Short Cooking Break in Normandy

What You'll Do

Immerse yourself in food and culture on this 2-night French cooking break; during this personalized course, you can focus on what you want to master and purchase the ingredients yourself at local shops and markets with chef Spence on hand at all times to help you prepare your chosen dishes.

Start each day discussing your menu and the necessary ingredients with your chef. You are free to choose what dishes you would like to create or chef Spencer will be on hand with plenty of classic French recipes to inspire you.

Once your menu is chosen, head to the local market or artisan shops to buy the ingredients, meet the locals and even use any existing French language skills you may have. Don’t worry though – Spencer will be on hand to translate if necessary. You will spend the rest of the day preparing and cooking a main and dessert for the fantastic dinner at the end.

You’ll spend your nights in the lovingly and expertly restored gite, overlooking the undulating land of Normandy. Your accommodation will be based right next to the cooking school, which will be exclusively for your use during your stay. Both the school and gite are surrounded by countryside and woodland trails where you can walk off the delicious meals you have prepared or just relax by the fire at night with a glass of local wine.

This cookery break is an authentic gem of Normandy for the whole family. Spencer, your host, will see you through menu planning, shopping, and hands on cooking. If you’re the only chef in your family, don’t worry! While the rest of your family enjoy the area, they can return to join you for the meal you’ve prepared for them.

Experience
Highlights

Find the freshest ingredients at the market & local shops with your chef.

Learn to cook whatever you want on this private cooking course.

Stay in your own private gite immersed in stunning countryside.

Experience Itinerary

Arrival

Arrive and check into the accommodation anytime after 12pm.

You will have the rest of the day free to explore the local area and try out nearby restaurants for your dinner that night or simply stay and relax in the gite.

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be at the restored bakery – a gite that sleeps six comfortably and can easily become a home away from home.

Features:
– Patio area for dining outdoors on sunny days
– The gite sleeps up to 6, and offers a double bed room, 2 singles in the other bedroom, and a sofa bed in the lounge, along with a space for dining, a fully equipped kitchen, and showers
– Enjoy a log burning stove in the family room, TV with English channels, play station for the kids, and an outdoor area with a fire pit and BBQ for a countryside night time getaway

Market visit & cooking lesson

Your day begins at 9am with either a shop at the market (Wednesdays) or stopping at the local specialty shops to gather your ingredients. You will be encouraged to act like a local and use French to purchase your ingredients yourself at the market and in the shops but don’t panic! Spencer will be on hand to help you with translation if necessary.

Once you have all your ingredients, you will be driven to the cookery school, just 5 minutes away. You will spend the day cooking 2 dishes of your choice based on the ingredients you have bought (a main and a dessert) and lunch will be provided.

The day will conclude with a countryside feast around 6pm.

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be at the lovely restored gite.

Farewell

Set off from the gite by 10am taking with you fond memories of a wonderful stay!

Location Information

Set in the picturesque and idyllic village of Les Loges Marchis in the Manche area of Normandy, you will have the Normandy countryside all around you. Plus, you can discover medieval towns, spa towns, the beaches of Normandy and the D day invasion, and take in the Bayeux tapestry, all within a short drive.

The nearest airport is Rennes-Saint-Jacques Airport (RNS), approximately 90 minutes away.

If you plan to arrive by train, free transfers are included to and from St Hilaire Du Harcouet train station to the accommodation.

Arriving by car is very easy, as the school is just off the A84 between Villedieu Les Poeles and Avranches. Full address and directions will be provided after booking.

FAQs

- Suitable for all levels from beginner cooks to advanced chefs
- Minimum age 18 (under 18s accepted accompanied by an adult)
- All classes are taught in English

- Solo travellers are more than welcome to book this cookery break and there are NO single supplements applied
- Please note that the lessons and accommodation are private so although there won't be other solo travellers to meet, it does mean you will have the cosy gite and Chef Spencer all to yourself for a bespoke cookery break

- Cooking courses start on any day of the week
- The chef is open to requests year round
- You can check in to the accommodation anytime after 12pm and check out by 10am on your departure day

Please find below some information regarding the accommodation and location of the holiday which may be useful when deciding if this is the right holiday for you; should you have any further questions, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
- Please note that this accommodation does not have disabled access
- There is a toilet/shower on the ground floor, along with a pull out sofa bed, so the stairs can be avoided

- Normandy is packed with things to see and do, and there is a bit of culture, history, or shopping for everyone
- The D Day beaches are just over an hour and a half away and there are museums and cemeteries for the US, British & Canadian Troops at all of them
- Bayeux is just under an hour and half away, where you will find the amazing tapestry of the battle of 1066
- Mont St Michel is a must see UNESCO heritage site, and only 35 minutes away
- Fougeres is 25 minutes away and a great day out for architecture and gardens
- Domfront & Bagnoles de L'Orne are 35 & 50 Minutes away. These are old medieval towns in the Normandy national park, Bagnoles is a large spa town with lakes, popular with French tourists, and is host to a large casino as well

From £292 pp