Cooking and Painting

Courses in France

Come and learn to cook or paint in a relaxed friendly hands-on environment...

Set in the beautiful Dordogne region of south west France you can soak up the French life while learning to cook, paint or draw the way you've always dreamed!

Our range of Cooking Courses...

Join us on our premier Five Day/Six Night all-inclusive residential cooking holiday or our One, Two, Three or Four-day variable multi-day courses.

So, depending on your accommodation requirements i.e. if you wish to stay with us or if you have your own holiday accommodation nearby, our courses can be residential or non-residential (see 'Prices' page).

A choice of Painting and Drawing Holidays...

Learn to paint from scratch, or brush-up on your existing skills with our artist, Lynn Ralph. Choose from a variety of media such as watercolour, pastel, acrylic, oil and guache on our week-long residential and variable multi-day courses.

After a few days with us you'll be cooking or painting like a pro...

If you'd love to cook and present dishes like the professionals, enhance your culinary repertoire, learn to paint and draw with expression and have a great time, come and join us on our wonderful cooking and painting courses in the Dordogne, France.

We cater for all skill levels...

Our great value cooking courses (see prices) are designed to cater for all skill levels, from keen amateur to budding professional, so you'll never feel out of place. 

You see, according to our English chef, it's all about building confidence by bringing out what's already within you, so skills you never knew you had will suddenly spring to life!

A course to suit everyone's taste...

When you email us, or phone (0033 [0]553 302405), we can have a chat about what you want to cook.  We'll then tailor the itinerary to suit you and the other guests by gathering together like-minded foodies on the same course.  Simple!

Set in our magnificent converted barn in the Dordogne - the gastronomic heart of France - you'll be cooking some great dishes on your cooking course, from France and around the world.  Check out a sample menu/itinerary.

Hands-on tried and tested techniques...

If you're looking for a cooking course in France you've come to the right place: you'll learn by using tried and tested hands-on techniques honed in busy restaurant kitchens, but adapted to the way you cook at home. 

And you won't be punished for every mistake by some starched Fanny Craddock type either - just patient guidance and jovial encouragement by an experienced friendly chef.

So, if you enjoy cooking among friendly like-minded people in a warm relaxed fun atmosphere, come and learn to cook with us because you'll quickly feel very much at home.

English-speaking and easy to get to...

We are English-speaking and our prices include everything you'll need on a residential cooking course - all you have to do is get here.

And because of the proliferation of cheap flights and tumbling ferry prices your cooking course in France represents great value for money.

We'll even pick you up and drop you off at our nearest airport (Limoges), or the train stations at Brive and Souillac all of which have Hertz and Avis car rental outlets on their doorstep.

Ever wanted to cook French, Mediterranean or even world cuisine?

Here at Bombel you'll be preparing, cooking and, of course, eating dishes from France, the Mediterranean and the Pacific Rim. Among other things, you'll learn how to:

• Cook pastries, breads and soups

• Select and prepare the best fish and shellfish

• Butcher common joints of meat, including our Serrano and Iberico hams

• Cook classic French and Italian sauces

• Construct modern dressings

• Master the art of stylish modern food presentation

• Cook like a chef

Do you love cooking with the best ingredients?

During your cooking course in France, using the the best market-fresh local ingredients, you'll be introduced to ways of cooking:

• Exciting and imaginative vegetarian dishes

• Barbecues and char grills

• Ice creams and sorbets

In fact, you'll be cooking the best food in the world in the perfect place for it - France.

Take home fantastic new skills, recipes and memories...

Patiently guided and encouraged by your chef, you'll quickly become highly adept in the kitchen. Pre-prep, mise en place, knife skills, ingredient selection, flavour-matching and menu-planning will seem like second nature to you. 

You'll learn everything you could possibly need to cook with flair and imagination back home, and we guarantee you'll leave here with at least three things:

• A battery of new and indispensable cooking skills

• Bucket-loads of kitchen confidence

• Bags of fond memories of a fun relaxed cooking course

Not quite sure?  Then read our great testimonials

Don't worry, it's not all food and cooking...

You'll have a great time here at Cookinfrance. When not 'slaving' away in the kitchen you'll be visiting some of our beautiful tourist sites, doing some shopping, going out for great value meals or just lounging around by the pool soaking up the sun.

There'll be organised visits to bustling open-air markets, a walnut oil mill and, of course, the ancient honey-coloured towns and villages of this perfect region.

Accommodation

And while you learn to cook, you'll be staying in our superb centrally-heated en-suite accommodation. Or, if you are staying in a holiday cottage nearby, just come and learn to cook on our one-day, two-day or three-day cooking courses. 

Hey, cook all week if you want to!

Want to bring a friend or partner?

Do you have a non-cooking friend or partner who would like to come along?  No problem - non-cooking guests are very welcome and, what's more, the price is about half that of the cook's rate and they'll get to taste all the lovely food!

Booking...

Booking is easy, and only an email or phone call away, so why wait?  Strike while the iron's hot - book a cooking course in France now and share an experience you'll never forget!