Courses in Provence — 8 of Our Favourites

At the Bastide Saint-Antoine in Grasse you can join Michelin-starred Chef Jacques Chibois in the Gault & Millau award-winning restaurant. As well as observing this master in the kitchen you will have the opportunity to accompany Jacques Chibois to market, (for the early birds: leave at 5.30am). Wednesdays* and Fridays* only (*subject to change in schedule).

You can also enjoy a wine tasting session with our head sommelier (2 to 10 people maximum). You will experience an introduction to wine tasting (1,600 wines, around 17,000 bottles), you will learn about different grapes and you will visit the vineyards. These wine tastings are available with French, English and Japanese-speaking sommeliers.

A number of different courses are available, from the four hour "Master Chef" course to the creative cooking course which uses wild grown produce, you'll pick up plenty of expertise that you can take home with you.

They offer courses for children, cooking with truffles, foie gras and vegetarian dishes.

Corporate groups and companies can also be catered for and you can also give the courses as a gift to friends or family members.

Take a look at the website to find out prices and how to book.

The shop is based in Salernes in the heart of the Var. Please contact them directly for more information on how you can get involved.

The classes include market tours in Uzès and Saint Quentin-la-Poterie, wine tasting and hands-on French cookery classes for French food lovers, so that you can sample a real taste of Provencal & Mediterranean Cuisine.

Along with the various classes available you can also book a private lesson on request.

You will shop together with a French chef at a local French market, cook together back at the school and dine together over a 4-course meal including French wine, French cheese & of course, French bread. You will be introduced to a number of French cooking recipes and will be mastering French cooking in no time. All the classes are taught in English.

Bring a small piece of furniture with you, and spend 30 hours during a one week course learning about stripping, creating colours, ageing and the patina that will give produce the distinct personality and character of the piece. The courses are run by Isabelle Barale, certified trainer and craftsman since 1994, referred to by the House of trades and the National Institute of Arts and Crafts. Enquire directly for longer courses and internships.

The first room when you enter serves as an exhibition and sales room. A back room hass converted into a workshop where new orders, commissions and experiments are created and also where the leisure courses are hosted.

"I got my stained glass CAP in 2006, following a vocational retraining course at the school of stained glass Gréoux les Bains. I get group tours by appointment (10 people max), my comment is over the history of stained glass and techniques used for materials."

Reservations must be made two weeks in advance. Group tours & demonstrations are also available.

Tuition, meals, ground transportation, and accommodations are included. Stay for one week, stay for one month. It is for you choose. The workshop includes two plein air painting sessions per day, one morning, one evening. Choose to work either or both sessions. A course will be developed uniquely for you. Sessions will run non-stop from mid-May to mid-August.

Please contact him directly for more information, using the contact details above.

Courses take place from 7th January to 16th July and then again from 9th September to 10th December 2017. You can join either a half day of a full day course. Half days run from 09:30 to 13:00 or 14:30 to 18:00. 

Prices are 55 euros for a half day or 140 for a full day. 

Click on the website link on this page to find the dates for each of the different courses.