A Cooking Holiday in France

A cooking holiday in France where you will have a great time cooking, relaxing and seeing the sights...

Do you fancy a fun, friendly, hands-on cooking holiday where you can soak up the French life and learn to cook the way you've always dreamed?

Sitting at work wondering what you'll be doing on holiday this year? Or maybe you're at home dreaming about cooking and eating under azure skies...

A few days with us could be just the thing and, what's more, there's no washing up..!

If you'd love to cook and present dishes like the professionals, enhance your culinary repertoire and have a great time, come and join us for a wonderful cooking holiday in the Dordogne, France.

There's absolutely no washing up, courtesy of our Liz (see panel at right), so just come and cook fantastic food, consume the fruits of your labour and enjoy great company!

Ten key ingredients of your cooking holiday...

• Relaxed & friendly - no being made to feel stupid

• English-speaking - no interpreters, no misunderstandings

• Children welcome - if they're old enough to talk, they're old enough to cook!

• Totally hands-on - it's the best way to learn

• NO washing up - just cooking, eating and relaxing

• Flexible programme to suit you - variety of single, flexible multi-day and five-day residential or non-residential courses

• Suitable for novice, intermediate & advanced cooks - we have the perfect menu whatever your skill level

• Warm cosy en suite accommodation & most meals included - either stay here with us or 'commute' from your own accommodation nearby

• Learn top cheffy skills - cook a range French regional & classic dishes

• Non-participants welcome - see what there is to do in the Dordogne

Hands-on cooking, no boring demos..!

With only one or two short inspirational demos by the English chef (that's me, Jim Fisher), you'll feel completely satisfied with what you've achieved.

And it's totally hands-on, which means you personally get to prepare and cook the market-fresh ingredients alongside me and your fellow participants.

It can get pretty intense at times, but you'll soon get into the flow. By the end of the week you'll be brimming with new-found kitchen skills and cooking confidence!

Bustling markets and stunning scenery...

There'll be food-related visits such as a trip to Sarlat's bustling Wednesday morning market, and you'll also get a chance to see the sights of this beautiful region.

A cooking course for the credit crunch...

Once you book a cooking holiday with us you'll have nothing more to pay. Everything's included (see Prices), so, once here, you can just sit back and enjoy yourself with no more exchange rate blues!

Five Day/Five Night 'all-in' residential Cooking holidays...

Cooking, eating, drinking, relaxing by the pool and sight-seeing during a relaxed feature-packed week.

Prices start from an extremely competitive €845.00 and our great value five day residential cooking holidays are fully inclusive and cater for your every need.

During your time with us you'll pick up a huge range of skills and recipes in a structured, though informal and fun atmosphere.

Most days you'll prepare and cook two courses from scratch - lunch, dinner or dessert - using professional techniques honed in restaurant kitchens but adapted to the way you cook at home.

And, when it's time to go home, you'll not only take away all the recipes and a free CookinFrance apron (not to mention a few extra kilos!), but also bags of fond memories of a fun time spent with like-minded people (see what's included).

One, Two & Three day courses...

If you're short on holiday time, our varied infinitely tailorable selection of day courses offer you the chance to have a great time and learn stacks of new skills.

Starting at €130, either join us for a day or stay for a few. Our day courses are great if you are holidaying nearby, or just want to hop on a cheap flight to fulfil a personal fantasy! (see what's included)

We cater for all skill levels...

You see, according to our English chef, it's all about building confidence by bringing out what's already within you, so skills you never knew you had will suddenly spring to life!

Our great value cooking holidays and courses (see prices) are designed to cater for all skill levels, from keen amateur to budding professional, so you'll never feel out of place. 

We'll have a chat about what you want to cook...

When you email us, or phone (Tel: 0033 [0]553 302405), we'll have a chat about what you want to cook.  We'll then tailor the itinerary to suit you and the other guests by gathering together like-minded foodies on the same course.  Simple!

Set in our magnificent converted barn in the Dordogne - the gastronomic heart of France - you'll be cooking some great dishes on your cooking holiday, from France and around the world.  Check out a sample itinerary.

No Fanny Craddock-type on this cooking holiday in France...

If you're looking for a cooking holiday in France you've come to the right place: you'll learn by using tried and tested hands-on techniques honed in busy restaurant kitchens, but adapted to the way you cook at home. 

And you won't be punished for every mistake by some starched Fanny Craddock type either - just patient guidance and jovial encouragement by an experienced friendly chef.

So, if you enjoy cooking among friendly like-minded people in a warm relaxed fun atmosphere, come and learn to cook with us because you'll quickly feel very much at home.

English-speaking and easy to get to...

We are English-speaking and our prices include everything you'll need on a residential cooking holiday - all you have to do is get here.

And because of the proliferation of cheap flights and tumbling ferry prices your cooking holiday in France represents great value for money.

We'll even pick you up and drop you off at our nearest train stations at Brive la Gaillarde or Sarlat, both of which have Hertz, Avis or Europcar car rental outlets on their doorstep.

Ever wanted to cook French, Mediterranean or even world cuisine?

Here at Bombel you'll be preparing, cooking and, of course, eating dishes from France, the Mediterranean and the Pacific Rim. 

Depending on your particular week's menu, you might learn to...

• Cook pastries, breads and soups

• Select and prepare the best fish and shellfish

• Butcher common joints of meat

• Cook classic French and Italian sauces

• Construct modern dressings

• Master the art of stylish modern food presentation

• Learn how to cook like a chef

Do you love cooking with the best ingredients?

During your cooking holiday in France, using the the best market-fresh local ingredients, you'll be introduced to ways of cooking:

• Fish, meat and shellfish

• Fruit and veg from the market

• Barbecues and char grills

• Ice creams and sorbets

• Exciting and imaginative vegetarian dishes

In fact, you'll be cooking the best food in the world in the perfect place for it - France!

Take home fantastic new skills, recipes and memories...

Patiently guided and encouraged by your chef, you'll quickly become highly adept in the kitchen. Pre-prep, mise en place, knife skills, ingredient selection, flavour-matching and menu-planning will seem like second nature to you. 

Leave us full of new-found kitchen confidence...

You'll learn everything you could possibly need to cook with flair and imagination back home, and we guarantee you'll leave here with at least three things:

• A battery of new and indispensable cooking skills

• Bucket-loads of kitchen confidence

• Bags of fond memories of a fun relaxed cooking holiday

Not quite sure?  Then read our great testimonials.

Don't worry, it's not all food and cooking...

You'll have a great time here, which is why we describe Cookinfrance as a cooking holiday.

When not 'slaving' away in the kitchen you'll be visiting some of our beautiful tourist sites, doing some shopping, going out for great value meals or just lounging around by the pool soaking up the sun.

And while you learn to cook, you'll be staying in our superb centrally-heated en-suite accommodation. 

Or, if you are staying in a holiday cottage nearby, just come and learn to cook on our one, two, three or four-day cooking courses. 

Hey, cook all week if you want to!

Want to bring a friend or partner..?

Do you have a non-cooking friend or partner who would like to come along?  

No problem - non-cooking guests are very welcome and, what's more, the price is about half that of the cook's rate and they'll get to taste all your lovely food!

Booking...

Booking is easy, and only an email or phone call away, so why wait? 

Strike while the iron's hot - book a cooking holiday in France now and share an experience you'll never forget!

"Is it right for me..?"

This is a cooking holiday with a strong food and cooking theme.

You'll learn a great range of basic, intermediate and advanced dishes while picking up a huge number of restaurant-style tips and techniques designed to enhance your own cooking at home.

There will also be plenty of time to spend acquainting yourself with our lovely part of France, chilling out by the pool, or simply reading that novel you've been promising yourself. In other words, having a bit of "me" time!

This is not a Cordon Bleu-style cookery school, so please don't expect back-to-back classes and intensive cookery lessons tied to a rigid concentrated itinerary.