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Cookery courses with French chef Near Carcassonne, Languedoc Roussillon

Provider: The French House Party
Location: Carcassonne, Languedoc Roussillon, France

Participants: 20 or less

Phone: 00 44 (0)1299 896819

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Holiday / Activity Overview:

Cookery vacations in high-class private property near Carcassonne with great French cuisine and wines. Recommended in “100 World’s Best Vacations” book. Eight-bedroomed accommodation has pool, tennis and boules.

For the French, the appreciation of good food and wine is almost as important as breathing. So it is perhaps no surprise that our award-winning French chefs are just as enthusiastic as we are about the French House Party Gastro Academy programme – the first culinary vacation school of its kind and calibre in the Languedoc region of South West France. We combine our residential culinary classes using organic and seasonal local produce with instruction and sampling of the phenomenal local wines, from the luscious reds of the Minervois and Corbieres to the fine sparkling white wines of Limoux, where the ‘Champagne’ method was first created many centuries ago.

Whether you select one of our 3-day weekend courses or a more extended break, you will enjoy a memorable visit to one of France’s oldest markets to select fresh ingredients for the dishes for later preparation. We also include a chauffeured outing to the medieval City of Carcassonne. On our longer breaks there will be rural visits to a cheese-making farm or to enjoy olive oil sampling, as well as wine-tasting at a vineyard and dinner at one or two of the excellent nearby restaurants.

We offer three options:
1. Gourmet Explorer – 6 day break provides 5 days of instruction with the emphasis on traditional cuisine and organic ingredients, polishing your skills in the creation of delicious French dishes which you will then be confident of reproducing "chez vous". Wine and food matching, at-home wine instruction, a vineyard visit and other regional outings enhance the experience.

2. Cuisine in Brief – Our chef chooses a separate seasonal theme for each of the Friday to Sunday breaks. That may include pastries and puddings, fish or vegetable recipes, duck, foie-gras or our famous local dish, Cassoulet – and you’ll be amazed at how much you can achieve in a long weekend. This mini-option is perfect for corporate reward or incentive breaks.

3. Cook au Vin – This unique 7-day break provides full lodging and 3 days of cookery classes with our French chef. Three days are also spent at our partner wine school under the tutelage of an English Master of Wine, studying for the intermediate-level Wine and Spirit Education Trust certificate (WSET). This option will suit the wine enthusiast or industry professional who wishes to acquire in-depth knowledge and obtain an internationally-recognised wine qualification. Included in the price is daily transport to the wine school and dinner each evening.

Our themed breaks are customised for ready-made groups, corporate incentive breaks and couples. Single travellers are also welcomed. We are less than two hours from the UK - just fly and go - and then leave everything else to us, including any airport transfers!

Chefs / Holiday Course Tutors

Here is a unique opportunity to cook in France, learning from master-chefs Robert Abraham, Franck Putelat and Jean-Marc Boyer, who all run their own renowned gourmet restaurants in the Carcassonne area which are recommended in the most prominent restaurant guides. Their culinary expertise will guide you through practical creativity in the kitchen.

Their exhilarating success as long-experienced Chefs de Cuisine gives them something of a celebrity status in South-West France – Michelin stars, television appearances and countless newspaper articles have ensured that their names and their signature dishes are synonymous with cooking innovation and flair.

Pricing information

Our courses typically have between 5 and 16 students and there is no single room supplement.

Gourmet Explorer - 6 days
Cook au Vin - 3 cooking days with our chef, plus 3 days’ study with a Master of Wine at our partner
Cuisine in Brief - 3-day weekend themed courses
Chef Encounter 1 day cookery school (Wednesday)
Chef Encounter PLUS - 3 day vacation (Tues - Thurs)

Prices
from £1200
from £1400
from £495
£150
£395

Your accommodation:

Situated amid sunflower fields in a peaceful rural area on the outskirts of the medieval World Heritage site of Carcassonne, our 200-year-old stone barn has been uniquely converted in Art Deco style, with large, open living spaces within the house - and a raised dais - making it ideal for performance or team training events. There is also a digital grand piano.

We offer our clients the ultimate in relaxation in graceful and superior surroundings. The gardens are lovely and our resident red squirrels are most entertaining! There are several terraces, a large private pool with a barbecue area for al fresco dining, an all-weather tennis court, a covered table-tennis area and a petanque (boules) pitch. We also have an indoor games room with pool-table and a classic 1950s juke box. Bicycles are available for anyone inclined towards a gentle pedal along the shady towpaths of the nearby Canal du Midi.

The 8 individually-designed, en suite bedrooms are double, twin or triple-sized. All have AC units, hairdryers and CD players. Towels are provided for both indoor and outdoor use. Two ground-floor rooms are suitable for guests with mobility limitations. Two of the bedrooms have balconies, offering superb views of the Pyrenees to the south and the Black Mountains to the north.

The house has a wireless broadband connection, available for guests to access at a small additional fee.

About the local area:

You might want to spend your French House Party free time chilling-out. Explorers, on the other hand, will find plenty to see and do further afield. This beautiful part of the Languedoc, centred on the medieval castle stronghold city of Carcassonne, has a rich artistic, literary, culinary and historic heritage.

This is a geographical region of many personalities: plains and rugged mountains, lakes and breathtaking gorges, elegant cities, numberless sprawling vineyards, hot-scented sunflowers in field after field. The Canal du Midi is very close to the house and we enjoy fantastic views of the Pyrenees, which can still be white-capped, even into May. This region is steeped in the bloody history of the Cathar genocide by the Pope's Crusaders in the 13th Century and there are numerous preserved hilltop castles within easy reach, the jewel in the crown being the astonishing Cité of Carcassonne. We have splendid local wines (Minervois and Corbieres are said to be de rigueur for the Noughties). Wine-sampling during escorted private vineyard visits, is - naturally - a French House Party included highlight.

How to Get Here:

We only 20 minutes from Carcassonne Airport and an hour from the beaches of the Mediterranean. The nearest large town is Castelnaudary, the birthplace of "Cassoulet" (a sort of bean casserole). This busy old town has bars, restaurants, plenty of shops, a weekly market and regular festivals. Even closer is the small town of Bram, site of a Cathar stronghold until 1210 when it fell to Papal Crusaders during the massacre of the Cathars. Toulouse is 45 minutes away to the west and Albi, birthplace of the artist Toulouse-Lautrec, about 90 minutes' drive north.