Cookery Courses in France

[dellis453]

How better to discover France than to cook the local ingredients?

A couple of recommendations (and a couple to go on my wish list for my next visit)

Delicieusement Votre - Private Cookery Courses in Lyon

Aurelie Chauvin welcomes small groups to her beautiful house just 15 minutes from the centre of Lyon. We joined her for a morning cooking with a Father's Day theme. The group cooked together, each adding their bit to the lunch we would eventually sit down and savour.

Our course was one of the higher priced ones 70 euros (well it did include fois gras on the menu).We made a superb tagine with lamb and artichokes and very rich chocolate dessert with tuiles, with scallops and fois gras to start.

Aurelie speaks excellent English and provided recipes in French as well as English

Participants enjoying a leisurely lunch after a hard morning's work

Aurélie Chauvin

Delieusement Votre

18, allée des Mirabelles

69340 Francheville

04 37 41 58 07

Delicieusement Votre

La Maison du Moulin

Benedicte Appels

Maison d'hôtes de charme

26230 GRIGNAN

Maison du Moulin

maisondumoulin@wanadoo.fr

Benedicte runs the most fabulous upmarket chambre d'hotes/table d'hotes in Grignan not far from Montelimar. This accomplished Belgian Chef (who includes a "stage" with Jean Luc Rabanel as one of the highlights of her culinary career) runs a varietyof seasonal courses including one on black truffles! Benedicte speaks excellent English.

We did a mini course with her helping prepare the evening meal for her guests (which we savoured too!)

And on my wish list ....

Lecon de Gout et Degustation (Taste Lesson)

restaurant Nicholas le Bec, Lyon

04 78 42 15 00

restaurant@nicolaslebec.com

2nd Monday of each month either 15.00 to 17.30 or 19.30 to 21.30.8 people max.

55 euros per person or 45 euros if you belong to Cercle Nicolas le Bec (20 euros per year)

Discover seasonal produce, understand the products in a relaxed atmosphere and taste a cuisine that focuses on health and equilibrium at this Michelin star restaurant.

Jean Luc Rabanel of L'Atelier is shortly to introduce cookery courses

http://www.rabanel.com/ecole.htm#

[Felice]

How better to discover France than to cook the local ingredients?

A couple of recommendations (and a couple to go on my wish list for my next visit)

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Many thanks for the recommendations Dellis, they look great.

I would especially love to try Nicholas le Bec's Lecon de Gout.

[bleudauvergne]

Just in - Sonia Ezgulian, chef/owner of Oxalis, closed the doors for good over the summer. She's not dissapearing forever, however, we'll see her again in a restaurant-appartement concept with a dîner gastronomique once a week (by reservation) and also cooking classes.

[Dave Hatfield]

While on the subject of cooking schools I'll give a little plug for my friend Anne Dyson. Anne is a lifelong cook, has lived in France for many years & was a school headmistress in the Uk.

She recently started a cooking school based at her home which is both a gite & chambre D'hotel. She's has a purpose built kitchen installed and is off to a flying start.

Her website is: greedygoose and has all of the details.

Anne's good, she's flexible, she knows how to teach so you'll learn as well as having a good time.

By the way I did her website so have vested interest as well as being a friend.

[kerriar]

A bit outside the areas indicated but may I give a serious recommendation to the courses run by the people at Le Cheval Blanc at Lembach in the heart of the northern Vosges.

The website at http://www.au-cheval-blanc.fr/index2.html needs some updating but the courses are held regularly throughout the year and reflect seasonal products. The 2 day autumn course which concentrated on preparation and cooking of game was outstanding.

The area has its own particular beauty at this time of the year and summer dies slowly here as the trees and fields change colour.

The professional kitchen team take the courses seriously and attract mainly French people so you'll need to speak some French to benefit.

[bleudauvergne]

More info on clases in Lyon:

Here is a link to the a la carte courses offered this year at the Institut Paul Bocuse. The institute is at a chateau in neighboring Ecully, a cute little town 15 minutes by bus from centre ville Lyon. They also have 6 week and 12 week intensive programs, starting this year in April, price, around €3500 for the 6 week initiation course.

For something less expensive, a young graduate from the 3 year Arts Culinaire and Management program at Paul Bocuse has teamed up with a business schoolmate to create Comme des Chefs, the concept being to take absolute beginners and cook to take home. They explain that these courses are meant to help people overcome people's fear of cooking. I spoke to the owners yesterday and they would be willing to organize special classes for groups of people like us, i.e. classes designed with more technique or a more intensive introduction to French cooking. 3 steps from restaurant Gourmet de seze and around the corner from Bernachon if you wanted to make a day of it.

[bleudauvergne]

In Lyon on the presqu'ile, the Emile Henry boutique has a kitchen above the shop where they invite visiting chefs to give cooking classes. The other day I participated in one class and we cooked for the afternoon, for the price of €65. These classes are held in French, and the participants are generally experienced home cooks. I think that if you spoke no French, you might miss some discussion but you could easily follow the activity by doing what the chef does. The atmosphere is friendly and is limited to 7 students. The class does include a chance to sit down and eat the meal prepared on site, you choose your color of Emile Henry gratin dish and take your portion home with you. Sign up in advance by calling the shop.

Emile Henry

18 r Brest 69002 Lyon

04 78 37 33 43

[Dave Hatfield]

The other day I participated in one class and we cooked for the afternoon,

What did you cook?

Learn?

What color did you choose?