Monday

8.30am – To make the most of your time at the Cookery School we serve breakfast at 8.30am, it is a traditional French affair of homemade breads, croissants and homemade preserves, cereals, yoghurts and a good helping of coffee, tea and orange juice are also available.
10am – Kitchen tour & knife skills
– You’ll receive a tour of the kitchen and an explanation of the equipment and be loaned your own set of chef’s knives before your first lesson learning how to chop, slice, julien and dice food
11am – Hands on French cooking lessons
– On your first day you’ll learn to cook a traditional gateau pithiviers, an ornately decorated puff pastry dessert with a delicious crème d’amande at the centre as well as chef David’s famous pizza gersois (local onions, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and thinly sliced duck breast) and a prepare a pate sucree (the base for the tarte aux pommes you will be preparing the next day)
3pm – Afternoon cooking lesson learning to cook a range of French dishes and desserts

Following a traditionally long French lunch you will make your way to Chef Bernard will introduce you to the art of preparing foie gras. You will prepare four different types of foie gras –mi-cuit, traditional, cru and pain d’épices and then another quintessentially Gascon dish; cassoulet. Bernard will share with you his tried and tested wisdom as to the best way in which to prepare his most popular dish.

You’ll then prepare crêpes for the evening dinner and the sauce suzetteyou prepared at the beginning of the day will be the finishing touch to this traditional French classic. As the first day comes to a close you will return to Chef David’s kitchen to complete two final pastries; Pâte Sablée and Pâte Sucrée.

7pm – You are invited to experience Bernards signature menu: an haute cuisine experience in traditional Gascon manner including the three different types of  foie gras that you prepared earlier… Bon appetit.

Accommodation

You’ll be staying in the restored French farmhouse is surrounded by the Gascon countryside.

Tuesday

8.30 – Breakfast
– Enjoy a typical French breakfast before heading into the kitchen
10am – Market visit
– Today you’ll be given some money and list of ingredients as you head to the local food market in Fleurance where local farmers and growers sell their produce. You will familiarise yourself with the regional produce and select the fresh ingredients that you will be using in the afternoon class and during the week
12.30pm – Travel back to Gramont to the local Bistro for lunch before returning to the cookery school for the afternoon cooking class.
3pm – Afternoon French cooking lessons
– This afternoon you’ll learn how to fillet a fish correctly, and prepare a veloute sauce as an accompaniment. This is then followed by a Tarte aux Pommes for dessert where you will learn to practice your pastry and knife skills
8pm – Enjoy aperitifs and canapés followed by the wonderful 4 course dinner. The fish in velouté sauce and tarte aux pommes that you prepared earlier will be the centre piece of the evening’s menu, giving you the chance to enjoy the fruits of your labour.
– Each day, all guests are invited to help the kitchen plate up the food ready for service to enhance their cooking skills that go from preparation to service

Accommodation

You’ll be staying in the restored French farmhouse surrounded by the Gascon countryside.

Wednesday

8.30 – Breakfast

10am – Hands on French cooking course

After breakfast you will join David in his kitchen to put your newly acquired knife skills to the test, boning a chicken to create a sumptuous Ballotine de Poulet. Following the preparation of the chicken, you will make a rich mushroom sauce as an accompaniment.

Next this morning you will prepare a light and refreshing Tarte au Citron and an entrée of Soupe Aux Deux Poivrons (Two-Pepper Soup), the unique presentation of this dish never fails to impress at a dinner party.
2pm – Enjoy the delicious lunch you’ve prepared
3pm – In the afternoon you will visit Gramont’s seventeenth-century chateau a well preserved Renaissance castle complete with period furniture and tapestries, afterwards you will have time to relax before joining David in the kitchen to complete the final preparations for this evening’s meal.

This evening you will done on all three dishes you pre[pared today.

Accommodation

You’ll be staying in the restored French farmhouse surrounded by the Gascon countryside.

Thursday

8.30am – Breakfast

10am – Hands on French cooking course
– Today will be an intensive cookery class where you will prepare 6 dishes over three hours, the focus will be on French desserts. These will consist of a crème patissiere, crème brulee, crème caramel and finishing off with a savoury sauce béchamel, followed by sugar spinning technique, preparing a reduction sauce (jus de vin rouge)
2pm – Enjoy the delicious lunch you’ve prepared
3pm – After lunch you will visit the Château de Cassaigne, Condom’s acclaimed Armagnac distillery, learn about the history of this local brandy whilst indulging in a short degustation. Then there will be a tour of the beautifully preserved, medieval fortified village of Larressingl and  the delightful village of La Romieu.

8pm – You will dine at Bernard’s and your menu will include the cassoulet that you prepared on Monday and today’s desserts.

Accommodation

You’ll be staying in the restored French farmhouse surrounded by the Gascon countryside.

Friday

Sadly, the cookery school has come to an end!

Breakfast will be served as usual, until 10am and we ask you to kindly vacate your room before 11am.

À bientôt!