8 Day Glass Crafting and Cooking Vacation in Lot-et-Garonne, Southwest France

Facilities

This holiday can be tailored to meet the needs of the group. Please contact French Holidays Plus to discuss your personal requirements and your holiday is ensured to be exactly how you want it to be.

Day 1 - Arrival day

• Arrive at Agen train station and be greeted by your hosts before being driven to the farmhouse where your holiday will begin.
• Settle into your charming room before getting to know your fellow students over delicious aperitifs.
• Enjoy a social evening with a three-course gourmet dinner served in the farmhouse kitchen along with a short introduction from your hosts about what to expect over the next few days.

Day 2 - Glass cutting, use of glass frits, powders, and moulds

• This morning after breakfast you will go to a local delightful village market to explore the area to discuss your first project designs with the rest of the group and your tutor, Caroline.
• You will then return home to begin your first jewelry making class with an introduction to glass fusing, including cutting skills and technical information.
• Caroline will teach you the basic techniques of using glass to give you maximum freedom to develop your own designs.
• Throughout the day you will do experiments with glass, glass frits and powders, and using moulds.
• The course will encourage you to think creatively about how the jewelry will be worn and students will be shown how to create holes and fittings incorporated as part of the fused piece and will also experiment with attaching fittings and bails.
• In the late afternoon you will visit a beautiful chateau famous for its aperitifs and wines for an afternoon of wine tasting.
• You will have free time until dinner at the farmhouse.

Day 3 - Taster of lamp working and layering glass fusing pieces

• After a leisurely breakfast, you will learn to make your first glass bead or glass earrings using the technique of a torch.
• Lunch will be served by the pool or in the farmhouse kitchen with views of the countryside which can be inspiration for creativity.
• After lunch, you will continue to improve your glass skills including assembly, inclusions, kiln firing and slumping techniques.
• You will gain confidence in choosing colors and designs to make your own unique glass pieces.
• Early in the evening, you will visit a family-run Armagnac distillery, which Gascony is famous for, and learn how it is made and the history behind it and, more importantly, tasting the Armagnac and local produce.
• A 3-course gourmet meal will then be served back at the farmhouse kitchen accompanied with local delicious wines.

Day 4 - Free day

• You will have a free day to spend at your leisure. You may choose to spend more time perfecting your glass fusing techniques and work on your jewelry in the studio or take time to relax by the swimming pool with a good book.
• All meals are included for this day. You can enjoy a well-earned rest before your cookery experience begins.

Day 5 - Culinary excursion and first cookery lesson

• After breakfast, it’s time to enter the kitchen and begin your culinary experience!
• Your host and chef, Adam, will be on hand at all times to ensure you learn as much as possible during these informal and fun cookery lessons and culinary excursions.
• Today Adam will accompany you on a culinary excursion, which will be confirmed upon arrival depending on the group’s preference and the season. Your visit may include any of the following: visits to a local duck farm, butcher, boulangerie/patisserie, vineyard, Armagnac producer, cheese maker, chocolatier, prune producer, organic farm or charcuterie. You may also take an accompanied tour of the cultural and historical sights surrounding the school including Auch Cathedral, Chateau Henri IV, Collégiale at La Romieu or the art gallery at the Abbaye de Flaran.
• After returning to the farmhouse, enjoy a leisurely lunch before your first cookery lesson.
• Adam will teach you how to create a delicious 3-course French menu today.
• After your lesson, you will enjoy a group dinner of the dishes you have prepared in the kitchen with a well-deserved glass of wine.

Day 6 - Culinary excursion and second cookery lesson

• Enjoy a leisurely breakfast this morning.
• Adam will then accompany you on another culinary excursion to awaken your senses, introduce you to local life, and ignite your passion for fresh local food.
• You will then return to the farmhouse to enjoy a light lunch before reentering the kitchen for your second cookery course.
• Learn to cook delicious country meals with Adam, with just a little show and a lot of passion as you learn about real French food, how to prepare it, cook it, and serve it.
• Tonight’s dinner will be tasting the delicious French dishes you’ve learnt to cook and you will have a discussion about where to go tomorrow for your day excursion.

Day 7 - Group excursion

• Relax with a delicious breakfast this morning before heading out on a fun excursion.
• Today you’ll enjoy an excursion to a location of your choice. Your hosts will take you to Bordeaux, Saint Emilion, Toulouse or Lectoure depending on the group's preference.
• Explore the stunning scenery and relax on your final day, and enjoy lunch whilst you are out.
• This evening you’ll return home for your final dinner, where you’ll reflect on the week and how much you have learnt.

Day 8 - Departure day

• After breakfast, you are asked to check out by 10:00.
• You are welcome to relax and enjoy some free time if your flight is not until later in the day, before being taken to the airport or train station for your return journey.
• You will return home with a lot of fantastic memories, fabulous cookery skills, beautiful unique glass jewelry and new skills to last you a lifetime.

• Day trip depending on the group's preference
• Visit to a chateau for wine tasting
• Visit to a family-run Armagnac distillery with tasting
• Visit to local market

This holiday will take place in Gascony, France. Gascony is an undiscovered region in Southwest France, so there is no chance that you will have to wrestle with crowds when you go to sample the wonders that make this region so special. You will quickly learn why Gascony is famed for its sumptuous local produce and seasonal recipes and you will realize that the locals take their food very seriously.

If you are partial to a cheeky little treat, Gascony is one of the main producers of foie gras, which is not just a mouth-watering food you have to look forward to. You can't visit Gascony without trying out the fruits of the vine. Wherever you walk, you will be able to see the many vineyards sprawling over the hills and valleys and discover that the wines are individual, full of character, and exquisite.

All of your daily meals, drinks, and tastings are included in the total cost of this holiday. You will have the chance to enjoy a three-course gourmet dinner and wine tastings.

All extracurricular activities on your holiday are free. So, if you do not feel like taking a trip after your lessons, you can try onsite table tennis, badminton, shooting, archery, and cycling, or you may just like to relax by the pool with a glass of soul-warming Armagnac. There is also a great selection of board games that will amuse you during the warm nights and let you enjoy the company of other guests.

• 1 day excursion depending on group's preference
• 1 visit to a family-run Armagnac distillery with tasting
• 1 visit to a chateau for wine tasting
• 2 cooking classes
• 2 glass crafting workshops
• 7 nights accommodation
• All meals, drinks, and tastings
• Champagne tasting
• Cheese tasting
• Transfers from and to Agen train station

• Airfares
• Airport transfers

• A reservation requires a deposit of 25% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.