Holiday itinerary
The Chateaux country of the Loire Valley will be the setting for this 5 night/6 day luxury cooking holiday, tucked away in a tranquil walnut grove on the outskirts of a pretty French village, you will find the tastefully restored 18th century farmhouse and home of this gourmet cooking holiday.
The fun and relaxed atmosphere will have you cooking up gourmet dishes in the professionally equipped kitchen with its high ceilings and exposed beams. Here you will create a wide range of delicious French dishes from preparation through to final presentation to high class restaurant standards.
During this memorable cooking holiday you will be looked after by not one but two Chefs Maynard and Benedict who will be on hand to pass on their combined culinary secrets, techniques and skills to ensure you return home with an abundant recipe collection to try out on your return.
Covering a wide variety of preparation skills from making stocks and sauces, filleting fish to meat butchery you will also learn to cook a wide range of restaurant standard dishes through a combination of hands-on cooking and Chef demonstrations where both Chefs reveal their cooking secrets!
Accommodation is set in a wonderful 18th century French farmhouse which has been renovated to exceptional standards with four large en-suite rooms, a lovely guest lounge, guest kitchen and outdoor terrace. Each room has the perfect blend of comfort and luxury you’d expect from a cookery holiday of this standard. The house is surrounded by beautiful gardens, a croquet and boules area, courtyard and terrace with a lovely area for al fresco dining, relaxing and enjoying the views.
This gourmet cookery holiday is a true culinary extravaganza guaranteed to fuel your passion for good food, free flowing wine and great company.
Suitability
- Cookery holidays are suitable for all levels from complete beginners to experienced cooks
- Please note that some cookery courses are only suitable for advanced foodies: 17 October and 7 November 2015, 4 June, 24 September and 12 November 2016
- If you have any questions about the advanced cookery courses email:
- Minimum age 11 (under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult)
- Your hosts and Chefs are British so all cooking classes are taught in English
Travelling Solo?
- These cookery holidays make great singles holidays and singles are welcome to join an existing group
- Solo travellers can either share a room with another participant of the same sex for no extra charge or can pre-book a private single room for a supplement
- To book a private single or shared room, 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
Non-Participating Partner
- The course can welcome 1 non-participating partner sharing a room with a cooking guest for each scheduled date
- You must check availability in advance of booking for a non-participating partner as a maximum of 1 is accepted on any one date
- To check availability for this please email us with your travel date and we can check availability straight away for you
- For pricing please see the ‘Costings and Extras’ tab
Cooking Holiday Start Days
- All arrivals are on Saturday afternoons on set dates between March and October
- Note: Bespoke courses are possible throughout the year for group bookings, to check availability please email with your preferred date and the group size
- Cooking holidays are for 5 nights/6 days
- If dates appear ‘on request’ please email us and we’ll check availability for your preferred day of arrival 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- Saturday - Arrival and welcome dinner
- Check into your room any time after 4pm and enjoy a welcome drink before taking your time to explore the house, gardens and local area
- At around 5pm, there will be a welcome with the Chefs and a short introduction to the cooking week ahead along with a chance to chat about your aims for the course and your level of cooking experience (don’t worry, complete beginners as well as experienced cooks are welcome!)
- Around 5.30pm enjoy a glass of champagne to kick start the week before sitting down around 6.15pm for a delicious 6 course gourmet dinner prepared by your Chefs Maynard and Benedict that will give you a taste for the week ahead
Day 2 – Sunday - Cooking lesson and free time
- Around 9am, enjoy a leisurely French breakfast of fresh croissants, breads, preserves, cereals, fruits and yoghurt before heading to the kitchen for your first cookery lesson
- Starting around 10am, you’ll head to the professional kitchen next to the main house to start your first cooking lesson
- The first day will be relaxed and fun helping you to get to grips with knife skills which include the all-important basics of safety, sharpening, chopping and slicing onions, brunoise of carrot, julien of leek and making a vierge dressing
- The knife skills will be developed and refined throughout the week
- Around 11am, the Chef will give a demonstration of making leek and potato soup with cheese croutons
- Around 11.15am you’ll all work on seasoning techniques together
- After you’ve seasoned the soup to perfection, you’ll start work on making your own bread which is a hands-on session
- Breads will include plain, sun-dried tomato and parmesan, basil and olive oil, onion and cumin breads
- Once your dough is ready, around 12.30pm you’ll start a hands-on session working on your butchery skills starting with chicken
- At 1.30pm relax and take a well-deserved lunch break eating at the wonderful dining table set on the mezzanine level above the kitchen and enjoying the leek and potato soup, fresh breads, cheese, pickles, salad and olives
- After lunch, sit back and relax as you watch another demonstration of making chicken stock, veal glace, red wine and shallot sauce, preparing salmon as well as Gravlax of salmon
- Around 2.45pm, you’ll be ready for a hands-on session where you’ll work on your fish filleting skills as you fillet a trout and prepare mussels as well as making a rich fish stock
- After your hard work, sit back and watch the Chef prepare a seafood chowder, home-smoked trout and crab bisque sauce
- The fun-packed cooking day finishes around 4.30pm and you’ll have around 1 hour to relax before heading back to the kitchen at 17.30pm to make finishing touches, cook & present the dinner before aperitifs at 8pm
- After a well-earned drink join the rest of the group for another wonderful dinner, eating some of the dishes you’ve learned to cook that day along with cheese and biscuits, rounding it all off with coffee and truffles
Day 3 – Monday – cooking and windmill or cider farm excursion day
- After breakfast, start your day with a 10am Chef demonstration of pasta dough followed by chicken and foie gras mousse and rich pastry
- Around 10.45am, you’ll don your apron to make your own ravioli filled with chicken and foie gras mousse and tagliatelle all in under an hour
- After a short break where you’ll discuss the afternoon’s menu you’ll start the preparation for a wonderful 6 course dinner
- After your preparation, break for a lunch of tagliatelli, fresh bread and salad followed by cheese and biscuits
- After lunch around 2.30pm head out of the kitchen to visit either a 19th century working windmill which still produces buckwheat flour using traditional methods or your excursion may be to a local cider farm with a tasting session
- Around 5.30pm, you’ll return to the kitchen to finish off the dinner and enjoy aperitifs before sitting down to enjoy the wonderful 6 course menu around 8pm
Day 4 – Tuesday – Cooking day, ice creams, croissants and macaroons
- After breakfast you’ll hit the kitchen for a fun packed day of cooking with the morning focused on a demonstration of ice cream making, sugar work, chocolate piping, honey wafer baskets and tuille work
- After all those sweet dishes, break for tea and biscuits around 11.30am before discovering today’s 6 course menu where you’ll put the skills you’ve learnt in the morning’s demonstration into practice yourself
- Around 11.55am, start the preparation for the menu either working on a chicken and monk-fish dish or the smoked salmon, sugar work, ice cream and more
- Break for a light lunch around 1.30pm tasting the ice creams for dessert
- Around 2.30pm, you will be visited by a French patissier who will teach you how to make croissants and macaroons.
- Around 5.30pm finish off the dinner preparations and enjoy an aperitif before sitting down to enjoy the wonderful 6 course menu
Day 5 – Wednesday – Cooking day, Barbeque lunch and free afternoon
- As your last full day at the cooking school, after breakfast you’ll start with a hands-on lesson where the group will be split in two and you’ll either work on making a spring roll starter and a beef main course or gravlax followed by a pudding, sorbet and petit fours
- After your morning’s work in the kitchen, enjoy your last lunch together around 12.30pm which will be a wonderful barbeque to be enjoyed outside in the gardens (weather permitting)
- The afternoon is then free for you to visit Laval for shopping or you may want to head to the golf course or just relax at the farmhouse before dinner
- The evening is dedicated to a farewell dinner enjoying the fruits of your labour together with your hosts and your fellow cooks
Day 6 – Thursday – Departure day
- After a leisurely breakfast guests are asked to check-out of their rooms by 10am ready for departure taking home with them new restaurant standard cooking skills and an insight into French culinary life that will stay with them long after the holiday is over
About Your Chefs
- There are two Chefs on the course for every 8 guests meaning that you’ll always be assured personal attention throughout the week and some fantastic tuition
- Your British Chefs are Maynard and Benedict
- Maynard and Benedict have over 40 years’ experience between them working in professional kitchens in the UK and France
- Maynard’s experience includes working with Chef de Cuisine Richard Brooks (who was the late Princess Diana's personal chef); at the prestigious Savoy Hotel, London, Hanbury Manor and The Royal Bath Hotel and most recently Maynard was the chef/patron of the award winning restaurant Seland Newydd
- Maynard has also been the winner of several gold medals in national competitions
- Benedict also has a distinguished career in gourmet cuisine, including working at the exclusive Wentworth Golf Club under Michelin Star awarded Ian McAndrews and he was head chef of the highly acclaimed country house hotel Tyddyn Llan set in Snowdonia National Park
- Maynard and Benedict’s style of teaching is enthusiastic and fun and they will help you learn the skills and techniques to prepare a fantastic dinner once back home
- Given Maynard and Benedict’s restaurant background, there’s also a strong emphasis on presenting food to restaurant standards to impress your friends
- Maynard and Benedict will teach you how to cook with confidence passing on their cooking expertise as well as taking you on a culinary journey of local French dishes and ingredients so you gain a deeper understanding of quality ingredients
- Overall, Maynard and Benedict’s philosophy is that meals should be made with the finest ingredients and beautifully presented and that cooking should inspire your imagination
What Will I Learn?
- Your week will build on your cooking skills taking you from knife skills with the aim of giving you the skills and techniques needed to be able to cook fantastic food in a confident way that will transform your culinary skills
- You’ll start with pre preparation, ingredient selection and the all-important knife skills
- A selection of petit fours
- Bread making
- Fresh pasta making
- Learn butchery skills choosing and understanding the different cuts of meat
- Fish and seafood cooking which includes filleting a fish, cooking fish and making gravlax
- During your holiday you’ll prepare different desserts and patisserie which include making your own ice cream, sorbets and petit fours
- Sugar skills which include forming sugar cages and spun sugar decorations
- Skills to produce the most flavoursome stocks and sauces
- The style of food will not only include classic French dishes but also Mediterranean and Asian dishes
- Maynard and Benedict also focus on helping you to master the art of stylish and contemporary food presentation skills to restaurant standards
Sample Menus
Dishes vary according to the season and what food is available but may include:
- Indian spiced chicken with a Masala sauce
- Chicken and foie gras tortellini with a truffle foam
- Roasted quail served with wild mushroom purée and a puy lentil dressing
- Seared fillet of salmon served with sautéed king prawns and a crab bisque vinaigrette
- Caramelised scallops with a cauliflower purée scented with truffle oil
- Spiced monkfish served with crushed new potatoes, spinach and a mussel cream sauce
- Pan-fried breast of duck with stir-fried vegetables and an oriental sauce
- Spinach and cream cheese roulade with a gaspachio dressing
- Seafood chowder
- Rum & honey bread & butter pudding with cinnamon ice cream
- Passion-fruit and orange bavarois with orange crisps and a passion-fruit sauce
- Glazed lemon tart with iced lime parfait served in a honey wafer basket
- Iced coconut parfait
- Petit fours
- A selection of ice creams and tuille biscuits
- Please note that if you do have dietary requirements (including vegetarians), some food replacements may not be readily available in France so this must be discussed before booking
The Accommodation
- Your accommodation is set in the Chateaux country of the Loire Valley region of France, not far from the borders of Brittany and Normandy
- You’ll stay in a luxuriously converted 18th century French farmhouse set in a rural location on the outskirts of a pretty French village (15-20 minutes’ walk away) in lovely grounds ensuring complete tranquillity during your stay
- There are a total of 4 twin/double large guest rooms all with private bathroom
- Rooms are decorated to a very high standard with comfortable beds, crisp linen and tasteful French interiors
- One room is on the ground floor and three rooms are on the first floor
- Three rooms have en-suite bathrooms with showers
- One room has the use of a private bathroom located opposite the room with a bathtub and shower
- There is a guest lounge to sit and relax and which has a dining area where you can eat breakfast and lunch
- There is also a small guest kitchen in the main farmhouse for guest use to make drinks and so on if you wish
- The house is surrounded by a lovely walnut tree grove and gardens where you can relax and also dine al fresco
- The professionally equipped kitchen is the main attraction and was built in a former barn with its high ceilings and exposed oak beams and is just across the courtyard from the main farmhouse
- The kitchen has plenty of space for up to 8 participants and 2 Chefs and is packed with all the latest kitchen gadgets and equipment as well as having a delightful mezzanine dining area where you’ll eat dinner each evening
- Accommodation is included for 5 nights / 6 days
- Prices are based on 2 people sharing a twin/double room
- If you are travelling solo, you can choose to either stay in a twin/double room for sole occupancy for a compulsory single room supplement or, if you prefer, you can share a room with another solo traveller of the same sex (subject to availability) for no extra charge making this a great option for singles
- Check in any time after 4pm on day 1 and check out by 10am on day 6
- Wi-fi is available in the sitting room
Meals And Wine
- All breakfasts are included
- A light lunch is served each day at the farmhouse and on day 5, you’ll enjoy a barbeque lunch
- Each evening you’ll enjoy a 6 course dinner with soft drinks, finishing with coffee and petit fours
- Wine and other alcoholic drinks can be purchased from the bar locally at reasonable prices starting from around 14.95 Euros for wine and 3.80 Euros for spirits
- If you have dietary requests these must be communicated to us before booking to check if the Chef can accommodate you, please email with exact details
Free Time In France
- This French cooking holiday is packed with culinary delights but in your free time you may want to explore the local area
- The area is famous for its wines and you may wish to take a drive to explore the local Chateaux
- The local city of Laval has some great local shops
- There are golf courses, canoeing and sailing all within a short drive of the farmhouse
- Your hosts will give you lots of information on what activities are on offer in the local area such as the local markets, wine tasting, walking and more
- It is recommended to have a car to fully explore the area although taxis can be arranged for you locally at an extra charge
Indulge your passion for all things culinary on this wonderful gourmet cookery holiday, stay in luxurious accommodation, enjoy foodie excursions and learn the secrets of cooking food to restaurant standards on this fun and relaxed luxury cookery holiday with a difference.