A quick glance at 2011...

    Whilst it is too early to put down dates and itineraries, I can give a forecast of some of next year's course subjects...
     
    If you have a specific interest that is not mentioned, please do not hesitate to contact me - I have often added courses at special requests. Private courses for small groups can also be arranged. (Great idea for anniversaries, retirements or hen parties). Simply email me at info@petracarter.com or ring 00 33 468 407718
     

    week courses

    • ENTERTAINING AND WINE APPRECIATION - june and September
       
      a one-week course aimed at busy people who not only want to eat well at their own table but also entertain without having to spend too much time in the kitchen. The dishes covered are casually elegant and adaptable to the different seasons... We will visit winemakers in their cellars and vineyards, learn valuable wine-tasting skills and in September, we will help with the grape harvest and join the grape pickers in their (robust) breakfast. An all-singing-all-dancing food and wine course...

    weekend courses

    • Summer Joy - the very best of a French summer
       
    • Fab Food on a Budget - great dishes on a shoestring (and nobody will ever know)
       
    • Daily Supper - put some new vigour and dash into your daily supper - more fun than any convenience food...
       
    • Cupboard Love - always having something up ones sleeve means being ready for the unexpected - fab standby dishes from the larder
       
    • Man in the Kitchen - for men who want to become pleasure-giving cooks (without exhausting themselves too much!)
       
    • Winter Comforts - warming comfort food for colder days...
       
    • Cooking for Friends - casually elegant dishes for relaxed entertaining...
       
    • Indonesian Rijsttafel
       
    • Focus on Fish
       
    • Al Fresco dining and outdoor picnics
       
    • Mediterranean Flavours (Spanish, French, Italian and Moroccan
       

    What the courses are about...

    These courses are not about toiling over masterpieces that take hours to prepare. And they have nothing to do with competing - though showing-off a little is permitted! Yet it is not about 'doing 5 imaginative things with a tin of Spam' either.
     
    What they are about is acquiring sufficient skills and confidence to cook intuitively and for aesthetic pleasure (both in the cooking and the eating!) In short, it's about cooking for fun. A way of simplified cooking but with plenty of vigour and dash - like 'playing' with fabulous ingredients in a creative way... In a small Languedoc village we teach you how to create an unlimited range of vibrant and original recipes simply by matching flavours that complement each other. Once you have mastered the idea, recipes can be adapted and re-invented according to the changing ingredients of every new season - ultimately leading to the point where no recipes are needed. Which means that instead of shopping with a pre-written list (and finding some items are unavailable or not up to scratch) you simply buy what is fresh and at its best, and create your own unique dish at home.
     
    Participants will return home with all the information, checklists and recipes you will need to create this new personal cuisine. All courses include accommodation at La Souqueto, (also see rooms), all transport, cookery sessions, tutored wine tastings and of course plenty of communal eating both at home and in nearby restaurants.   Excursions include visits to local markets, vineyards and artisan food producers (such as a traditional olive press, an award-winning goatscheese farm, a beekeeper, an artisan baker, a fleur de sel producer or an oysterfarm. (You may state your preference upon booking).
     
    Courses are limited to 8 participants. Remember that on these courses we will be serendipitous of mind - as the French have been for centuries. We will forage the markets (and countryside) for the best produce of the season and turn it into fabulous modern food that is good to eat and great to look at.
     
    The food demonstrated is quick and eclectic enough to appeal to those with young, busy lifestyles. But it is also pretty and delicious enough to be served at smarter occasions. You'll go home armed with all the information and recipes you'll need to recreate the ideas.
     

     
    For more information please contact info@petracarter.com or ring 00 33 468 407718