(Option: Day Cooking Classes)
Provence, France - 2, 3 or 5 nights
Available February to November - Sunday to Friday

Learn to cook in a Provençal cookery school, set in a little converted country house in an idyllic spot with wild thyme, rosemary and olive trees at its doorstep. Outside there is a shady terrace where you can enjoy the fruits of your labour, accompanied by a glass of wine from the estate. The 4-star hotel is now part of the beautiful chain Relais & Châteaux.

The classes, which are designed to be for small groups (2 to 10 people), are for people at all skill levels and available either over a long weekend or for a week. In addition, monthly Saturday cookery mornings run throughout the year for those staying at the Château who want to dabble in a spot of cooking. The courses capture the essence of Provençal cookery.

Before joining us, Chef Sébastien Nouveau travelled up and down in France, searching small charming restaurants. He realized very soon that he would work in a gastronomic restaurant and he would not rest until he climbed the ladder to get into famous and recognized gourmet restaurants. Meanwhile, during a stay of several months in England he got to know rare products, a source of imagination and a way to stimulate his curiosity.

After working in several Relais & Châteaux (Bastide St Antoine, Chapelle St Martin,…) his talent gradually expressed itself, and finally thanks to Jacques Chibois (2 macaroons in Michelin-guide) who passed on his energy and his passion for a creative cuisine.

What is simmering? Your taste buds will be tickled by his innovative and his creative around simple flavors. Sebastien has the utmost respect for raw ingredients and enjoys working closely with a head gardener to make our brand new vegetable garden an unlimited source for his cuisine: edible flower, aromatic plants, ancient vegetable, orchard’s fruit… an invitation to share an authentic cuisine with natural products. Sébastien Nouveau is a young intuitive Chef who prefers cooking than talking. He wants to share a cuisine full of emotion and flavours .

A typical course includes a visit to the bustling marketing at the nearby village of Lorgues, an olive oil mill, a traditional local restaurant for lunch, as well as a tour of the Château's cellar and a tutored wine-tasting.

The way of life in Provence is inextricably linked to the art of Provençal food, with its evocative sensations, smells and tastes and the chef brings the true flavours of Provence to the table with menus featuring a mix of cuisine du terroir and cuisine grand mere, using organic vegetables, wild herbs and olive oil from the Château’s gardens and olive groves. He teaches the students about market produce, flavourings and the subtleties of spices, about olive oil and sometimes even about the black truffles grown in the area. Students can taste the joy of successfully making and then tasting various Provençal dishes, washed down with wines from the chateau. This year, every month will feature a new menu jam-packed with seasonal produce. But our chef is also an artist who likes to surprise, especially with his ‘Terre et Mer’ (or land and sea) combinations. He also knows how to surprise with blends of hot and cold and even crunchy and soft. It all adds up to a seductive originality which invites both further discovery and indulgence.

ITINERARY

FIVE NIGHT PROGRAM (arrival on Sunday/Departure on Friday)

Day One - Sunday

Arrival at your beautiful hotel for the week

Dinner on half board (beverages not included) at the gastronomic restaurant

Overnight in a Deluxe room

Day Two - Monday

Breakfast at leisure

10.00am to 2.00pm : your culinary instruction takes you into the early part of the afternoon when the result of your day’s work will be served for lunch (beverages included) at the Cookery School.

4pm: Guided visit of the wine cellar followed by a tasting of three of Chateau's wines (1 hour)

Free dinner (dinner not included, do not hesitate to book your table at the reception: extra)

Overnight in a Deluxe room

Breakfast at leisure followed by an 8.00am to 9.30am transfer to Lorgues to visit the Provencal market where you will find vegetables and typical food and other local and craft products.

10.00am to 2.00pm : cooking class followed by the lunch (beverages included)

Afternoon at leisure: you can take time to lay down by the pool, to work out in the gym, enjoy a spa treatment…(do not hesitate to contact the reception if you need some information about the activities…)

Dinner on your own (dinner not included, do not hesitate to book your table at the reception: extra)

Overnight in a Deluxe room

Day Four - Wednesday

Breakfast at leisure

9.00am: Guided visit of the traditional French vegetable garden of Château de Berne (Please note that the visit of the French vegetable garden can also be done another day depending on availability, to be confirmed by the reception on arrival)

10.00am to 2.00pm: cooking class followed by the lunch (beverages included)

2.30pm: Transfer to Flayosc to visit of an olive oil mill. Then, transfer to Salernes to visit the ceramic museum (Please note that the visit of the ceramic museum can also be done another day depending on availability, to be confirmed by the reception on arrival)

Dinner on half board (beverages not included) at the gastronomic restaurant l’Orangerie

Overnight in a Deluxe room

Day Five - Thursday

Breakfast at leisure

10.00am – 2.00pm : cooking class followed by the lunch (beverages included)

Afternoon at leisure: you can take time to relax by the pool, to work out in the gym, enjoy a spa treatment 

Dinner on half board (beverages not included) at the gastronomic restaurant

Overnight in a Deluxe room

Day Six - Friday

Breakfast at leisure - Departure

DAY COOKING CLASS

Students arrive on their own at 10/10:30am with classes beginning at 10:30am and ending at 2:30pm.

Students will prepare a starter, main course and dessert and will dine on their creations after the class with our Chef.  
                                 

GROUP SIZE

A minimum of 2 participants is required to run this tour and the tour is limited to a maximum of 10 participants. 

(The number of participants refers to how many persons are required to run the tour, not to how many persons you must have in your party. Please inquire.)

HOW TO ARRIVE

By air: Airports at Nice or Toulon-Hyères/ (one hour’s drive)/Helicopter transfer from Nice (15 minutes) to the estate’s helicopter landing area

By train: TGV station – Les Arcs Argens – 15 minute drive

BOOKING INFORMATION

  
For further inquiries or to register, click here.

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