Cookery courses at the Walnut Grove

Gourmet Cuisine and Cooking Classes
in the beautiful Loire Valley

Experience the reality of gourmet cooking yourself. There is only one way to learn and that is to do it! Top chefs, luxury accommodation, set in France - the home of gourmet cuisine; what more could you ask for?

• Learn in a supportive, relaxed & fun atmosphere
• Extensive hands-on time in the kitchen
• Learn professional style presentation skills
• Whatever your skill level enhance your existing abilities
• Individual attention guaranteed.
• Maximum ratio of four guests to one chef
• Absolutely no washing up!
• All classes are in English
• Contact us now for a holiday experience that will last you a lifetime

So what else makes the Walnut Grove Cooking Vacation unique?

Your hosts and tutors are acclaimed chefs Maynard Harvey and Benedict Haines, two modern chefs who use the freshest ingredients with an emphasis on distinct flavours and clean, meticulous presentation. Their passion and enthusiasm for cooking will stimulate your own love of food, and their expertise will help you gain confidence and perfect your cooking skills and techniques in the kitchen.

At the Walnut Grove, we always maintain a maximum of four people to one chef, so you always get personal attention. Our professionally equipped kitchen is located across the courtyard from the farmhouse and has been exclusively designed for our culinary vacations. With a high ceiling and exposed beams our large kitchen is light and airy and retains a soft country ambiance, ideal for learning to cook.

You will work with a full range of professional equipment and experiment under the watchful eyes of your chefs. Our cookery course experience ranges from home-smoking that you can do in your own oven, stocks and sauces, caramel sugar cages and even the fun of making your own candy floss, or as its called in France "Barbe à Papa" (Papa's Beard)! For client reviews of our cookery school click here.

Cook, tour and learn during the days, and each evening, sit down to gastronomic delights, fine wines and interesting conversation with like-minded people in our open plan mezzanine gallery. Your accommodation in the sympathetically renovated farmhouse is set in a walnut grove in the heart of idyllic rural France. The house is surrounded by its own gardens, where in clement weather you can play boules or croquet, or simply relax in the sun. The four luxuriously appointed en-suite bedrooms are situated on the first & ground floors and have stunning views stretching over the countryside.

Relax after your evening meal in the comfort of the guest sitting room with like-minded people. Exchange ideas and knowledge with new friends, aware that you all have the same aim — to make the cooking holiday an ongoing adventure.

All in all, the perfect end to a spectacular day!