Focused cooking, local markets, and the cultural life of the Loire Valley
This 4-night (5-day) culinary holiday offers a concentrated exploration of French regional cooking — balancing hands-on technique with the food, wine and cultural life of the Loire Valley.
It’s designed for those who want depth within a tighter rhythm.
You’ll cook daily. You’ll work with seasonal market produce.
You’ll visit local producers and explore historic towns that shape the character of the region.
The pace is energetic but unhurried. Structured but informal. Focused without feeling compressed.
By the end of your stay, you’ll notice greater fluency — in seasoning, in sauce work, in confidence at the stove — and a clearer understanding of how place can shape flavour.
The Rhythm of the Stay
You arrive Monday to a tasting of local wines and a gentle introduction to the kitchen — preparing elements of the evening meal together before settling into the rhythm of the days ahead.
Mornings might begin at the market in Thouars, selecting produce before returning to build menus around what is freshest and most expressive. Afternoons may take us deeper into technique, out to a vineyard, or into a château town such as Oiron, Saumur or Chinon.
Midway through the stay, you’ll begin to feel the shift — less reliance on recipe, more instinctive control of flavour and structure.
By the final day, the cooking feels different. More assured. More intentional.
What You’ll Work On
- Building flavour through classic French technique
- Sauce foundations and finishing
- Seasonal vegetable cookery
- Fish and meat preparation
- Market-led menu planning
- Wine pairing and structure
- Confident plating without restaurant fuss
Most of the cooking is hands-on. Demonstrations are used when technique benefits from clarity. Questions are encouraged throughout.
Groups are intentionally small — typically six active cooks — ensuring meaningful access, guidance and feedback.
What’s Included
- 4 nights accommodation
- Welcome wine-tasting
- 4 half-day cooking sessions
- 3 focused demonstrations
- Farmer’s market visit
- Visit to an artisan food producer
- 4 three-course dinners including carefully selected wines
- 3 multi-course lunches
- Daily breakfast
- Recipes and course folder
Investment
Cost per participant: 1,995€ (based on two people sharing)
Non-participating partner: 1,675€
Solo traveller: 2,450€
Reserve Your Place
If this feels like your kind of stay, we’d be delighted to welcome you.
Choose your preferred dates and complete the booking form to secure your place. We’ll confirm availability promptly and send full details.
A deposit secures your reservation. The balance is due 45 days before arrival.
Looking for a Shorter Stay?
If a 3-night (4-day) stay suits your plans better, we also offer the stay as a shorter, focused version — Monday to Thursday, with a visit to Thouars’ smaller Tuesday market. Same hands-on cooking, same small-group attention, in a slightly tighter rhythm.
Cost per participant: 1,725€ (based on two people sharing)
Non-participating partner: 1,350€
Solo traveller: 1,995€
The 2026/2027 Loire Kitchen Season
We run a limited number of weeks each year. Choose a season to view dates.
Spring 2027
March–May. Market mornings, tender greens, white asparagus, and the return of long evenings.
All five-day programmes run Monday to Friday unless otherwise stated.
March
- 15-19
- 24-28 (Wednesday-Sunday)
- 26–30 (Friday-Tuesday)
April
- 5–9
- 12–16
- 19–23
May
- 3–7
- 10–14
- 17–21
- 24–28
Summer 2026
June–August. Vineyards, river light, tomatoes, stone fruit and long, unhurried tables.
August
- 31 Aug–4 Sep
Autumn 2026
September–November. Mushrooms, squash, deeper sauces, and slower evenings.
September
- 7–11
- 14–18
- 21–25
October
- 5–9
- 12–16
- 19–23
November
- 2–6
- 9–13
Summer 2027
June–August. Vineyards, river light, tomatoes, stone fruit and long, unhurried tables.
June
- 31 May–4
- 7–11
- 14–18
- 21–25
- 28 Jun–2 Jul
July
- 5–9
- 12–16
August
- 16-20
- 23–27
- 30-3 Sep
