Discover Normandy

Day One

Order of activities may change depending on the season and days of the week.

• Arrival on your own at your accommodations. (The nearest rental car offices are in Cherbourg, about 15 miles away.)
• Time to chill out, and explore the accommodations and surroundings. You might wander the grounds and have a look at the lavoir and 1789 boulangerie, or head into the village of Benoitville or our local town, Les Pieux.
• Have a light dinner featuring a Normandy cheese board with wine, crusty bread, and dessert.
• Overnight.

Day Two

• Continental breakfast: freshly-squeezed juices, a range of home-made jams, croissants, pains au chocolat, sourdough bread, café au lait/tea, and sometimes an Irish touch in the form of buttermilk scones!
• Morning excursion to the market. While you select the freshest local produce with the help of Sinead, you will sample items offered by the proud, enthusiastic stall holders.
• At 10:30, head to Sinead’s kitchen for your first hands-on cooking class about all French cuisine.
• Lunch to follow based on your efforts, drinks included.
• This afternoon, depart for a visit of the local organic cider farm for a tasting. Weather permitting, walk up to the orchards through the sunken paths, which facilitated the battle of the hedgerows (for the American army in Normandy during WWII).
• Dinner on your own. Sinead can provide recommendations as well as call and make your reservations.
• Overnight.

Day Three

• Continental breakfast.
• Today will be all on your own, giving you a chance to explore the area. Sinead will provide you with maps and a lot of information to set off in the right direction.
• Some of Sinead’s suggestions for the day include a trip around Le Cap de La Hague, famous for its breathtaking beauty and rugged coastline; it is also home to Millet, the impressionist painter, as well as the smallest fishing port in all of France. Or, visit Le Val de Saire, known for its fabulous coastline; Barfleur, which was voted France’s third prettiest village in recent years; or Saint Vaast La Hogue, famous for oysters, and the renowned grocery store Gosselins!
• Lunch and dinner on your own.
• Overnight.

Day Four

• After breakfast, head to the kitchen at 10 a.m. for your second cooking class, which will be a unique experience. Begin preparations for dinner, which will be continued in the afternoon for the most part in the bakehouse in the garden.
• Lunch in a local restaurant (paid locally).
• Afternoon bakehouse experience at a bakehouse built in 1789, the year of the French Revolution. It was restored in 2019 and a cooking class here combines cooking, tradition, and history. The wood burning oven is lit and brought to temperature using apple wood, just as has been done for centuries.
• Dinner to follow at the B&B.
• Overnight.

Day Five

• Breakfast.
• Today will be on your own to explore more of Normandy. Sinead can suggest a few visits/tours, such as a visit to Bayeux and its tapestry (which depicts the Battle of Hastings in 1066), Sainte mere Eglise (the first village liberated during WWII), the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, the famous Normandy beaches, or Mont Saint-Michel.
• Lunch and dinner on your own.
• Overnight.

Day Six

• Breakfast
• In the morning, visit the market, then head to the kitchen foryour third cooking class.
• Lunch to follow.
• In the afternoon, head to La Maison du Biscuit, a real foodie haven, where you can pick up kitchen ingredients and gifts as well as their specialty cookies.
• Dinner tonight on your own, with Sinead’s recommendations.
• Overnight.

Day Seven

• Breakfast followed by departure. You will leave rich with recipes, tips, an understanding of life in rural Normandy, and of course memories. You will be ready to dazzle your friends and family with your culinary talents on your return!