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Your Time Here

The Thouet behind the house

Escape to the perfect location to indulge your senses and spark your creativity.

Our holidays vary in length, leader, and subject, but they share one thing in common. You.

Whether cooking, writing or painting, everything centres on making your time here as rewarding and relaxing as possible. We ensure you have what you need to learn new things, accomplish your goals, and enjoy doing it. We have something for everyone.

That’s what makes us different from other creative holiday providers.

We take a holistic approach that meets you where you are and takes you where you want to go. All while showing you a good time. We combine friendly, accomplished course leaders, exciting and delicious seasonal food, and comfortable, inspiring surroundings with a true commitment to get you away from the daily grind and create memorable and relaxing experiences that will enhance your life and creative pursuits.

We also make plenty of time to play, taking you to see the best of the Loire. Depending on the season, we may visit l’Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, Château of Azay-le-Rideau, Château d'Ussé, Château de Oiron, Château de Montreuil-Bellay, Château de Villandry, Château de Chinon, and their accompanying cities.

Château de Oiron

Our vineyard visits, depending on the vintner’s schedule, may include: Saumur - Bouvet Ladubay, Les Caves des Vignerons, Domaine des Roches Neuves, Château Targé; Chinon - Couly-Dutheil, Olga Raffault; Anjou - Domaine du Petit Clocher; Thouarsais - Arnault, Les Terres Blanches.

We will also visit artisan food makers, including La Tourangelle, famous worldwide for its walnut and hazlenut oils.

These excursions occur during your free time. If you decide that you’d rather paint, write, go on a walk, simply relax ... the choice is yours.

While different courses follow different schedules, this sample itinerary gives a general idea of the shape of your holiday.

A Great Idea

A rustic French farmhouse in a verdant valley, beside a slow-moving river, with fields, meadows and forests: the perfect setting for a relaxed holiday.

Our spacious teaching kitchen and dining area offer lovely views across fields of wheat and sunflowers down to the river and across to ruins of the abbey. Walk through the countryside. Sip a glass of wine. Nestle in the lounge, choose a book from the library, or discover a quiet corner of the garden under the plum trees. In other words: relax, recharge, and get out of your day-to-day routine. And learn something too.

And Good Value Too

Wheat growing next door

We make this easy. The price of the course includes everything except one lunch (€25-30) out for five-day writing and painting courses; one dinner (€40-50) out for five-day cooking courses; and one lunch and one dinner out for seven-day courses (this gives you the freedom to further explore local cuisine). We take care of everything else: transport to and from the airport or train station, accommodation during your course; all meals (including wine and cocktails) except the ones mentioned above; beverages and snacks available throughout the day; the course tuition; and transport and admission fees for excursions to local sites.

Our one-day cooking courses cost £150. Five-day courses for cooking, painting and writing cost £655 and seven-day courses for painting and writing cost £899.