About the location
Situated just a 50 minutes' drive from Perpignan airport and 1 hour 20 minutes from Girona airport, this unique wine and cookery holiday is based in the quaint village of Le Tech in the French region of Languedoc-Roussillon, one of the oldest winemaking areas in the world.
Catering to all levels, the course is run by British culinary enthusiasts Hilary and Jacqui. One of the original founders of the Slow Food Movement and a former chair on the board of Slow Food UK, Hilary advocates the use of fresh and locally-sourced ingredients in her school. She teaches cooking during the holiday with the help of local professionals, including an award-winning pastry chef.
The course also welcomes local sommeliers and wine producers who showcase some of the region’s most popular wines during relaxed and informal tasting sessions.
Tuition and accommodation is provided in a stunning converted 17th-century farmhouse with pool. Owned by chef Jacqui and her husband Alistair, the former goat farm is surrounded by two acres of gardens and woodlands. As well as overlooking the village, it enjoys panoramic views of the Pyrenees and is a haven for wildflowers and butterflies.
The south-facing farmhouse has a private outdoor swimming pool and guests can take advantage of the Pyrénées Orientales’ 300 annual days of sunshine by lazing in the terrace’s hammocks overlooking the hills.
Rooms in the farmhouse are spacious and comfortable and there are no single supplements for single guests, making this an ideal trip for solo travellers.
Dominated by a pretty church, Le Tech is a charming traditional village with a strong Catalan identity. Boules and foraging are popular among the locals who while away lazy evenings chatting on their doorsteps. On market day local residents flock to Céret, a nearby town famous for some of the finest cherry harvests in France. Traditionally, the first batch picked there every year is sent to the French President.
Also the former home of Pablo Picasso, Céret is a mecca for artists and poets and has previously welcomed creative geniuses including Henri Matisse and Amedeo Modigliani. Today, its narrow streets house a fine Museum of Modern Art, containing many important works by Picasso, Braque and Miró.
The setting of the cookery school is truly unique as it is on the France/Spain border, which is where the influence for your cookery classes comes from. The school offers guests a taste of Catalan culture and cuisine on both sides of the border, as well as the opportunity to sample the wines of Spain’s revered Perelada wine region. Perelada also boasts a rare and luxury wine spa. Based in a winery, it offers indulgent antioxidant treatments made from grapes that smooth the body and help to combat the signs of aging.
Features
- Just 50 minutes' drive from Perpignan airport and 1 hour 20 minutes from Girona
- Free return airport transfers from Perpignan or Girona airports and railway stations
- Comfortable accommodation in a historic farmhouse overlooking the traditional Catalan village of Le Tech
- No single room supplement for solo travellers
- Relaxing ambience with scenic views, hammocks and an outdoor swimming pool
- Accommodation is a short walk from the village with its café, small shops and sports
- Extensive tuition is provided through lessons and sessions with local sommeliers and professional and award-winning local chefs
- The course’s welcoming hosts include Hilary, one of the original founders of the Slow Food Movement
- In easy-reaching distance of some of France and Spain’s finest winemakers and producers, as well as the Perelada region’s famous wine spa
- A brilliant opportunity to sample mouth-watering cuisine and taste great wines and aperitifs
- Offers a fascinating insight into Catalan cuisine and culture in both Languedoc-Roussillon and across the border in Spanish Catalonia
- 50 minutes to the nearest beaches and watersports