A Taste of Bordeaux
Gensac, Gironde (Bordeaux)

About the location: This sumptuous cooking vacation in France takes place near Bordeaux. Barbara and Jonathan, your hosts for the week, long dreamed of opening their own B&B and offering cooking tours in France, and they finally found the perfect place, a lovely Bourgeois-style, late 18th-century maison set in its own park in one of France’s premier regions. The property was completely restored and opened for business in summer 2008, and offers just two rooms and two suites—and some of the finest dining in the area. The region needs no introduction—located near the city of Bordeaux, the maison lies in the Bordeaux countryside, which is peppered with splendid chateaux steeped in history, some of the finest grapes (and wines) in the world, and quaint towns such as St. Emilion with its cobblestone streets, cafes and shops. Your home away from home sits in a large park surrounded by mature fruit trees—fig, cherry, plum, apple, pear, chestnut, and more. Your hosts have also started cultivating their own vegetables to supplement what they get from the local open-air markets. During your free time you can enjoy the extensive gardens with flowers and pagodas (where dinner is enjoyed during the warmer months), relax in the large pool, schedule a theraputic massage or yoga class, or take a walk among the vines.

About the cooking courses: Your hosts for your culinary vacation worked for many years as professional chefs in London, successfully establishing their own restaurant and teaching their craft to up-and-coming chefs. They enjoyed accolades from premier food guides for their ventures, but left England to follow their dream of opening their own B&B in France where they could offer cooking school vacations. Your hosts believe that the whole idea of the cooking school vacation is to have fun while relaxing and enjoying wonderful foods and wines. They will teach you how to cook both traditional and modern French fare in a large and well-equipped kitchen. The classes focus on the rich flavors of the region and might includes such offerings as savory tarts, melon soup, paté, tempura of seafood, roast duck breast, stuffed courgettes, gratin dauphinouse, lemon tart and raspberry rose posset. You will learn how to select the proper ingredients at the local market and then how to prepare them to yield the best and most intense flavors.