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Gascony Cookery School - NEW
Gramont, France
About the Location: Situated in the heart of the Gers in South-Western France, The Gascony Cookery School is the perfect setting for your initiation into French cuisine. The location has been specifically selected by your hosts for the region’s famed gastronomy and the area’s culinary prestige is rivaled only by the beauty of its landscape; a combination of rolling hills, meandering rivers and fields upon fields of golden sunflowers. In addition to the picturesque region’s gastronomic treasures, this corner of the French countryside is saturated with European history. Now one of the least populated areas in France (a fact which enables Gascony to proudly retain its core ‘Frenchness’), Gascony was invaded by the Romans, the Vikings and the Visigoths, each civilization leaving behind remnants of their occupation. From forts and castles to beautifully preserved Roman baths there is a plethora of excursions and sightseeing activities to be enjoyed during your free time at The Gascony Cookery School. Alternatively, the school is also in easy driving distance of Toulouse and Bordeaux and, for those wishing to extend their European exploration, you are only a train ride away from the Spanish city of Barcelona.
Your home for the duration of the five-day course will be the historic French commune of Gramont. The village of Gramont is a closely-knit community and boasts, in addition to its status as a national heritage site, the Chateau de Gramont, a well-maintained medieval castle and one of just six national monuments in the Midi-Pyrenees region. Your hosts for the week, David and Vikki Chance, are an English couple whose long love-affair with French food and culture finally led them to renovating the old Gascon auberge in which you will be staying. You will be accommodated in one of the five elegant and classically furnished guestrooms of their chambres d’hôtes and in true Gascon manner David and Vikki will make you feel as welcome and comfortable as possible in your new home from home.
About the Cooking Lessons: The teaching itself will take place in a large, professionally-equipped kitchen and for this David will be joined by locally acclaimed French chef, Bernard, in guiding you through your introduction to French cookery. Both David and Bernard are experienced and talented chefs in their own rights and their unique Anglo-Franco partnership allows for a method of tuition that is completely accessible to English speakers, whilst at the same time preserving the authenticity of your truly Gallic experience of French cuisine. Your menu for the week has been carefully crafted by David and Bernard in order to showcase the best of Gascony’s culinary delights and includes, amongst other dishes: cassoulet, ballotine de poulet and tartes aux pommes. All of the ingredients that you will cook with are sourced from the local, open-air markets which you will visit during your stay. Aside from familiarizing yourself in this way with any new produce and flavors, your time spent at the local marchés promises to enhance your experience of French life through your contact with the people whose cuisine and culture you will be learning about.
- After settling into your room and acquainting yourself with the village and your fellow cookery school guests, your hosts David and Vikki and French chef Bernard will be waiting to welcome you on the terrace. Greeting you with local aperitifs and hors-d’oeuvres they will provide an overview of the week ahead before serving an exquisite four-course supper accompanied by a selection of local wines. This dining experience will be repeated every night of your stay and is inclusive in the overall price.
- Having begun the day with a traditional breakfast of croissants, fresh bread, cold meats, cheese, home-made jams and local honey, you will start with a tour of the kitchen and a lesson in basic knife skills. Bernard will then introduce you to the art of preparing foie gras before you are free to enjoy the afternoon at your leisure.
- Visit the village chateau or its honey factory and museum or else expand your exploration to take in the Roman baths in Fleurance or the historic town of Lectoure. Alternatively the panoramic view afforded by the terrace of the surrounding countryside is an equally inviting place to relax and unwind, as is the terrace hot-tub.
- Dinner tonight will be prepared by Bernard and served at his restaurant in the village. Savor your first taste of Gascony’s famous duck dishes and indulge yourself with Bernard’s haute-cuisine menu.
- Today you will attend the local markets and select ingredients for this afternoon’s class. The markets being sure to whet your appetite you will then lunch in a traditional local café before returning to the school to begin your afternoon classes.
- In this session you will fillet a fish, prepare a velouté sauce and practice your pastry skills to create a delectable tarte aux pommes.
- Focus today will also be on presentation skills, led by David, and each dish you prepare will be enjoyed by you throughout the day.
- Today both chefs will be assisting you in preparing the region’s signature dish, cassoulet, as well as Two Pepper Soup and crêpes suzettes.
- In the afternoon your hosts will take you on a tour of the Chateau de Cassaigne, an Armagnac distillery in Condom where you can study the history of Armagnac and enjoy a dégustation of the locally produced spirit.
- Time permitting, a visit to the ancient fortified village of Larrissingle, a beautiful Roman relic, will follow.
- Dinner at Bernard’s restaurant; the menu will include the dishes you worked on in class, cassoulet and crêpes suzettes.
- After breakfast David will show you how to employ your newly acquired knife skills to bone a chicken in order to make ballotine de poulet and a rich, mushroom sauce to accompany it.
- After this main course you will set about preparing a tarte au frangipane and follow lunch with an optional excursion to other local areas of interest or with a free afternoon to be spent as you choose.
- You will then be invited back into the kitchen to practice your presentation skills and to serve and sample the dishes that you prepared earlier.
- After a final hearty breakfast you are welcome to either extend your stay in Gramant or else transport to the airport can be arranged for you.
- Arrival Friday morning and settle into your room. Meet your hosts David and Bernard and join them for lunch to discuss the weekend itinerary. The classes begin immediately after lunch with a tour of the kitchen to familiarize yourself with the equipment and learn basic knife skills and techniques. Then a quick, short stroll over to the Auberge to prepare three types of foie gras and traditional cassoulet; a great opportunity for you to experience working in a real commercial kitchen!
- Later that evening meet in the Auberge for aperitifs followed by a gastronomic feast of foie gras, cassoulet and Bernard’s superb traditional desserts accompanied with our wonderful local wines.
- Start the day with a fabulous breakfast of croissants, fresh local bread, cold meats, cheese and of course home made jams and local honey. After breakfast into the kitchen with David where you will fillet a fish, prepare a veloute sauce and practice your pastry skills to create a fantastic Tarte aux Pommes.
- After lunch you are free to do whatever you wish. Perhaps you might like to visit our local places of interest such as the Chateau de Gramont, the Honey Museum, explore the local walks or indeed just relax on our sun terraces and enjoy a book or a plunge in our hot tub.
- That evening you are invited back into the kitchen to perfect your plate presentation skills, serve and of course enjoy the dishes you prepared earlier.
- Day of departure: Breakfast is served and we ask that your rooms are vacated by midday.
