Posted by Admin in News on February 1, 2023
So here we are at last. The 2023 newsletter.
After three years of almost-total disruption, French House Party is embarking on the new year with some sensational events planned, as well as maintaining the winning formula of our learning courses which have been established for years.
Here are some 2023 highlights – and keep your fingers crossed that none of those pesky pandemic variants which are sometimes mentioned in Chinese Whispers are robust enough to mess again with France’s borders – or anyone else’s, for that matter.
So without further ado, as they say in this land of sun, wine, cheese and those blue and white stripey jumpers, on y va!
Last year was not a business abyss, like 2020 and 2021 had been. As the world returned to normal, so we managed a handful of successful courses at French House Party, among them our acclaimed cookery holidays.
The Gastro Academy has never run short of plaudits during the 14 years since its inception. From client reviews, commendations in prestigious newspapers like the UK’s Telegraph and Times, to inclusion in the National Geographic book, 100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life, our cookery courses always get full marks.
The main reason why – and it’s obvious when you think about it – is that our amazing French chef-tutors have been blessed by the Magic Goddess of Culinary Genius.
Jean-Marc Boyer was just a 30-something stripling youth in 2009 when, with his help, we launched our terrific cookery courses. But though he was but a boy, his restaurant in Lastours had a Michelin star and he had been anointed by world-renowned chef Alain Ducasse. Back in 2006, Ducasse had hailed our J-M as being destined for culinary stardom.
(Read full New York Times article here)
And the most recent treasured provider of FHP enchantment in the kitchen is Gregory Legros, a patisserie specialist with a penchant for chocolate creations and an extensive international CV, having been head chef at some of the most famous and impressive 5-star hotels and restaurants around the globe.
Sometimes, in idle (and yes, smug) moments, I wonder whether any other residential cookery course holidays in France could possibly be as inspiring as ours with the same sort of stunning tuition, value for money and all-inclusive prices. Do any others have a Michelin Star* chef as tutor?
Which is when I start Googling and discover that actually, no: they don’t have all that. For cookery courses which last longer than a morning, instructors with those much-coveted stars are thin on the ground – although you wouldn’t think so from the price-tags of any of them.
Googling
On French Google I find a residential cookery course also in South-West France, of comparable length to our Gourmet Explorer break. It has no starry chefs – but plenty of chargeable extras on top of a NOT-all-inclusive £3,400 per person!
But France isn’t short of other Michelin-star chefs and Google unveiled several in Paris who offer teaching sessions. Not residential, you understand – just a single cookery class or a demo. And again, very pricey, so no real competition for us there.
I turned to Google.UK and found celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli’s cookery class. He is certainly easy on the eye – but to watch him do a day’s work costs £695 per person. Include dinner and a night at a nearby hotel and that increases to £995.
Then there’s the £2,000 one-night stay with a 5-hour cookery class at Le Manoir des Quat’Saisons. This is Raymond Blanc’s signature restaurant in the UK and the famous Monsieur Blanc has Michelin stars coming out of his ears. But here’s the snag: he doesn’t actually instruct; one of his chef minions does that.
Seeing you’ve read this far, a small reminder is in order:
French House Party’s 5-night/6-day Gourmet Explorer costs £1460 per person and it’s £660 for the 3-day Cuisine in Brief. We have two virtuoso chefs and a Michelin star factored into the genuine all-inclusiveness.
Is that magic or what?! Find out more!
What’s Cooking for 2023?
ATTENTION WRITERS! Whether you’re aspiring amateurs or experienced writers, published or non-published, creators of poetry, fiction or non-fiction, you’ll be excited to know that French House Party has another Creative Writing tutor for 2023!
Anne Caldwell will be holding her first course with us from 7 to 13 July this year, and it’s thrilling to have found someone so well-qualified to teach and run workshops embracing all genres – Anne’s countless appreciative past students will be in complete agreement.
Just look at Anne’s tremendous CV: She’s a Creative Writing lecturer with the Open University, has a doctorate in the subject and she specialises in poetry, life-writing and short fiction.
She’s an award-winning poet, a writer, an editor, a mentor and she has published four books of poetry and one of non-fiction. She is also a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Huddersfield University. In between all that she fits in some fun as part of a poetry performance group!
How fortunate are we to have someone who is such a whizz running this stimulating week-long course? Just as fortunate as those writers in search of inspiration and an imagination-boost who are enrolled on it when southern France’s hot summer July days are at their most delicious.
The awe-inspiring Mike Batt is coming to French House Party in June to share his mind-boggling multitude of magnificent, marvellous and miraculous songwriting skills (that’s enough superlatives beginning with ‘m’ – Ed.).
A multi-platinum artist, Mike is one of Europe’s best-known and respected writer-producer-arrangers of hit songs. His creative achievements have included TV, classical and pop music, film-scores, orchestral composition and conducting many of the world’s greatest orchestras.
Along with the singers, writers and musos attending Mike’s residential course of instruction there’ll be a wider audience too: one highlight of that June weekend will be an al fresco Batt gig in the garden when locals will be able to come and see a legend in action.
We’ll re-locate the piano outside and our sound and lights man Eddie will sort out all the ‘techy’ bits. Under trees strewn with fairy-lights, there’ll be café-tables and we’ll be serving some wine and food. Sheer bliss is on the menu.
Which of Mike’s hundreds of successful compositions will he choose to play? I’m putting money on Bright Eyes … Caravan Song … some Katy Melua numbers.
And if he’s feeling especially jolly, maybe even a Wombles classic or two.
Roll on Summer!
PS: I wonder what the French translation for ‘Womble’ is?
In addition to our scheduled courses, we build bespoke breaks for groups. It could be a golfing group. Or people with their own tutor – art or photography, for example. Or maybe a party of friends with no organised requirements at all beyond swimming, sunbathing, drinking wine and eating well.
Email us on frenchhouseparty@gmail.com to discuss the options on your tailor-made programme. We’ll work out an all-inclusive price for you, beginning from your arrival at one of our nearby airports or train stations where you’ll find a driver waiting to transport you home!
Posted by Admin in News on September 19, 2022
Now we are pleased to announce the return of our fabulous 4-day Songwriting Course in June 2023. Better still, with a multi award-winning musical maestro tutor: Mike Batt!
Read about our all-new songwriting course here. Places will disappear quickly, so be sure to secure your place and develop your musical skills with a living legend!
Dates: 9th – 12th June 2023
Price: £995, £850 for non-participants sharing room and £60 single-occupancy supplement
(5% discount if you’ve attended a previous course!)
Posted by Admin in News on March 3, 2022
Posted by Admin in News on September 6, 2021
Price £660.00
Price £1,460
A native of Carcassonne, Jean-Marc Boyer earned his reputation as one of France’s dynamic young chefs. He is much feted in his homeland with awards – among them a Michelin Star in 2007 – and receives glowing reviews in numerous publications and restaurant guides as well as international acclaim from high-profile chefs who have long recognised his talent. He also makes regular appearances on television, most recently featuring in an hour-long programme on the top French Channel TF1. He has worked on an annual as visiting guest celebrity chef for top gastronomic restaurants in Japan, China, Shanghai, New York and Norway.
Having trained in Paris, Jean-Marc spent more than 20 years in the capital city, working with some of the country’s greatest chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants, including 12 years at the 3* Ambrosie under Bernard Pacaund and finally at the Ritz. Returning to the Languedoc, he now enthusiastically produces fine local cuisine at his restaurant Le Puits de Tresor in the ancient Cathar town of Lastours. Jean-Marc is passionate about his work and sees himself as an artisan, talking of creating dishes spontaneously and instinctively, using the local and seasonal produce grown and reared in the area. He sums up his philosophy in three words: ‘Quality, authenticity and rigour’
What does the celebrated Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados have in common with French House Party? Well, the most important connection is Patisserie Chef and Chocolatier M. Gregory Legros, one of our chefs d’excellence tutoring our 2022 courses.
Gregory Legros was six when he decided to become a chef. After his chef’s training he centred his gaze on patisserie, spending a further three years under the tutelage of an inspirational pastry chef. “He was my mentor, teaching me the solid basics which enabled me to fly by myself,” says Gregory.
And fly he did. He spent a decade working in various Michelin restaurants in France, including Michel Rostang in Paris and Le Majestic on the Croisette in Cannes – a historic luxury hotel built in 1926 which is teeming with movie stars during the Cannes Festival.
Then in 2004 Gregory left his home in this part of France to live and work abroad. He established his international reputation in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the world’s leading 5-star hotels: in New Zealand, in Vietnam, in Oman – where he was Head Patisserie Chef – and at the legendary Sandy Lane Hotel where he spent years in the same role.
Now he and his family are back home and as well as teaching at a local culinary college – where he trains other professional chefs – Greg has built up a separate private enterprise creating magnificent cakes to order. And tutoring our French House Party clients too, of course.
Originally from Gers, Rémi Touja grew up amongst vineyards, cereal crops and farm poultry. It was therefore natural that his parents would pass on the value of quality products and the pleasure of cooking with them.
With this culinary background, he perfected his art at the hotel school of Auch, before working for numerous Michelin-starred restaurants across the length and breadth of France where he developed his taste for excellence.
In 2013, his passion and creativity led him to become French Dessert Champion, winning the much sought-after Sucre d’Or national patisserie championship prize for pastry chefs and in 2016 he realised his entrepreneurial dream by opening what has become a most renowned patisserie shop in Carcassonne.
‘When I imagine patisserie, I do everything I can to create emotion, pleasure and new sensations, and for that we must continually innovate. An explosion of different flavors in the mouth one after the other together with a joyful melée of textures!’
