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French
Cooking Holiday
Some things can only be learned by hand.
The Walnut Grove Cookery School is an immersive, small-group French cooking retreat set in a 19th-century farmhouse in the heart of western France.
Each week, six guests gather to cook the way French chefs have always cooked — with patience, with reason, and with complete attention to what is happening in the pan.
This is not a holiday with a cooking class attached. Every morning begins in the kitchen. Across the week you will cook daily alongside Chef Eric, learning the foundations of French cuisine — from knife skills and kitchen organisation to stocks, sauces, butchery, and pastry — always with an emphasis on why techniques work and how to apply them confidently at home.
You will leave with more than recipes. You will leave with clarity, confidence, and a deeper understanding of French cuisine.
Forty years of classical French cooking. Six guests. One week. No shortcuts.
A Unique Experience
Before anything goes into the pan, it has to be chosen.
One morning, the group visits the local market together — a lesson in seasonality, in quality, in what French cooks have always known before they reach the kitchen.
You work at the stove alongside Chef Eric — some techniques demonstrated first, then yours to practice.
Classical French method, learned the way it was always meant to be: by doing it yourself.
The plate is the final decision.
You will learn to read a dish — its balance, its temperature, its honesty — and to present it with the precision of a professional kitchen.
Every evening, the kitchen becomes a table.
Guests gather over a glass of wine, sharing the day's work around the table.
A natural end to a full day.
The Copper Kitchen
Step into a kitchen where tradition meets craftsmanship.
Learn why generations of French chefs have trusted copper cookware for its exceptional heat control, precision, and durability.
Under Chef Eric's guidance, you'll discover that cooking with copper is surprisingly simple, rewarding, and a joy to master.
Alongside classic French techniques, you'll cook over our traditional wood-fired oven, experiencing the authentic methods that have shaped French country cuisine for centuries.
Chef Eric's passion for copper extends beyond the kitchen. Through French Copper he carefully curates beautifully restored vintage and antique copper cookware from the renowned artisans of Villedieu-les-Poêles—the historic home of French copper craftsmanship.
These timeless pieces combine beauty, heritage, and performance, inspiring every meal you create.
Your Journey
6 Guests Max
Personal instruction
Farmhouse Kitchen
Authentic rustic setting
Daily Cooking
In the kitchen every morning
Market Visit
Cook with local ingredients
Farm to Table
Walnut Grove is a working farm as much as it is a kitchen. Herbs come straight from the garden, eggs from our own chickens, and much of what lands in your dish has been growing a few steps from where you'll cook it. Guests are welcome to get involved — clip herbs, feed the goats, see how the hives are kept — before carrying it all back to the Copper Pot Kitchen, where wood-fired and gas stoves sit side by side and Chef Eric matches the pan to the process.
It's farm to table in the most literal sense: you'll know exactly where your ingredients came from, because you picked some of them yourself.
Your Home for the Week
Every guest enjoys the same immersive culinary experience—it simply comes down to how you'd like to experience the French countryside.
Stay at The Walnut Grove Cookery School for a truly intimate retreat, or choose one of our carefully selected accommodations in the nearby village, just minutes from the school.
Stay at The Walnut Grove Farmhouse
Stay inside the Walnut Grove itself, in one of two en-suite rooms tucked into our 200-year-old farmhouse. Exposed beams, a private bathroom, and quality toiletries, comfortable enough to feel like a proper retreat, close enough that you'll hear the kitchen come to life each morning. For guests who want the full rhythm of the week: garden, table, and bed, all in the same place.
Stay in a Charming Nearby Village
Enjoy the comfort and privacy of one of our carefully selected village accommodations, located less than 10 minutes from the cookery school.
Each morning, we'll collect you and bring you to The Walnut Grove, before returning you to your accommodation at the end of the day, so you can simply relax and enjoy the experience. If you prefer the freedom to explore the region at your own pace, you're also welcome to rent a car during your stay.
Meet
Chef Eric
Eric Duvin began his culinary training in France at fifteen.
What followed was forty years in professional kitchens —
classical French training, private chef service at Badminton House, seat of the Duke of Beaufort, and the German Ambassador's residence in London, and a career built entirely on technique, precision, and the belief that cooking is something worth understanding properly.
At The Walnut Grove, the kitchen begins in the garden. Herbs, vegetables, the rhythm of the season —
these are not decoration.
They are the starting point.
Eric teaches the way he learned — by doing, by explaining, and by insisting that every guest leaves with something real.
BEYOND THE KITCHEN
FRENCH CULTURAL EXCURSION
While culinary technique remains at the heart of your stay, France has more to offer beyond the kitchen.
Mont-Saint-Michel, Saint-Malo, Dinan, Villedieu-les-Poêles — the coast and its medieval towns are within easy reach. Artisan producers, local markets, the quiet roads of the bocage.
And for those who wish to go further, the Loire Valley awaits.
Extend your time in France with a curated cultural excursion.
Selected excursions are included depending on your retreat dates — ask us for details.
Choose Your Retreat
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Culinary Retreat 2026
Experience an unforgettable week of authentic French cooking, farm-to-table dining, and countryside living. Learn alongside Chef Eric in an intimate group of just six guests.
Culinary Retreat 2027
Plan your next French escape with our 2027 Culinary Retreat. Discover timeless techniques, exceptional local ingredients, and the charm of rural France in an exclusive small-group experience.
A French Christmas
An exclusive holiday escape combining The Walnut Grove with the elegance of Paris. Enjoy handpicked 4- and 5-star hotels, exceptional dining, and the magic of Christmas in France.
Dec 4–11, 2026.
Just 3 places left.
My experience at Walnut Grove with Chef Eric was AMAZING!! I learned so much in a short amount of time and will be using the skills he taught us for years to come. Chef Eric’s curriculum was thoughtful, detailed, and the perfect mix of cooking, excursions / exploration, and relaxation. I will be recommending his class to everyone!! He was communicative and made arrival / departure so easy for me too!! And my classmates were lovely and we’ll be longtime friends!
Aliya S.
I spent five days in Chef Eric's kitchen with my three companions and had the best time ever. I learnt fabulous new cooking skills and, more importantly, learnt how to manage and create complex dishes. Chef Eric also took us to see the area around his cookery school and spent time explaining the beauty of the northern part of the Loire district.
I would happily spend another week there.
Bruno M.
Having always wanted to learn more about French cuisine from a French chef, Walnut Grove Cookery School did not disappoint. The range of food we prepared everyday and the hands on nature of the training has given me the confidence to try the recipes at home, to the delight of my family. Thank Eric, your team and Mac the dog for providing a wonderful experience that I will never forget.
Robyn P.
