You’ll also visit a host of local producers and also local food markets to learn to select fresh, seasonal produce as the locals do, adapting your menus to fit what ingredients you can find locally
- During your visits to the local producers, you’ll learn how they rear or grow the food, their secrets to the freshest produce and much more, for example if you visit the butcher, you’ll not only learn about the rearing of the meat but also which part of the animal is used in different dishes, how to cut the meat and how not to waste any part of the animal giving you a detailed insight!
- Marlène prefers to teach without measuring when possible, instead she uses techniques and taste to help you learn the skills to prepare food that tastes great and in her words ‘makes your belly smile’
- This is not a French gourmet cookery experience with Michelin star presentation, this is about real delectable home cooking with a real French home cook who will share with you her passion for cooking and secrets passed down over many generations
Sample Menus
Dishes vary according to the season and what food is available but may include:
- Boeuf bourguignon
- Stews and gratins
- Duck with orange sauce
- Bread
- Pâté
- A variety of sauces which may include mayonnaise, aïoli, béarnaise and beurre blanc
- Creme brulée
- Navarin of lamb
- Home-smoked salmon or trout
- Blanquette of veal
- Velouté of asparagus
- fish soup
- Soufflés with local goat cheese
- Cherry clafoutis
- Tarte tatin
- Mille-feuilles
- Please note that if you do have dietary requirements, some food replacements may not be readily available in France so this must be discussed before booking
About The Accommodation
- Your accommodation is set in the small village of Anzex in the Lot-et-Garonne of France, just an hour from Bordeaux
- There are a total of 4 twin/double guest rooms all with private bathroom
- If you are travelling solo, there will be NO single supplements for solo travellers and you will have your own private room for no extra cost
- All rooms are tastefully decorated mixing traditional French style with modern comforts
- Rooms have a mix of exposed stone walls, wooden floors and sloping ceilings with exposed oak beams
- The house is surrounded by wonderful gardens where you can eat outside or relax on the sun loungers
- Accommodation is included for 6 nights / 7 days
- Check in anytime after 4pm on day 1 and check out by 10.30am on day 7
- Free Wi-fi is available throughout the house
- Your hosts have dogs and a cat who are not allowed in guests desginated areas
Meals
- All breakfasts, lunches and evening meals are included in the price of your course
- Including the delicious food you have cooked with Marlene
- Delicious meals are prepared from fresh local produce and include French classics and regional specialities
Free Time In France
- This cookery break is packed with culinary delights but in your free time on your arrival, and the day before departure you may want to explore the local area
- The Lot-et-Garonne is known as the Garden of France, in your free time explore the unspoilt landscape, nature and wildlife, wander around the local villages, the sunflower fields and vineyards
- Your hosts will give you lots of information on what activities are on offer in the local area such as the local nature walks, horse riding, bicycle hire, local markets and more
- It is recommended to have a car to fully explore the area and you may find you wish to stay on for a few nights to get the most out of your trip!
Visit local producers, buy fresh, seasonal food from the markets and learn the secrets of traditional French home cooking on this wonderful French cookery holiday where you’ll gain an insight into local French life and cookery skills that will stay with you long after the holiday is over.