FRENCH STUDY GUIDE 2023


“THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO LEARN FRENCH, AND THAT’S TO IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE LANGUAGE”


Accommodation isn’t included. www.cordonbleu.edu/paris/ wine-and-spirit-intensive-class/en


COOKING COURSES You might be the sort of chef who hankers after a Michelin star. Or perhaps you prefer to knock up something simple in the kitchen. Whatever your culinary calling, there is a cooking course for you.


Le Gargantua “We offer the only cooking courses where you make every single dish from scratch. No demonstration watching.” So says Marlène, the teaching chef at this culinary school in Anzex, in Lot-et-Garonne. On offer are three- or five-night courses specialising in seasonal cooking, baking and pâtisserie, bread-


making, vegetarian food and all things duck. Accommodation is in a 19th-century farmhouse, surrounded by sunflower fields. “The local cuisine is probably the most diverse in France, as it was influenced by the nearby cuisines of the Basque country, Périgord, Limousin, Languedoc, Pyrénées mountains and Atlantic coast,” Marlene says. “It is known as the land of the geese, the fat ducks and their foie gras. But it is also the land of game, cèpe mushrooms, prunes, gariguette strawberries, sweet melons, white asparagus, and Marmande tomatoes.” www.legargantua.com


La Vie du Château You’ll certainly be inspired to create culinary delights in the 18th-century Château de la


Barbée, in Bazouges-sur-le-Loir, between Angers and Le Mans. Courses range from one day (€300) to five days (€2,400). Accommodation in the château is available at an extra cost. “We will cook many of our family’s favourite recipes together,” says teaching chef Mary Pochez. “We’ll discuss the history of the château, planning a menu, preparing a cheese platter, and wine and food pairing. Our goal is to help you learn the basics of French cookery and master dishes you will be comfortable preparing back in your own kitchen, from weekday family meals to dinner parties.” www.lavieduchateau.com


CULTURAL COURSES Often, the best way to channel your inner creativity is to head off on holiday for a few days. In France you’ll find some great courses on perfume-making, textiles, drawing and art. For the latter, there’s tuition available in


just about every medium and style you can think of, from oils to watercolours, landscapes, portraits and still life.


Adam Cope Painting Courses British painter Adam Cope is the tutor at three residential painting centres – two in the Dordogne and one in Provence. “Residential courses attract an interesting spectrum of people, who often gel well together since there’s this shared passion for painting,” he explains. “The energy that a group of painters can generate is remarkable. I’m lucky because I learn so much by sharing with other painters, be they absolute beginners or Leonardo da Vinci.” There are three venues available: a medieval abbey in Saint-Avit- Sénieur, near Bergerac, with courses in June 2023; a château near Bordeaux (October 2023); and a Provençal farmhouse near Roussillon, in the Vaucluse (May and September 2023). For ❯❯


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