Cooking or culinary holidays, vacations, tours in France:

Experience traditional French cuisine
. . . farmhouse cookery holiday in France

Mark and Nina Down are waiting to welcome you to Les Ruches Cookery Holidays where you will discover how to maximise the flavour of traditional French cuisine. At Les Ruches they aim to enhance your cooking skills whilst having fun in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Les Ruches Cookery Holidays are situated in a small picturesque village, Sommières du Clain, in the beautiful Vienne region of France. The newly renovated kitchen is located in an ancient cottage which still has an original kitchen fireplace, grill and évier. Mark and Nina, in renovating the property, set out to retain the full character and atmosphere of a traditional French kitchen whilst incorporating all the modern day appliances you would expect in a contemporary kitchen to give you a true and memorable experience of cooking in France.

The name, Les Ruches, means ‘The Beehives’ of which they currently have five. Included in the course will be an opportunity to visit the hives and see the amazing bees at work (protective clothing provided). However, Mark and Nina do understand that some people may not wish to participate, so the visit is optional!

Les Ruches French Cookery Holidays are based in the grounds of an Eighteenth century farmhouse where there is a traditional potager (a French ornamental vegetable or kitchen garden) full of fresh produce for you to use, as well as a variety of fruit trees and soft fruit.

From Mark and Nina's farm shop you can buy their delicious honey and homemade preserves. These make lovely gifts or souvenirs to take home and remind you of your stay at Les Ruches.

During your free time you can enjoy the natural surroundings of the garden where you can just sit and relax or perhaps enjoy a game of the traditional French pastime 'boules' in Les Ruches courtyard.

Sommières du Clain is overlooked by the imposing Château de Sommières which can be enjoyed from the room, 'Château View', and Les Ruches garden. The village also has a beautiful Eleventh century church, a charming restaurant and a café bar/tabac. There are many activities that Mark and Nina can advise you about and arrange including country walks, canoeing and fishing on the river Clain.

In the immediate area you will find the Vallee des Singes (Valley of the Monkeys), Le Vieux Cormenier (an automated scenographic history of rural France in the 1900’s), Parc Floral de la Belle (beautiful gardens in nearby Magné) and Futuroscope. There is also the fortified abbey of Nouaillé-Maupertuis, which is well worth a visit. Information can, of course, be provided on other acitivities a little further afield if wished.

Poitiers, the elegant capital of the Poitou-Charentes, is a 35 minute drive away should anyone wish to do some serious shopping or sightseeing during their free time.

The Square, Sommières du Clain	The Hotel de Ville in Poitiers

The Five Day Course will commence on the Tuesday morning with a visit to a local market to choose fresh produce for the week ahead. Mark will give you advice on what to look for when choosing meat, fish and vegetables.

On returning to Les Ruches there will be an informal chat about kitchen and knife safety to ensure everyone's well being in the kitchen. After this the cooking starts.

You will be preparing and enjoying food from all over France and here are just a few mouth-watering examples:

On Tuesday evening before dinner you will have the opportunity to taste wine from the local Cave.

The rest of the week will include excursions such as visiting a goats cheese producer or a walnut oil press. Weather permitting you will also be picnicking in the French countryside with some of the delicious food that we have prepared.

During the week, if you wish, Les Ruches will supply you with the appropriate clothing to enable you to visit the bees for a fascinating insight into their world.

Finally you will be sausage making where you will get the chance to make a French sausage or design your very own sausage to try at the barbeque on the Saturday evening.

The chef at Les Ruches, Mark Down, is classically trained in French cuisine and has twenty-five years of experience in the food industry. During his career he has catered for numerous pop stars and VIPs and was on the team that catered for Prince Charles’ Fiftieth Birthday Party. Mark also spent a number of years working in a restaurant in the French Alps where he learnt the art of real French cookery

“I always insist on using fresh seasonal produce and would love to share with you the intense flavours of down to earth peasant cookery as well as beautifully presented haute cuisine. The classes will be kept to a maximum of six people to ensure that visitors of all levels of ability will get the individual attention they require. I hope to teach you the wonders of French cuisine in a relaxed and friendly manner as this course is intended to be a holiday as well as an informative guide to cooking French food. Our special French sausage-making part of the course is a particular favourite of mine as it is always great fun and we get to sample everyone’s hard work at the barbeque the same evening. ”

With Mark you will be preparing food from many regions of France including a few specialities from Mark and Nina's very own Vienne including farci poitevin. Mark will try to incorporate pastry making, meat and fish preparation, sauces, Provençal cookery, sausages, pâtés and much, much more. If you have a special request for a specific dish to be included in your course please ask when you are booking.

The guest accommodation is located in the sympathetically restored Eighteenth century Les Ruches farmhouse. On arrival you will be welcomed with an aperitif and an evening meal. Breakfast is provided and each room has tea and coffee making facilities. If you should have any special requirements that Mark and Nina cannot accommodate they will be happy to assist you in finding more suitable accommodation close to Les Ruches.

Château View

• Large double / twin room with ensuite shower room (additional bed if required – can sleep three).

Fireplace room

• Large double/twin room with dedicated shower room (additional bed if required – can sleep three).

Blue Room

• Double room with shared bathroom.

Green Room

• Twin room with shared bathroom.