Day
1 After flying in to airport of Bordeaux Merignac you
will be met by James and driven to La Leotardie. La Leotardie
is a beautiful eighteenth century chateau sitting nestled
within its own walled parkland surrounded by lofty sweet chestnut
trees. Diana and James will be your hosts here and you will
spend the next three nights in the comfort of French chateau
life. All bedrooms have good showers and WCs en suite.
Day
2 We make the most of the professional kitchens made available
to us here. Jean-Claude Lambert will come and show us in the
morning just why French cuisine is one of the best in the
world. In the afternoon those interested will cook with Jean-Claude
to prepare the evening's dinner. For the rest we will walk
to the pretty Dordogne village of St Georges de Montclard.
7km
Day
3 James and Diana will show you how they make a fête
champêtre picnic. We will be touching on both sweet
and savoury sides and suggesting wines that will compliment
these flavours. In the afternoon we will visit two of our
favourite wineries of the area: Chateau Miaudoux and Chateau
Champarel. At the former Gerard Cuisset is making fantastic
dry and sweet whites and at Champarel they are making one
of the most lovely reds. Dinner will be in Bergerac at L'Imparfait,
a restaurant with a huge reputation in the area especially
for fish.
Day
4 We leave the lush beauty of the Dordogne for the tranquil
beauty of the Quercy Blanc and drive to Lario, the home of
James and Diana. Here we will talk about the versatility of
the magret. This is the breast of the fatted duck and is an
excellent and tender 'cut' of meat. We will show you some
of the different ways it is enjoyed here in south west France.
Lunch will be on the terrace with the magret and assorted
salads. In the afternoon; a walk through the village of Sainte
Croix to the village of Saint Felix before we drive to Le
Vert, a beautifully restored Quercy Manor House where you
will spend the next three nights. All bedrooms with bathrooms
en suite. 7km
Day
5 Charles de Gaulle said that France had two hundred and
forty six different cheeses and how on earth was he expected
to govern a country with so many different cheeses. Well we
will look this morning at several of these wonders and what
wines and breads compliment their flavours. Goat, ewe and
cow from smelly to mild will all come under scrutiny and Madame
Lasfargues will come and help us cook cheese soufflés
for lunch on the terrace looking down to the distant hilltop
bastide of Lauzerte. In the afternoon, after preparing the
foie gras, we will take a walk to gain an appetite for the
evenings' dinner at Le Vert. 7km
Day
6 After breakfast Bernard Philippe will be showing us
how, from the simple base of a crème brulée
for example, you can have such diversity of presentation and
of flavours. Local flavourings of lavender and saffron will
be used as well as many others to help put his theory into
effect. The afternoon will be spent relaxing, to paint or
read, apart from those who would like to return to Lario to
finish the delicacy of the foie gras. Dinner Le Vert.
Day
7 We drive for the hustle and bustle of the market at
the village of Montcuq, a medieval town whose twelfth century
keep is all that remains of a once important castle stormed
by Simon de Montfort during the Cathar crusade. Lunch will
be beneath the shady chestnut tree of the Café de France.
A walk around the village after lunch before driving to Cahors
to the Hotel Terminus whose restaurant Le Balandre has a huge
reputation for being one of the finest in the Quercy. 1.5km
Day
8 Return to Bordeaux airport.
Fingers only!