This new advanced cooking course, designed for keen cooks and semi-professionals will teach you everything from pre-preparation techniques to last minute cooking timings. By the end of the course not only will you be able to create your own new dishes with confidence and skill but also write and create your own menus for lavish entertaining at home. Each day you will be using quality, fresh ingredients, transforming them from scratch, into gastronomic delights, furthering your techniques and understanding at the same time. Every guest will be given the unique opportunity of becoming the head chef for a day. You will be taught to: • Write mis-en-place lists • Be aware of every aspect of the meal • Pre-preparation timings • Tasting and approving every dish for seasoning • Organizing the last minute cooking of each course • Plating up/presentation There will be daily comprehensive menu discussions, which will teach you how to create your own dishes, taking into account balancing flavours, textures, portion sizes and richness. There is an afternoon with a professional sommelier who will teach you how to choose the best wine for your new gourmet dishes. Dinner every evening is the group's sumptuous creations - a social affair with like minded people. The course ends with all the tuition, fun and experience put into an exciting last day finale. 16.00 Introductory talk - Discussing aims and course structure followed by complimentary champagne and canapés 18.15 Dinner, 6-course gourmet dinner Dinner Menu: Boudin of foie gras with a wild mushroom sauce; Crispy salmon with an oriental sauce; Passion-fruit sorbet; Tornado of beef fillet with a smoked bacon & thyme rosti with a spinach & parsley purée and a perigourdine sauce; Fromage frais, Greek yogurt & honeycomb mousse with a fresh raspberry coulis; Selection of cheese and biscuits; Coffee and truffles. 9.00 to 9.45 Breakfast (to include brioche, croissants, breads and preserves, cereals, orange juice, yogurts, tea and coffee.) 10.00 Hands-on: Knife skill refresher Demonstration: Confit of Duck Demonstration: White onion & thyme soup (with a goats cheese croute) Demonstration: Preparing shell-fish: lobster, crayfish, scallops, oysters & lobster stock Hands-on: Seasoning techniques Menu discussion, timing and distributing jobs Hands-on: Split into groups. Group 1 - Making bread, stocks and sauces, menu prep Group 2 - Preparing starter, iced parfait & menu prep 13.15 Lunch - White onion & thyme soup with a goat's cheese croute, salad, olives, pickles & cheese. 14.15 Demonstration: Chicken, tomato & bacon consommé 14.25 Hands-on: Menu preparation 17.00 Finish. 17.45 Hands-on: Final finishing touches for dinner, followed by aperitifs and dinner. Menu: Roulade of salmon and prawn served with avocado; Oriental duck spring rolls with a sweet chilli relish; Goat's cheese sorbet; Panaché of fish with a Vermouth sauce; White chocolate cheesecake with a pink grapefruit iced parfait; Cheese and biscuits; Coffee and truffles. 9.00 to 9.45 Breakfast. 10.00 Demonstration: Chicken, tomato & smoked bacon consommé. 10.20 Hands-on: Chicken butchery. 10.50 Menu discussion/head chef duties/timing/distributing jobs Hands-on: Split into groups Group 1 - Bread, stocks & sauces & menu prep Group 2 - Niçoise salad, pudding & menu prep 13.15 Lunch - Poached salmon with hot & sour cucumber & lemon mayonnaise, salads & new potatoes, followed by cheese. 14.30 Tutorial: Pairing wine with food, taught by a professional sommelier 17.00 Finish 17.45 Hands-on: Final finishing touches for dinner, followed by aperitifs & dinner. Menu: Tomato, chicken & smoked bacon consommé with a pesto ravioli; Tuna Niçoise; Passion-fruit sorbet; Breast of chicken stuffed with foie gras mousse served with mashed potatoes, spinach and a wild mushroom sauce; Treacle Tart with crème fraiche ice cream Selection of cheese and biscuits; Coffee and truffles. 9.00 to 9.45 Breakfast. 10.00 Demonstration and Hands-on: Sugar work, praline tuiles, brandy snap, marbling & piping chocolate, tuile work 11.15 Menu discussion/timing/distributing jobs Hands-on: Split into groups Group 1 - Mussel broth, sorbet & soufflé Group 2 - Bread, terrine of duck, sea bass dish 11.45 Hands-on: Menu prep 13.30 Lunch - Selection of charcuterie & pâtés, salad, pickles & cheese 14.30 Excursion – Can vary according to availability. Either - Lactopôle André Besnier - the worlds biggest milk museum, or local fromagerie with demonstration of cheese making. 17.45 Hands-on: Final finishing touches for dinner, followed by aperitifs & dinner. Menu: Mussel & saffron broth; Confit duck terrine with a spiced fig chutney; Calvados sorbet; Pan-fried fillet of sea bass filled with a home-smoked lobster sauce; Hot bitter chocolate soufflé with a ginger ice cream; Cheese and biscuits; Coffee and petit fours. 9.00 to 9.45 Breakfast 10.00 Menu planning for dinner parties 10.40 Hands-on: Napkin folding and table presentation The Cookery Challenge!!! 13.30 Lunch - gourmet BBQ 14.30 Hands-on: Continue the Cookery Challenge; croquet and boules in the garden, time permitting. 17.00 Finish 18.00 Hands-on: Final finishing touches for dinner, followed by aperitifs and dinner. 9.00 Breakfast 10.00 Departure before midday 2008: 7 Jun, 4 Oct, 15 Nov