A typical day mixes a hands-on cooking class, an outing and a shared meal. Classes use seasonal ingredients and focus on traditional French home-style techniques, with some global influences mixed in. The goal is practical: you should be able to make these dishes again at home for friends and family.

The outings are mostly about rural France and the people who produce food there. A local plant expert takes you foraging for wild edibles, and at a honey farm you learn what life is like for a French beekeeper. You also walk scenic trails, tour medieval towns and take a boat around a historic moat. Some date listings also include a private wine tasting, so check this for your departure.

The main difference from a typical cooking holiday is the small-group, countryside setting. The group cooks together, visits local farms and meets French locals who work in food and farming. There's no big teaching kitchen or packed sightseeing schedule, and guests often mention the friendships they made around the table.

Katrina has taught cooking since 2013, starting with school garden programs in Denver after a master's in Agriculture, Food and Environmental Policy at Tufts University. She is fluent in English and French and now lives on a homestead in France, where she and her husband eat salad from their garden every day of the year.

There are two settings. The manor dates are based at a guesthouse on the grounds of a historic manor in Nogent-le-Roi. The chateau dates are at the 17th-century Chateau des Joncherets in Saint-Lubin-des-Joncherets. Both are in the countryside outside Paris, and the 2027 departures run in April, June and October.

One guest describes getting up early, turning on the coffee in the main dining area and sitting quietly with the view before the day started. Another says the five days flew by without feeling overwhelming. Expect good food, plenty of company and a relaxed pace rather than a demanding culinary course.

What's included

- Accommodation at the manor guesthouse or chateau, depending on departure - Hands-on cooking classes with Katrina - Foraging outing with a local plant expert - Visit to a local honey farm - Dinner at a fine dining restaurant - Massage - Medieval town tours - Boat ride around a historic moat - Scenic trail walks - Private wine tasting (listed for some departures)

What's not included

- Flights to France - Travel insurance - Personal expenses

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