French Cooking Classes in France

Gastro Academy at the French House Party, Carcassonne:
Located close to the beautiful and historic city of Carcassonne in south-west France, the French House Party provides all-inclusive cooking holidays for individuals and groups from around the world. Cookery classes, taught in English and French, are suitable for anyone passionate about food (from beginners to experienced cooks). With superb accommodation, top-quality food, and award-winning Michelin-star French chefs as course tutors, Gastro Academy is the only residential holiday cookery school of its calibre in the region. We offer scheduled French cooking vacations through Spring, Summer and Autumn, and also tailor-make cookery holidays for groups of 6 or more food & wine enthusiasts, culinary students, hospitality professionals and seniors.

• House Party's 300-year old property is less than 50 miles from Toulouse international airport and about 390 miles from Paris. Ryanair also fly directly to Carcassonne from the UK, Ireland, Belgium, and Paris Beauvais international airport. 


Top Culinary Retreat: 
• The French House Party is named Top Retreat in the National Geographic book by American travel writer Pam Grout: "The 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life".

• We provide superior all-inclusive experience holidays, assuring the very best of personal attention to people whose expectations are high.

• Without exception, our clients praise our great accommodation, fantastic food and wine, the excellence of our tutors and our exacting attention to detail.

• Join one of our all-inclusive cookery courses and you'll have a top 4-star French chef as your tutor. Our chefs run their own prestigious four-star restaurants in the Carcassonne area of Languedoc Roussillon.

• Individuals, couples or groups can choose from 3-day, 4-day, 6-day and 7-day courses.

• These courses can accommodate non-participating partners who would like to have a golf programme arranged for them.

• Our two award-winning Master-chefs are friends – and friendly rivals. In the region, Messrs Robert Abraham and Jean-Marc Boyer take pride in their renown as "chefs exceptioniels". 

• Named the 2009 Midi-Pyrenees Chef of the Year, Robert Abraham has over 30 years’ experience of ‘l’art culinaire’.

• He is Head Chef at the restaurant of the impressive and highly- recommended ‘Chateau des Ducs de Joyeuse’ hotel in Couiza, just south of Carcassonne.

• He has run restaurants in Paris, and with his own ‘Robert Abraham’ St Malo restaurant he won many highly – prized star ratings from the most influential restaurant guides – the Michelin, the Bottin Gourmand, the Champérard and the Gault Millau, which awarded him the Cle d’Or.

• A native of Carcassonne, Jean-Marc Boyer is one of France’s dynamic young chefs. Having trained in Paris, Jean-Marc spent 20 years in the capital city, working with some of the country’s greatest chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants.

• He is much feted in his homeland with awards – amongst them a Michelin Star – regular TV appearances and fulsome praise from publications and restaurant guides for his own gastronomic restaurant, ‘Le Puits de Tresor’ in the ancient Cathar town of Lastours, just north of Carcassonne.

• Demonstrating and guiding the hands-on Gastro Academy classes,  the two chefs now share a mutual goal, a single focus to share their skills, knowledge and passion for food with students who share that enthusiasm.

• Gourmet Explorer:
5-night/6-day course offered at different times during Summer and Autumn 2018. Polish your creative culinary skills with at least 17 hours of instruction!

• Cuisine in Brief:
3-day course offered at different times during Summer and Autumn 2018. Intensive seasonally- themed breaks with 10-11 hours of instruction.  This is a mini-option at a price which makes it a perfect gift, or for corporate reward or incentive breaks.

• Advanced Gourmet Explorer:
Unique 7-day break offered in Autumn. Aimed at chefs seeking a higher degree of French culinary skill, or proficient/ professional cooks, this course comprises intensive instruction and hands-on-sessions with our chefs, plus an additional afternoon spent under a chef’s supervision, when clients will be able to take their own “free-style” French House Chefs’ Challenge.

• Cancer-Kicking Cookery Course:
Group booking only. 4-day, all-inclusive residential cookery course taught by Jenny Phillips, a nutritionist and cancer survivor who has written a book called Eat to Outsmart Cancer. Suitable for beginners to experienced cooks, these course provides pioneering cooking lessons for health-conscious food-lovers.

• Just Desserts – Chocolate & Patisserie:
3-day dessert cooking course. Learn about pâtisserie, cakes, puddings and chocolate mastery.

• Accommodation in twin/double bedroom with private facilities.
• All tuition.
• All meals with wine, including those taken at our selection of excellent restaurants.
• Chauffeured transfers from and to Carcassonne or Toulouse airport.
• Exclusive use of our pool, tennis court and boules pitch.
• Bicycles for your use.
• Welcome fizz and information get-together.
• All course materials/ingredients.
• Private wine-tasting outing to vineyard.
• Any entrance fees on scheduled outings – these vary depending on course.
* Visit to one of France's oldest medieval markets, accompanied by your Chef.
* An outing to the stunning medieval city of Carcassonne: the famous walled city is a World Heritage Site
• Chauffeured transport provided on all scheduled trips.

• Situated amid sunflower fields in a peaceful rural area on the outskirts of Carcassonne, the 300-year-old stone barn has been uniquely converted in Art Deco style, with large, open living spaces within the house. We enjoy fantastic views of the Pyrenees, which can still be white-capped, even in May.

• There are gardens and several terraces, a pool with a BBQ area for al fresco dining, an all-weather tennis court, covered table-tennis area, petanque (boules) arena as well as an indoor games room with pool-table and a classic 1950s juke box.

• The 8 individually-designed, ensuite bedrooms are double, twin or triple-sized. All have AC units, hairdryers and CD players. Two ground-floor rooms are suitable for guests with mobility limitations. The house has a broadband connection, which guests may access for a small charge.

•  ‘We chopped, braised, stirred, blended and peeled but, most of all, learnt loads in a few days. If you’ve ever been to a house party, this one will top the lot...The French House Party is an exceedingly well-run company...the attention to detail is simply superb’.
Hilary Scott, Reading Post

•  "So what did we learn from Jean-Marc and Robert? A huge amount. Watching these chefs prepare and cook is worth paying any money for."
Jeanne Quigley, Irish Food Writers Guild

•  ‘It all seemed so easy and was great fun. I’ve always been slightly suspicious about the idea that you pay money to be allowed to cook your own meals, after all aren’t holidays supposed to be where other people do the work and you sit back and enjoy? But actually we did the best bits and washing and clearing up was left to others … This had been an intensive experience, bringing us all together as a perfectly formed “Brigade de Cuisine” and I’m sure everyone discovered something new. The French House Party is a great way to learn, the rooms are comfortable, amenities excellent and their organization cannot be faulted’.
Rupert Parker, Documentary Producer

•  "Twenty-one hours of French cooking lessons over the course of six days, given by two famous French chefs and voila: I am confident in having mastered the art of French cooking."
Charlene Peters, examiner.com