Dordogne
Breaks
Bombel • 24290 • St Amand de Coly • Sarlat • Dordogne • France GPS: N 45° 01.915 / E 001° 15.295 Tel: 0033 (0)553 302405
Testimonials
"For months we have looked forward with great anticipation to a week cooking at Bombel. It was all we hoped it would be!
The dishes we learned were excellent eating, yet very do-able cooking. And in a short amount of time we learned a great spread of techniques - everything from pasta, pastry, bread and ice cream making to flambéing, caramelising, poaching, blanching, filleting and confit-ing - as well as how to achieve good, strong and inventive flavours and cook lamb, duck, fish and seafood to perfection.
On top, we had a lovely relaxing holiday with time left to enjoy some of the local scenery, markets and sights. Hats off to Jim, Lucy and Jenny who could not have been more hospitable. We wish you all the best for the future at Bombel. We and our friends and family will be enjoying the fruits of your labour for many years to come!" Arlene and Simon - London
"Cookinfrance was my first cooking school experience and I found that it quite whetted my appetite for the activity. The Fisher family are young and dynamic and obviously love what they are doing and where they are doing it.
An intense amount of thought and ingenuity has gone into both the physical and curricular aspects of the school, making every aspect of the Cookinfrance experience a pleasure for the student." Gwen Crawford - Lake Jackson, USA
"What a truly wonderful week. We so enjoyed ourselves, and have amazing and incredible memories that will be etched for ever in the brain cells." Colin Campbell - Pechaude, France
"The cookery was absolutely superb. We learnt so much: the exploding mouth-watering tastes; the cutting, rolling, squeezing methods; the searing heat and the leaping flames. Each and every experience was one of pure joy and fascination.
Cookery is an art and a delightful pleasure to continue to enjoy in our daily living. You have put the fun back into cooking, changing the mundane daily dish into something quite differing with a little more care. Thank you both so much." Sheila Campbell - Pechaude, France
"Superb. Couldn't fault it." (Jayne - Dover, Kent)
"For me, the best part about Cookinfrance was the hands-on, learn-by-doing method of instruction. The course was all that I hoped it would be - a full day preparing and eating fabulous food in a beautiful setting with warm, friendly people. Thanks for a great learning and entertaining experience." Pat Broering - Morro Bay, California, USA.
"Not a day in the kitchen passes without something you taught us being incorporated into our cooking. Our tossing skills with a pan are something to behold, the floor is no longer scattered with the best part of the meal! Sauces are a revelation.
The panic has been taken out of dinner parties as we can now programme more correctly our preparation and cooking times. To our continued amazement both fish and even a leg of lamb will cook to perfection without being in contact with heat for excessively long, which considerably improves the flavour.
Borders have been taken away from our culinary repertoire. No picture in a magazine or clip on TV is thought to be too difficult, and our presentation is breathtaking.
To you both we send our sincere thanks. It was a wonderful holiday with extremely interesting deviations away from the stove, as and when necessary. And above all your teachings have endured. ''Jim said........................'' is now part of our kitchen vocabulary. We both wish you every success." Marion and John - Devon, England
"I was nervous at first in case I showed myself up in front of all those cooks, but I was soon put at ease and had a wonderful week! ".
(Heather - Oban, Scotland)
Read Katie's poem "Ode to Cookinfrance" - her recent visit summed up so perfectly.
"Your friendly, informal and hands-on approach provided a fun holiday as well as significantly improving my cooking skills. Bombel is a special place - rural France with the benefits of Sarlat and the Dordogne." Norman Blacker - Hythe, England.
"I found that it was a well balanced day. I found the pace was ideal, there was never a time when there was too much pressure and at the same time there were no periods when you were wondering what to do. The balance between cooking and demonstrating also seemed about right, the instructions, comments etc were easy to follow and informative.
In short, I think that you are both doing a great job and I am sure that you will have many satisfied clients." Ju
"Just writing to let you know what a wonderful time we had at the cooking school. We thought the pace was ideal for a holiday and the hands on nature of the course was fantastic. Your recipes were great and we have already attempted some of them at home.
It was good to learn new skills ( e.g. the whole fish filleting and working with bread) without being too out of our depth. So we are full of confidence to try them all.
The school kitchen is fantastic. Very well set up, great equipment, and of course the farmhouse is delightful. Jim's congenial approach and funny comments had us in stitches and Dave (my husband) is working very hard on his chopping". Denise Keavy - Port Macquarie, Australia.
"We had a wonderful time and couldn't fault anything...the cooking lessons, company and outings created a great holiday and one we've already recommended to many friends. And we look forward to coming again once our culinary skills are up to scratch!" Sophia Virji - Cayman, Cayman Islands.
"I felt fortunate to be able to attend a one-day cooking class at CookinFrance this summer. It truly was a wonderful experience and one I hope to repeat. The Fishers are a warm and welcoming family and Jim's interest and knowledge of cooking techniques and ideas is vast.
We asked that the menu be "local fare" and it was. Jim didn't assume his student's cooking knowledge and stepped in to help at any given time. My personal deficiency was chopping, cutting and slicing with really great knives and instead of making it difficult, it became a joke and Jim kept giving me chopping jobs "for the experience".
Inviting our husbands for dinner truly made the day special because we were cooking a wonderful meal for "company".
Jim is very into presentation and our meal not only tasted great but looked fantastic. We made awesome Crème Brûlée and now I am the proud owner of my own blow torch and can make my own using Jim's recipe!
We also spent the night in the Fisher's gite which was a wonderful way to end the day - we just went downstairs to our room which was large, comfortable and had great showers. Their property is a restored farmhouse with the cooking school in a converted barn - it's very big, well lighted, and truly inspirational for cooking wonderful food.
All in all an interesting, fun-filled day of cooking, laughing and sharing cooking ideas and tips. I hope it can be repeated another time. Yesterday was my birthday and Bob gave me a blow torch and little Crème Brûlée cups along with three wonderful German knives--what an improvement that will be!! Thanks Cookinfrance, for everything".
Susan Devine - California, USA.
"I've been doing some cooking since we came home. Things such as salmon steaks. Last week mum and dad had a wine tasting evening and I was asked to organise the whole thing. They don't like to eat a lot afterwards but we made focaccia and also your guacamole."
Patrick Holton - Rugby, England.
"Patrick is still very enthusiastic and did lots of cooking in the last couple of weeks of the holiday when he cooked food for me when I was back at work.
Since your cooking course Patrick's fame is spreading and his mates have all had a look at the website to see him in action for themselves. They are all hoping he will bake them a cake! Patrick made spaghetti, salad leaves, pan fried salmon and parmesan shavings for supper yesterday - delicious.
I am enjoying having my own resident chef! I am now back to work and the pleasures of your beautiful IKEA kitchen seem a long way off, but Patrick is still turning out good things - sausage with garlic mash yesterday, and a good salad dressing. I think a trip to IKEA will be called for next week when I have a few days off. The children's response to the week was 'must do the same again next year and take Grandma and Granddad'.
Janice Holton - Rugby, England.
"So, when are you going to open a restaurant then, Jim?" (John - Cape Town SA)
"Thank you. Your flexibility was appreciated re adjusting activity level to needs. You have created a wonderful space, your hospitality was superb and you have rekindled my passion for cooking - for that, I am very grateful."
Ursula King, Australia
"Cookinfrance is not just a cooking class. It's an amazing opportunity to learn to cook in a beautiful place with a warm and generous family. You will leave here not only with a lot of knowledge about cooking, but also with many great memories."
Parker Jamieson, North Carolina, USA
"This course seemed like it would work with us even if we were not professionals. The class was very enjoyable, mostly because it was relaxed. The atmosphere really makes it what it is."
Meredith Jamieson, North Carolina, USA
"A most enjoyable break whether you are an accomplished cook or a total beginner. Great fun!"
Denise and Kevin Wheeler, Bromsgrove, England.
Booking is easy and only an email or phone call away, so why wait? Strike while the iron's hot - book a cooking holiday in France now and share an experience you'll never forget!
EMAIL US or phone now on: 0033 (0)553 302405 [Tip: leave out the (0) when phoning from outside France]
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Five Day/Six Night Cooking and Painting courses include:
• Expert hands-on tuition in English
• All cooking ingredients, equipment and aprons
• An evening meal on the day of your arrival
• Breakfast and lunch each day
• Dinner (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday)
• A meal at our favourite local restaurant on Friday
• Tea, coffee and wine
• En suite centrally-heated accommodation
• Entrance fees to places visited
• Private and secluded pool
• Internet and Email access
• Recipe pack containing all the dishes cooked during your stay
Some of the things you'll be doing:
Learn how to cook pastries, breads and soups
Select and prepare the best fish and shellfish
Butcher common joints of meat
Cook classic French and Italian sauces
Construct modern dressings
Master the art of stylish contemporary food presentation
Our day courses:
• Hands-on practical tuition with an experienced chef
• All ingredients
• Utensils
• Aprons
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Wine and beverages