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The Signature Experience
We begin on Friday with a warm welcome at our 19th-century farmhouse cookery school.
Once you’ve settled into your room, we gather for a seasonal welcome dinner, prepared by Chef Eric Duvin.
The evening begins with Champagne and canapés, followed by a beautifully composed menu highlighting fresh produce from our garden and trusted local artisans.
Each morning, you’ll step into the kitchen for immersive, hands-on instruction — working with exceptional ingredients and learning to cook with the seasons.
From knife skills to stock-making, from butchery to pâtisserie — every lesson is grounded in classical French technique.
Each evening ends around the table, sharing a six-course dinner — dishes you helped prepare yourself.
Where It Begins
Throughout the week, you’ll build confidence in the fundamentals:
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Classic French cooking techniques
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Knife handling and mise en place
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Stocks, jus, and essential sauces
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Pastry doughs, desserts, soufflés
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Sous vide and precision cooking
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Blanching, braising, searing, poaching, roasting
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Chocolate and sugar work
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Modern plating and presentation
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Macaron production and finishing techniques - the dedicated macaron masterclass allows you to slow down and refine technique — understanding not just the method, but the precision required to achieve consistency and elegance.
What You’ll Learn
The structure of the week balances focused kitchen work with moments of exploration and discovery.
A full day at Mont-Saint-Michel offers a complete change of pace — a journey through landscape, history and regional identity.
The day culminates in a Calvados tasting that connects directly to the culinary traditions of Normandy, giving context to the ingredients and flavours you've been working with all week.
It is the kind of experience that stays with you long after you leave the kitchen.
A Week with Rhythm and Depth
You'll leave with more than skills — you'll leave with confidence, clarity and a deeper understanding of why technique matters.
You'll know not just how to cook beautifully, but how to adapt what you've learned in your own kitchen, for years to come.
Whether you joined us to sharpen your skills or to rediscover your love of food, this retreat is designed to give you something lasting.
This isn't a cooking holiday. It's a culinary transformation.
By Week’s End
Culinary Adventure 2027
"The Signature Experience"
7 Days / 6 Nights
A hands-on immersion into classical French cuisine, designed for passionate home cooks ready to deepen their skills, confidence, and understanding.
In 2027, the experience evolves, combining foundational technique with a deeper connection to the region, its products, and its traditions.
Each day, you’ll step into the rhythm of a professional kitchen, mastering essential techniques with calm, personal guidance adapted to your level.
You’ll spend a full day exploring Mont-Saint-Michel, one of France’s most iconic and atmospheric locations, followed by a guided Calvados tasting, offering insight into one of Normandy’s most celebrated artisanal spirits.
On a separate afternoon, you’ll take part in an extended macaron masterclass, focused on precision, consistency, and refinement, a true technical cornerstone of French pâtisserie.
Dates - 2027
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19 - 25 March
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9 - 15 April
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7 - 13 May
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21 - 27 May
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4 - 10 June
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18 - 24 June
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27 August - 2 September
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10 - 16 September
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24 - 30 September
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8 - 14 October
Price
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Cooking participant: €4,500
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Non-Cooking participant: €3,150
Information & Conditions
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A 30% deposit is required at the time of booking
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The remaining balance is due no later than 60 days prior to the start of the trip
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We reserve the right to introduce changes due to force majeure or unforeseen circumstances, while always aiming to confirm similar properties, vehicles, and experiences
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CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) travel insurance is mandatory for all participants
Group Size: Maximum 6 guests
This retreat is designed to give you clarity and confidence in the kitchen.
You will cook every day, understand why techniques work, and leave with skills that transfer naturally to your home cooking.
What you’ll work on:
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Knife skills & kitchen organisation
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Classic French cooking techniques
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Stocks, jus, and essential sauces
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Butchery fundamentals
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Introduction to French pastry
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Market cooking & seasonality
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Cheese masterclass — tasting, pairing and the art of the French cheese board.
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Macaron masterclass — science, technique and the art of the perfect petit four.
Beyond the kitchen:
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French farmer's market visit
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Excursion to Mont-Saint-Michel
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Guided Calvados tasting
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.
