Cooking
or culinary holidays, vacations, tours in France:
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SHORT
BREAKS : COOKING HOLIDAYS : COOKING VACATIONS
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 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.
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.
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!
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Cooking
in Provence Itinerary
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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! |
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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
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COOKING
& HIKING IN PROVENCE |
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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
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| le
Chateau les Fines Roches |
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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.
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| 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
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| 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.
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| 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
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| 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
|
|
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.
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