Cooking course "market" Itinerary
This cooking course begins on the Friday early evening with champagne followed by a six-course gourmet dinner where you will have the opportunity to get to know your fellow guest/participants and sample the style of food you will be learning to cook for the rest of the course.
The rest of the week comprises of;
Saturday morning we will go shopping in the beautiful market in Laval.
We will spend the morning like the locals, exploring all the fresh seasonal specialties the market has to offer. Immerse yourself in full French culture with a Market Tour.
Afternoon will be hands-on in the kitchen, preparing dinner, including , butchery, fish prep, knife skills, sauces, seasoning techniques etc, with a couple of demonstrations.
Sunday and Monday it will be in the kitchen with a mix of hands-on and demonstrations. including making pasta, bread making, sous vide technique, sugar and chocolate work, pastry, and dinner preparation.
Tuesday is the last day in the kitchen and you are encouraged to use all your new skills in creating that night’s dinner.
After lunch we will go to visit the thousand year old medieval town Vitré (or Fougères for returning customers), historical places with beautiful chateau and cobbled street, time to relax and do some (more) shopping,
Then it is back in the kitchen for the finishing touches of cooking and presenting dinner.
This cooking course is concluded with another six-course dinner.
The aim of this course is to build on each of the clients existing skills so that they leave feeling very confident, with a far greater understanding of ingredients & techniques so that they can take their cooking to the next level.
The itinerary may be subject to change according to the market in order to take advantage of the seasonal/regional foods.
Day 1 - Friday
Arrival in the afternoon
17.00 – Introductory talk with complimentary champagne and canapés,
Discussing aims and course structure
18.00 – Dinner 6-course gourmet dinner
Menu
Day 2 - Saturday
8.45 – Breakfast (to include fresh croissants, breads and preserves, orange juice, local apple juice, yogurts, tea and coffee.)
9.15 – Off to Laval’s market for shopping and sightseeing.
12.00 Returning to The Walnut Grove, we will break for lunch and feast on our treasures.
Charcuterie, bread, cheese and fresh soup (Seasoning Techniques How to bring the best out of your ingredients)
14.00 – Kitchen – We will begin the course and our journey in the kitchen with hands on experience and demonstrations preparing dinner.
Welcome, explore kitchen/equipment etc…Basic knife skills; care of knives, safety, sharpening, chop and slice onion, brunoise of carrot…
Demonstration/hands-on:
Soufflé mise en place, black garlic ice cream, Salmon filet (sous vide), hollandaise mise en place. Crêpes mix
Coq (or chicken) butchery, marinade for coq au vin.
17.00 – Finish
17.15 – Aperitifs and nibbles
17.30- Back in the kitchen to finish prep
18.00 – Dinner
Menu












Goat cheese soufflé
with black garlic ice cream
Sorbet
Salmon filet (sous vide), served with
crushed new potatoes, spinach
and a hollandaise sauce
Cheese
Crêpes suzette flambées
Tea and coffee
Day 3 - Sunday
8.45 – Breakfast
9.15 – Menu Explanation
Kitchen: Demonstration /hands-on
Pasta dough, sweet pastry, quiche, Bread making. Trout filleting and smoking.
Lemon tart and parfait.
13.00 – Lunch homemade quiche, fresh bread and salad, followed by cheese
14.00 – Demonstration / Hands-on: Tagliatelle. Coq au vin, Trout mousse,
meringue, honey wafer baskets plus tuile work. caramel cages.
17.00- Aperitifs and nibbles
17.30- Back in the kitchen to finish prep
18.00 – Dinner
Menu
Day 4 - Monday
8.45 – Breakfast
9.15 – Menu Explanation
Demonstration / hands-on : Crème brulée, parmesan biscuit
Apple panacotta, apple gel, raspberry sorbet.
Duck confit.
13.00 – Lunch Selection of charcuterie, salads, homemade bread & pickles
14.00 – Demonstration / hands-on: Duck confit terrine, chutney. Monkfish prep, vegetables and sauce.
Pomme fondante and celeriac purée. Chicken stock, (white & brown), veal glace, fish stock
17.00- Aperitifs and nibbles
17.30 – Back in the kitchen to finish prep
18.00 – Dinner
Menu
















Pomme fondante, celeriac
purée, pear and truffle
Pumpkin and parmesan crème brulée
with parmesan biscuit
Sorbet
Braised monkfish
with seasonal vegetable and a saffron sauce
Cheese
Apple panacotta with apple
gel & raspberry sorbet
Tea and coffee
Day 5 - Tuesday
8.45 – Breakfast
9.15 – Menu Explanation
YOU ARE THE CHEF
Hands-on
ice cream, cheesecake in chocolate case, chocolate work.
Chicken dish, vegetable and sauce
Snail Bonbon, garlic purée.
13.00 – Lunch Barbecue.
14.00 – Excursion and shopping in Vitré, 1000 years old medieval town and castle.
17.00 – Aperitifs and nibbles
17.30- Back in the kitchen to finish prep
18.00 – Dinner
Menu
Day 6 - Wednesday
9.00 Breakfast
Departure before midday
Prices - "Market" Itinerary
– Euros € 1995.00 per person, shared ensuite bedroom with twin beds or double bed.
– Euros € 1095.00 non-cooking friend or partner
– Euros € 395.00 single room supplement
What's included
What's not included
– Travel
– Entrance fee to Vitré’s Chateau museum (€6 Euros)
– Laundry (€25 Euros)
– Wine and alcoholic beverages
Wine and other alcoholic beverages can be purchased from our bar
Options to Add on
Enclosed by its ramparts, Saint-Malo conceals a thousand treasures. You’ll discover them as you stroll at your own pace through its irresistibly charming alleys. First step: go through its doors.
Cancale; This pretty port is a delight both for the eyes and the taste buds. Voted a remarkable site of taste, Cancale has long been famous for its oysters and shellfish. These seafood delights are even better when enjoyed while admiring the wonderful Mont Saint-Michel in the middle of the bay.
Dinan; Enclosed by nearly three kilometres of ramparts, the town of Dinan and its 14th-century castle proudly overlook the Rance river. Below, the small marina is the starting point for some lovely walks along the estuary, while above, corbelled houses complete the tour of this town with medieval charm.
The Mont Saint Michel and its abbey;Positioned on the border between Normandy and Brittany, Mont-Saint-Michel was both a place of passage and a fortress for the Duchy of Normandy.From the 14th century onwards, the successive conflicts of the Hundred Years War between France and England required new, powerful fortifications to be erected. The Mount, defended by a few knights loyal to the King of France and protected by a wall flanked by several defensive towers, managed to resist attacks by the English army for nearly 30 years.One thousand three hundred years of history.Villedieu-les-Poêles; Capital of copper,In the heart of the copper city, The Copper Workshop, is one of the oldest workshops still in activity. We are perpetuating the great tradition of French copperware and gastronomy, which is why great leaders come to see us.
(that’s where I get my copper pots retinned)