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Everyone deserves a well-earned break now and then and if you’re the type of person who would like to combine a trip abroad with a delicious cooking experience, this is the prize for you!

 
 
   

Cooking or culinary holidays, vacations, tours in France:

SHORT BREAKS : COOKING HOLIDAYS : COOKING VACATIONS

Cooking in Provence with Chef Patrick Payet
. . . and
discovering the heart of the Luberon

"The year began with lunch", stated Peter Mayle in his famous book A Year in Provence, and so begins your wonderful week in Provence as the guest of Chef Patrick Payet - Patrick even gets a mention in the book!

Everyone has in their mind's eye an image of Provence but not to have experienced the real Provence, away from the coastal strip, is not to have experienced Provence. If you travel just a brief half an hour beyond the busy beaches and coastal towns, you will find lonely hills and steep mountain passes, water falls, clear mountain lakes, villages shaded by hosts of hundred-year-old trees and a fraction of the people. A region of wonderful colours, wonderful smells and a magic landscape. The deep blue skies of summer are seldom clouded and the sun has baked the houses, that gregariously crowd together in the little villages, to shades of ochre and rose whilst the deep red soil has provided roof tiles that remain a rich red.

Cooking in Provence Cooking in Provence Cooking in Provence

The many olive trees found throughout Provence provide one of the staple ingredients of the local cuisine, a fine olive oil used extensively in the cooking of local food. Garlic is used more here than in any other part of France whilst the tomato is very much a part of Provencal cuisine. Wine is not grown as extensively in Provence as it is in other parts of France, although some are quite good, especially those produced in the Luberon region.

And right in the heart of Provence is the Luberon where you will find the village of Goult and the restaurant of your host for the week, Chef Patrick Payet.

Cooking in Provence Cooking in Provence Cooking in Provence
     
  LE CHEF  

Your host: Chef Patrick Payet

When it comes to learning the cuisine of Provence you could not be in better hands. Having done his early training in Mougins under the tutelage of one of France's most famous Chefs, Roger Verge, Patrick has spent the last twenty-three years developing his skills and running his restaurant, Le Tonneau - The Barrel.

Patrick is passionate about his food, as you would expect of a Frenchman, and he is equally as passionate about teaching you how to prepare Provencal dishes as well as providing you with the tips and tricks of the trade, enabling you to impress your dinner guests when you get back home.

Patrick's great sense of humour is never far away as he instructs you about the cooking or as he guides you around the Luberon during your week's stay. These traits combined with his love of good food and his ability to create great food make for a wonderful atmosphere and for a holiday you will not forget.

Patrick will greet you at his restored Eighteenth century house, opposite the Baron d’Agoult’s castle, where your every comfort will be catered for. Well sheltered in the heart of the Luberon, picturesque Goult is steeped tradition and history.

Day by day the team will help you to discover the characteristic way of life of the Provencal people. You will visit traditional markets of the region where you will find all the seasonal local produce for which Provence is renowned, from olive oil to fine wines and cheeses. Also on the itinerary will be visits to the surrounding countryside and neighbouring villages . . . and all the while you will be absorbing the colours, the flavours and the perfumes that are the very essence of Provence.

Patrick and his team will guide and inspire you, and your spare time will be filled with new places to discover, and good restaurants to enjoy! During the early evenings, Patrick will be displaying his culinary art and sharing the secrets of Provencal cuisine with you, whilst you enjoy several glasses of Chardonnay!

 
  COOKING HOLIDAYS  
 

     Cooking in Provence Itinerary

Saturday

Guests are welcomed and shown to their rooms. Lunch is offered and the itinerary is discussed. Guests are able to arrive at any time of the day. The usual means of arrival are via Marseille Provence Airport, by car or by train to Avignon. There is free time in the afternoon to rest, go for a walk or to discover the village. Dinner is served at about 8:00pm.

Sunday 8:30 am Breakfast.
10:00 am Depart for the country market of Coustellet, where the local produce for all your cooking is purchased. Antique dealers are also to be found here, revealing some hidden secrets of yesteryear.
Visit to Lavender Museum Afterwards there will be drinks in a local cafe, followed by free time during the afternoon to visit the Antiquw Market of L' Isle sur la Sorgue.
5:00 pm Cooking Class hands on
8:00 pm : Aperitif and dinner.
Monday

8:30 am Breakfast
10:00 am Leave for the village of Menerbes, an ancient fortified town which was once a Protestant centre in the Vaucluse. It was this village where the author, Peter Mayle chose to settle and write his best selling book 'A Year in Provence'. Here too can be found the corkscrew museum, which displays history, sociology, technology and the arts from the Seventeenth century to today.
Visit to the winerie of Domaine la Citadelle and wine tasting
If there is enough time, you will also visit the ancient village of Oppède le Vieux and visit the Olive Mill.
12:00 noon Lunch. Cheese tasting and free time in the afternoon.
5:00 pm Cooking class hands-on, and aperitif
8:00 pm Aperitif and dinner.

Tuesday 8:30 am Breakfast.
10:00 am You will visit the village of the Bories. These dry stone shelters, built by the local peasants and shepherds, constitute a real ethnological museum in the open air on the plateau of Gordes.
10:30 am Youe will visit the village of Gordes, with its local village market and its castle which was rebuilt in the mid Sixteenth century. Dominating the valley of the Coulon, this village was built on a spur of a mountain range.
12:00 noon Lunch and free time in the afternoon.
5:00 pm Cooking class hands-on and aperitif
8:00 pm Dinner.
Wednesday 8:30 am Breakfast.
10:00 am You will visit the Abbey of Senanque, a superb Roman building, located in the heart of the small valley of the Senancole - a place for meditation thanks to the silence and the surrounding beauty.
Then Visit Roussillon, a picturesque hilltop village perched on a bed of red and yellow ochre, which has been used to color the facades of its local buildings for many hundreds of years. Also worth a visit is the Provencal Colorado on the southern side of the Doua Valley, where there are some spectacular walks through some old ochre quarries.
12:00 noon Lunch and free time in the afternoon.
5:00 pm Cooking class hands-on
8:00 pm Aperitif and Dinner
Thursday 8:30 am Breakfast.
10:00 am A visit to Avignon, the city of Pope. Visit the Papal Palace and the Bridge Saint Benezet.
1:00 pm Lunch in Avignon and free time for shopping
5:00 pm Cooking class hands-on and aperitif
8:00 pm Dinner.
Friday 8:30 am Breakfast.
10:00 am A visit to Les Baux-de-Provence,a classified beauty spot and historical monument. Here there is much to discover of the old village. The old castle, dungeons, towers etc. Another place full of magic is the Cathedral of Images located in the antique quarry of Les Baux-de-Provence.
1.30 pm Lunch in Saint Remy de Provence and free time in the afternoon.
5:00 pm Cooking class hands-on and aperitif
8:00 pm Dinner
Saturday Breakfast with Patrick and preparations for your departure during the morning, with the hope that you will return again soon!
 

Arrival & Depart:
Avignon TGV or Marseille Airport. Guests need to rent a car for free time and transportation to Goult.

For an additional fee, Patrick can provide transfers to and from Avignon TGV station as well as transportation during the week.

Seven nights accommodations, welcome lunch, apertifs, all breakfasts and dinners, unlimited wine, cheese tasting, all excursions and fees associated with planned itinerary, six hands-on cooking lessons.

FOR PRICES AND DATES PLEASE CONTACT PATRICK <CLICK HERE>

7 NIGHTS

 
  COOKING & HIKING IN PROVENCE  
 

Olivier and Linda are your hiking guides. They are young and energetic and will help you discover some of the hidden treasures of the Luberon.

Highlights of this trip include:

  • Wine tasting: wine of Luberon (Domaine de la Citadelle) and famous wine of Chateauneuf du Pape (Cellar of Château les Fines Roches)
  • Dinner at le Chateau les Fines Roches
  • Visit to the Lavender Museum in Coustellet and Corkscrew Museum in Menerbes and Truffle and Wine House in Menerbes
  • Fun hands-on cooking classes
  • Cheese tasting (selection of the best cheese from France and Provence) and Provencal olive oil tasting
  • Beautiful and ancient villages of Luberon, each different from the other and the beautiful landscapes of Provence
  • The Pope's Palace in Avignon.
  • Two great hikes in The Luberon
le Chateau les Fines Roches
   

     Cooking and Hiking in Provence Itinerary

Saturday

Meet with your host in Goult in Provence. Guests are welcomed and shown their rooms. Lunch is offered and the itinerary and program are discussed. Guests are able to arrive at any time of the day.
There is free time in the afternoon to rest, then go for a walk or discover the old village of Goult with Patrick . . . the mill of with a beautiful view of the Luberon valley, the Castle of Baron d'Agoult and have a drink in le Café de la Poste in the village centre.
Aperitif and welcome dinner are served at about 8:00 pm.

Sunday

Breakfast
10:00 am Depart for the farmer's market of Coustellet where the local produce (vegetables and fruits) for your cooking are purchased. Antique dealers are also here, revealing some hidden secrets of yesteryear.
Visit to the Lavender Museum where you can buy perfumes, soap and essence of Lavender. Afterwards there will be drinks in a local café (a typical Provencal drink is Pastis or wine) followed by free time during the afternoon.
4:00 pm Hands-on cooking where you prepare your own Provencal dinner
8:00 pm aperitif with Tapenade (olives, anchovies, capers, basil, garlic and olive oil) and dinner.

Monday

Breakfast
10:00 am Hiking and picnic. There are two possibilities depending on the weather
Walk number 1: Discovery tour of the water mills around Gordes. This last for two and three-quarter hours and goes all along the gorge of the Veroncle, from the village of Murs to the hamlet of Grailles, where youwill discover the remains of various water mills from the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth century

or

Walk number 2: History of stone around Goult . This last for two and a half hours.
Leaving from the beautiful village of Goult, you will walk on footpaths bordered by typical old stone walls, finding Marie-Madeleine and Saint-Michel Chapels and discovering a wonderful landscape which has been shaped by terraced cultivation, built in the traditional way with stone. Return to Goult at about 2.30pm for a rest.
4:00 pm Visit to Roussillon a picturesque hilltop village perched on a bed of red and yellow ochre, which has been used to colour the facades of its local buildings for many hundreds of years. Also worth a visit is the Provençal Colorado on the southern side of the Doua Valley, where there are some spectacular walks through some old ochre quarries. No other village looks so warm and rich, so harmonious and inviting.
8:00 pm Dinner in Goult

Tuesday

Breakfast
10:00 am You will visit the village of the 'Bories'. These dry stone shelters, built by the local peasants and shepherds, constitute a real ethnological museum in the open air on the plateau of Gordes. They dated from 3500 BC and were regularly rebuilt, using ancient methods.
You will visit the village of Gordes, the local village market and its castle which was rebuilt in the mid Sixteenth century. The building was bought and restored by the Op Art painter Victor Vasarely. Dominating the valley of the Coulon, this village was built on a spur of mountain range.
Free time in the afternoon.
4:00 pm: Hands-on cooking class
8:00 pm: aperitif and dinner.

Wednesday

Breakfast
10:00 am to 1:00 pm cooking class
Lunch in Goult
3:00 pm Walk number 3: Charming stream hiking in Sivergues, at the top of Luberon with a duration of two and three-quarter hours. You will depart from the magical village of Sivergues, built by the Lord of Provence in the Sixteenth century, from where you will follow the course of the charming Aiguebrun stream.
You will be able to admire on the right bank of the brook, perched on a dizzy and inaccessible cliff, the blue lavender, and the dry and stony plateau de Claparèdes. On the left bank, the wood and pastures of the Big Luberon. During the walk you will be fascinated by the troglodyte houses, farms and refuges.
Back to Gianni's farm-auberge in Sivergues at 6:00 pm to admire the beautiful sunset on the Luberon Valley
Around 7:00 pm Aperitif and Dinner with authentic produce made on the farm.

Thursday

Breakfast.
10:00 am Leave for the village of Menerbes, an ancient fortified town which was once a Protestant centre in the Vaucluse. It was this village where the author Peter Mayle chose to settle and write his best selling book 'A Year in Provence'. Here too can be found the Corkscrew Museum, which displays history, sociology, technology and the art from the Seventeenth century to today. The corkscrew museum has more than 1,000 pieces on exhibit . . . starting with the first corkscrew forged by hand in steel, to the decorative objet d'art in solid gold. Let yourself be guided through the centuries and across countries whilst discovering this unique collection.
You will also visit the ancient village Oppede le Vieux of which the dominating ruined castle belonged to Jean Maynier, Baron of Oppedes, whose bloody crusade against the Luberon Vaudois in 1545 destroyed eleven villages. Then a visit to the olive Mill, Moulin Mathieu, and visit of the winery, Domaine de la Citadelle, and wine tasting of red, white and rose wines . . . these fresh and smooth flavours reveal a typical Luberon soil character.
12:30 pm Lunch and a cheese and olive oil tasting.
Free time in the afternoon.
4:00 pm Hands-on cooking class
8:00 pm aperitif and dinner.

Friday

Breakfast.
10:00 am Visit to Avignonm and the Palace of the Popes, "the most beautiful and strongest house in the world". The Palace of the Popes is the symbol of the Church's influence over the western world during the Fourteenth century. In July Avignon holds the greatest theatre festival in the world and you can visit the Bridge Saint Benezet. The legendary bridge was built during the Twelfth century . . . the famous song Sur le Pont d'Avignon goes back to the Fifteenth century and is known the world over.
1:00 pm Free time for lunch and shopping in Avignon.
3:30 pm Departure for Chateauneuf du Pape to visit the beautiful wine cellar in the castle, Chateau les fines Roches, and wine tasting followed by dinner in Le Château des fines Roches

Saturday Breakfast with Patrick and preparations for your departure during the morning, with the hope that you will return again soon!
 

Arrival & Depart:
Avignon TGV or Marseille Airport. Guests should consider renting a car for free time and transportation to Goult.

For an additional fee, Patrick can provide transfers to and from Avignon TGV station as well as transportation during the week.

Seven nights accommodations, welcome lunch, apertifs, all breakfasts and dinners, unlimited wine, cheese tasting, all excursions and fees associated with planned itinerary, four hands-on cooking lessons.

FOR PRICES AND DATES PLEASE CONTACT PATRICK <CLICK HERE>

7 NIGHTS

   
   
  ACCOMMODATION  

You will be staying in the chef's own restored Eighteenth century house, opposite the Baron d’Agoult’s castle, where your every comfort will be catered for. Each room is individually furnished and full of charm and has its own bathroom, toilet and kitchenette providing the ultimate comfort for your stay.

     
  CONTACT DETAILS  
   
  Patrick Payet
Famous Provence
Place de l'Ancienne Mairie
Goult 84220
France
   
Phone:
(33) (0)4-90-72-22-35
Fax:
(33) (0)4-90-72-22-35
   
Email:
famous.provence@wanadoo.fr
Web:
www.famous-provence.com