After your arrival settle into your room. Have a wander around the village and then meet with your hosts, David and Bernard, for aperitifs on the terrace. A four course gastronomic dinner accompanied with superb local wines awaits you where you will relax and discuss the week ahead. Your holiday has begun! Start the day with a fabulous breakfast of croissants, fresh local bread, cold meats, cheese and of course home made jams and local honey. The classes begin with a tour of the kitchen to familiarise yourself with the equipment and learn basic knife skills and techniques. Then a short stroll up to the Auberge restaurant where you will prepare three different types of foie gras with Bernard; a great opportunity for you to experience working in a real commercial kitchen! After lunch you are free to do as you please. Perhaps you might like to visit our local places of interest such as the Chateau de Gramont, the Honey Museum, explore the local walks or indeed just relax on our sun terraces and enjoy a book or a plunge in our hot tub. Meet for dinner in the Auberge for Bernard’s house aperitifs and his famous duck menu. Today is an early start and after another wonderful breakfast to set you up for the day, you will go to a local farmer’s market where you will choose and purchase the produce for this afternoon’s cooking session. All that shopping will build up your appetite for lunch in a very traditional local cafe, returning to the school to begin the afternoon’s tuition. In this session you will fillet a fish, prepare a veloute sauce and practice your pastry skills to create a fantastic Tarte aux Pommes. After cooking sessions with David you are invited back into the kitchen to perfect your plate presentation skills and serve the wonderful dishes you prepared earlier that day. Today you get to work with both chefs. After breakfast your cooking session of the day is with David and Bernard in the Auberge. Enjoy preparing traditional cassoulet, Two Pepper Soup and Crepes Suzettes followed by lunch. In the afternoon you will visit the Chateau de Cassaigne, an Armagnac distillery in Condom where you can study the history of Armagnac and enjoy a tasting session too. Time permitting a visit to the ancient fortified village of Larrissingle is also included. Breakfast on Thursday is followed by a cooking session with David. You will use your newly acquired knife skills to bone a chicken and prepare Ballotine de Poulet and a rich, mushroom sauce to accompany it. Today’s mouth- watering dessert is the Tarte au Frangipane. Lunch is followed by an afternoon trip to local areas of interest or you are free to do as you please. You are once again invited back into the kitchen to practice your presentation skills, serve and of course enjoy the dishes you prepared earlier. Day of departure, after breakfast we would ask that your rooms to be vacated by midday. You are welcome to stay on and enjoy some time on the hotel before your flight departs if you wish. 6-day course (Sun-Fri) from March until Oct excluding August