8 Bedroom Farmhouse Carcassonne - THE FRENCH HOUSE PARTY COOKING COURSES Reviews

Third visit and you can't help wondering if a place will be same or not really as good as you remember. French House Party, hosted by Moira with help this year from brilliant Lina, continues to deliver fabulous food and superb comfort in its stylish base amid the sunflower fields near the Canal du Midi. I was in the same room as before (Aubergine) which had a few updates since last year, indicating that Moira doesn't just let things coast along. Trips out to a local restaurant and to Rennes Le Château were well chosen, and an individual trip organised to picturesque Narbonne. The pool still entices, as do the tennis courts and bicycles for those who find time. Creative writing tutor, Sarah, inspires with a sense of adventure and is an ace antidote to writers' block. I was surprised at how much I got written in bursts between food, outings, canal walks and the pool. Thanks to an inspirational setting, a dollop of cosseting, and the company of fellow writers. Would I go again? Yes please!

I am fortunate to be allowed a weeks escape every year to complete a cooking course overseas. This was my fifth year and the opportunity to complete The French House Party's 'Gourmet Explorer Advanced' was too good an opportunity to be missed.

Seven days with the delightful Moira and her team of expert chef's is an amazing experience, I completed the slightly shorted Gourmet Explorer course a couple of years ago so it would be a familiar format, with more focus on techniques and more time to perfect new skills.

The other guests were delightful, Vasily from Switzerland (but obviously Russian), Suzanne and Paul from the USA, Marc the roving ex Chef and Food writer and Ali and Sue from the UK made the week so enjoyable, all keen on cooking with different skill levels it showed just how good our tutors Robert and Jean-Marc (1 Michelin*) were, at bringing together an unfamiliar team of different skill levels into an almost organised semi-professional kitchen!

It's an intensive week, but highly enjoyable if you like cooking you don't have to take part in every event If you don't want too, but once you start it's difficult to stop as we all laughed and joked ploughing through the numerous savoury and sweet recipes, learning complex sauces and plating techniques on the way.

Part of the week included a trip to visit a very experienced Chocolatier to learn how to use traditional techniques to temper Chocolate, a winery (which was a small family affair, and very good too).

We went to Limoux to discover the origins of French Champagne, and a couple of local restaurants, one with 2 Michelin Stars in Carcassonne which was extremely tasty, the second, the 1 Michelin star restaurant of one of our tutors, they both added to the whole culinary experience and were delightful.

I cannot recommend The French House Party highly enough, if you love cooking and food is your thing take a look and give it a go, you will be pleased you did. Moira is a fantastic host and makes sure that you have the best time.

We recently returned from a one-week advanced cooking course at the French House Party, and the experience can only be described as fantastic. We were in a group of seven students and taught by two fantastic and very patient chefs. One was a retired, well renowned chef in the region and the other was a one star Michelin chef, also from the area. The experience is entirely hands-on, unlike many schools which provide mostly demonstrations and then tours of the local area. We did get tours of the area including wineries and a chocolatier, plus dinner out two nights at a one star and two star Michelin restaurant. But most of the time was spent cooking, enjoying the fruits of our efforts, and consuming the wines of the region. For the food preparation the chefs paired us into teams and we would work much like a professional kitchen. Each team prepared a portion of the dish or meal, coming together later to assemble the meal. We had plenty of time to compare notes and follow what the others were doing. The owner and hostess of the school, Moira Martingale, is a warm and charming hostess and her team complement her perfectly. The accommodations, in a 200 year old French farmhouse (beautifully renovated) are very comfortable. All rooms are en suite. For recreation there is a tennis court and a lovely swimming pool. If you are looking for a chance to hone your cooking skills in a beautiful area of southern France, the French House Party is highly recommended. We would love to go back.

My daughter and I have just attended the Creative Writing Course, and we really didn't want to leave. We were sorry we had not booked the second week, but it's a great excuse to go there again. Thanks to Moira for her hospitality, and Sarah for the great tuition, and the remaining staff. We both left feeling much inspired, and raring to go. The food was awesome, with an excellent choice of wines, and the accommodation was spacious and comfortable. We met some wonderful people on the course, and the relaxed atmosphere made it easier to work. The combination of tuition and time to explore the surrounding area was a real treat. We will certainly be returning next year.

I've just spent 6 nights on a cooking course at The French House Party and the hospitality provided by Moira and her team was exemplary. You really do not need for anything, you are provided with as much food and drink you could ever want. There is a great swimming pool, tennis court, table tennis and bicycles to use and it's just a short cycle to the canal du midi. The chefs made the time in the kitchen fun and informative and I learned lots. We also visited 2 Michelin starred restaurants as part of the experience as well as a market, chocolatier and winery. A really great holiday which I highly recommend.

I visited the French House Party for the 6 day cooking course and despite being a little anxious about traveling alone it was the best experience and holiday I've had! The food we made was incredible and the two chefs were very good at improvising if there was an ingredient we weren't too keen on. I don't usually like pork for example and although I could have said I wanted to change it I gave it a try and then ended up being so impressed I asked for seconds!!! I'm usually also very discerning about the accommodation at places ect but I cannot fault anything, which is rare! The breakfast spreads were also superb better than some 5* hotels I've stayed in, in terms of variety & quality - it's not a cooked breakfast but you couldn't manage it after 3 other courses for lunch + dinner and wine & canapés . The two chefs taught us a lot of really interesting skills from advanced presentation of a dish to preparing a whole fish/quail! It was great to see the difference between both chefs as we learnt more this way. We also shopped for fresh ingredients from the best French market I've ever been too with live birds and some of the more typical artisan produce.

Moira and her team were fantastic too and were always offering us a coffee/tea or later on in the day canapés & champagne, we truly were spoiled. The bedrooms and facilities were great too and I loved the extra touches like having fluffy dressing gowns, wine in the room, slippers and tooth paste the later which I had forgotten to pack.

As well as cooking meals ourselves we also went to two great restaurants, a chocolate making course and a vineyard.

Essentially If you like good food and you want a holiday with a difference then I can't recommend this enough. For me this was more than I would spend on a holiday but my goodness I'm glad I did! I felt like I was knackered at the end of the week but I also felt that i'd actually learnt a great deal, had an amazing time (with no two days the same) and met such an amazing bunch of people!

I can't wait to attempt some of these lovely recipes at home and I hope to come back again soon!

I had done a lot of research to find a cooking holiday to enjoy with another couple for a short weekend -- this was perfect. This seemed to have the most time in the kitchen but was coupled with a winery visit and a wondeful market (best I've been to) on Saturday morning. Moira has created a relaxed and hospitable setting with plenty of space to relax indoors and out with the other guests. Laurent was our chef in the kitchen and he was very talented, patient and fun and very French. No cooking experience is needed -- I cook a bit but learned a lot! Our creations were delicious. Toulouse airport (or Carcassone) is quite accessible for travel. The rooms are very comfortable and have everything you need including a kettle. Wifi works great. I wish I could have stayed longer to take the six day course!

From the moment I arrived I enjoyed wonderful relaxed hospitality, fantastic company, lots of laughs, five star cooking and some lovely wines, superb restaurant dinners and trips out. I learned some excellent writing tips too which have inspired me to get started on my long awaited novel.

Thanks to everyone for a fantastic two weeks

I was part of a song-writing workshop run by Dean Friedman. From the moment of arrival until the sad farewells everything was perfect. A friendly talented group of fellow aspiring/improving songwriters under the guidance of a master of lyrics (check them out) who is most friendly un-starlike star you're ever likely to meet. Moira and her family looked after us with five-star treatment, top class food and they even produced a surprise cake and champagne for my birthday. I cannot praise highly enough the whole French House Party experience, long may it continue!

A luxurious writers retreat. An inspiring place to write with a skilled tutor who tailors your needs to what your writing. The owner and staff look after your every need, providing fine dining (a rarity on most writing retreats). The house, setting and pool is lovely. Also provided are some interesting trips out for those who want that. Floris