La Vie Du Château Avis 

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A perfect 4 Days
Our time at Chateau de la Barbee was much more than a cooking class. The chateau is straight out of a movie set in an idyllic setting. The hosts, Mary Pochez, the instructor, and her husband Xavier were fun and caring and gracious. They welcomed us as friends the minute we arrived. We practiced classic French dishes made even more special because we shared them as friends. Our classmates all added to the shared experience and knowledge gained. What a fabulous experience! Not to be missed.”

What an absolute pleasure it was to spend 5 days in the French countryside cooking with Mary. Right from the beginning she could not have been more helpful. She sugggested all of the best ways to arrive at the Chateau, and even picked me up from the bus. The Chateau itself was just charming; the real-deal French country house that it appears in the photos. Xavier, Mary and their housekeeper Ella was so incredibly attentive to all of our needs and made our stay so welcoming. We had a lovely few days cooking a wide variety of beautiful sweet and savory dishes, and covered lots of basics like the perfect mayonnaise and vinaigrette. Every meal was a true feast, with all of the amazing food we had cooked, accompanied by locals wines that Xavier was able to give us some real lessons on. Mary was an excellent teacher, and keeping the classes small and fairly relaxed was a great way to help us learn but also make us feel like it was a holiday too! I thoroughly enjoyed my week at Chateau de la Barbee and would recommend it to anyone who loves French food. Mary and Xavier were the most perfect hosts and I hope to be able to go back again one day in the near future!