Please note that prices for the courses do not include flights. You can check flights using the Skyscanner link below if required.

About the school

Tastefully converted whilst retaining the original charm, this beautiful 200 year-old countryside stone barn in the charming village of Pexiora, Carcassonne will be the setting for your unique French cookery holiday.



Situated just on the outskirts of the World Heritage site this is a beautiful location in which to learn to cook fabulous French cuisine and to taste the world renowned wines produced in this area.

You’ll learn to cook with renowned French master chefs who are passionate about taking you on a culinary and cultural journey to discover France’s best-kept secret. For the French, the appreciation of good food and wine is almost as important as breathing, so you will find your chefs are just as enthusiastic about the hands on cookery courses as you.

Taught by award winning chefs with many years of experience in running restaurants in the Languedoc region, you’ll be assured the highest level of tuition in a fun and friendly environment. Despite their cooking excellence, there’s nothing intimidating about the cooking lessons at this gastro academy as the philosophy is that meals should be made with the finest ingredients, beautifully presented and relatively simple to prepare using the right techniques but above all that cooking should be fun.

You’ll stay in one of the eight en-suite guest rooms within this beautifully restored stone barn, where you will enjoy full use of the state of the art kitchen, swimming pool, gardens and tennis court making this a French cookery holiday with a difference.


Features

- Named one of the top learning retreats in the National Geographic book ‘best worldwide vacations to enrich your life’
- Cooking courses taught by famous professional master chefs
- Situated amid sunflower fields in a peaceful rural area of South West France
- On the outskirts of the medieval World Heritage site of Carcassonne
- Stay in a 200-year-old stone barn which has been uniquely converted with large, open living spaces
- Brand new state of the art kitchen known as the ‘gastro academy’
- Learn to cook regional dishes, full of flavour and simple to prepare and re-create once back home
- Hands-on classes in small groups for personal attention
- Eight individually-designed, en-suite bedrooms
- There are two ground-floor rooms suitable for guests with mobility limitations
- All rooms come with air conditioning units, tea and coffee-making facilities, hairdryers and CD players
- Lovely gardens in which to relax
- Several outdoor terraces
- Private pool with a BBQ area for al fresco dining
- An all-weather tennis court
- Covered table-tennis area
- Petanque (boules) arena
- Bicycles available to use
- An indoor games room with pool table and a classic 1950s juke box
- A welcoming house with a great fun atmosphere

School Location

Directions - How to get here...

By Taxi - Nearest airport: Carcassonne (20 min by car) or Toulouse (45 min by car)

Some courses include airports transfers (check ‘included in the price’ for details) however if you are making your own way we recommend either driving or taking a bus from the airport to the centre of Carcassonne and then a train to the villages of either Bram or Castelnaudary where you can then take a short taxi ride to the house.

Note: The village is between Bram and Castelnaudary

Full directions will be shown on your booking confirmation voucher.