manstouch travel
Cooking in
Burgundy
Cooking in
Cooking with Robert Ash
Address:
Rue du Lac, les Chalendons, St Symphorien d'Ancelles.
Area:
Burgundy
Robert Ash, chef-patron of London's legendary and award-winning Blythe Road Restaurant, proposes a luxurious new culinary experience for 2004.
Spring in Southern Burgundy is magnificent - usually clear skies, cool at night.
Summer - the time of the wine harvest - is generally glorious. Bad weather is always possible, but the house is warm and dry and we are optimists.
The House at Rue du Lac
Rue du Lac is an enormous converted farmhouse standing in two acres of grounds a few miles south of Mâcon, southeast France. There is a small lake, suitable for swimming, and plenty of room for relaxing in or out of doors. If weather permits, meals will be taken on one of the two terraces.
Road:
Leaving the A6 autoroute at junction 29, rue du Lac is just 8 miles (13km) away.
Rail:
The TGV from Paris stops at Mâcon-Loché (1:40hrs); Mâcon-Ville is served by conventional services. We pick you up from either location for a 15-minute drive to the house.
Air:
Flights from the UK, Paris and elsewhere land at the main airport - Lyon St.Exupéry (LYS) and we pick you up for a 45-minute drive to the house.
Places of Interest
Southern Burgundy is especially rich in history - from the prehistoric site of the Solutré rock with vineyards carpeting its lower slopes, to the famous Abbey of Cluny and the Château of Pierreclos.
The River Saône runs through a landscape which includes the famous vineyards of St. Vérand (home of St. Véran without the 'd'), Pouilly-Fuissé, the southern Mâconnais and the hills of the Beaujolais. Mâcon itself is a fascinating town at the river's edge (below).
The Pont St. Laurent (below) crosses the Saône to reach the département of the Ain, where we shall visit Bourg-en-Bresse and the extraordinarily beautiful lakes of the Dombes. There's golf at the celebrated Mâcon La Salle club (the 10th green is shaped like a giant foot, with toes for bunkers), microlighting, hot-air ballooning, fishing...
6 days / 5 Nights in Burgundy with Robert Ash
"Join me in the very heart of France for an all-inclusive
course which combines expert hands-on tuition, fabulous
food, comfortable accommodation and fascinating visits.
You will be part of a small group (maximum six cooking guests only) following a programme of advanced cuisine, honing the skills you already have while discovering a host of specialist techniques, ingredients and presentations"
Though the programme shown here is typical, the actual dishes prepared at demonstration will vary from week to week according to market supply. My intention is for us to use the very best and freshest ingredients, and to demonstrate as many useful techniques as time allows. We shall present you with a personalized folder of course notes, together with background information to help make your stay even more pleasurable.
ITINERARY
We pick you up free of charge on arrival at Mâcon Loché TGV rail station or Lyon St. Exupéry airport, and return you at the conclusion of your stay.
On request we can take you to the centre of Lyon at the conclusion of your stay
Day 1 - Sunday
Pick you up in the afternoon from Lyon St Exupéry airport (approximately 50 minutes transfer time to rue du Lac), Mâcon-Loché TGV or Mâcon-Ville rail stations (approx 15 mins transfer). Guests using their own transport should arrive by 6 pm at the latest. You will be welcomed by Chef Robert Ash and offered a soothing drink. After you have settled in your room, a delicious buffet supper will be served. This meal, in common with all others at rue du Lac, will be accompanied by selected wines from Burgundy and the Mâconnais.
Day 2 - Monday
Breakfast buffet au choix. The first practical class will begin at 10am with preparation of a lunch of Bar à la Crème de Fenouil avec ses Pommes Dauphinoises (roast fillet of sea bass with cream fennel sauce, with potatoes Dauphinoise) followed by Tarte Tatin – plus a lesson for Confit de Canard (duck confit). Lunch will be served at the house at 1pm. An optional afternoon trip will be made to a local winery, returning at around 5pm. Dinner will be served at 7.30, followed by liqueurs and animated discussion.
Day 3 - Tuesday
Breakfast buffet au choix. Morning practical class of Oeufs Carême (devised by Queen Victoria's personal chef) followed by the conclusion of Confit de Canard. The accompanying lesson is for Profiteroles au Chocolat. Lunch at the house. Afternoon optional visit to le Hameau du Vin wine museum at Romanèche (about 10 mins away) for tour and tasting. This will be followed by a visit to Maison Jacoulot nearby, makers of liqueurs and eaux-de-vie. Dinner at the house at 7.30. followed by liqueurs and animated discussion.
Day 4 - Wednesday
Breakfast buffet au choix. We shall set off early to Bourg-en-Bresse market for extensive displays of fruit, vegetables and livestock – including the celebrated Bresse chicken. There will be time for a full exploration of this busy market. We’ll take lunch in the spectacular Dombes lakes area in a typical regional restaurant. Back at the house there will be structured tastings of local wines and cheeses. Dinner at the house at 7.30, followed by liqueurs and an optional short walk to the River Saône nearby.
Day 5 - Thursday
Breakfast buffet au choix. Morning class preparation of lunch: Pintade Rôtie avec Pancetta, Pommes Rosti et Sauce Chanterelles (guinea fowl wrapped in pancetta, with rosti potatoes and chanterelle mushroom sauce) followed by Millefeuille de Fraises (strawberry millefeuille). Lunch will be served at the house at 1pm. Afternoon trip to the wineries of Pouilly-Fuissé and St Véran, and a visit to the Maison du Vin in Mâcon. At 7.30pm we shall set off for a grand celebration champagne dinner at a restaurant in St Amour in the Beaujolais hills.
Day 6 - Friday
Late breakfast buffet au choix. The Chef will be available for a review of lessons and a question-and-answer session. The rest of the morning will be at leisure. During the morning we shall return guests to Lyon airport or to either of the Mâcon rail stations, Guests leaving by air can alternatively be taken to the centre of Lyon if requested- there is a very efficient coach service from there to the airport, thus allowing several hours in this fascinating city before an evening flight. Guests using their own transport should ensure departure by mid day.
Check Availability
Prices
Participating
guests: € 1,440
En-suite supplement:
€ 285
Dates
April 29, May 6, 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24 July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Aug 26, Sept 2