carcassonne kitchen

My wife and I attended his cooking class and have nothing but high praise for the experience. We travelled from France to Spain taking various different cooking classes and I have to say that his was one of the best. The day started with a tour of the local markets with a coffee break before we returned to his kitchen to begin. We learned to fillet a mackerel, make a baked chicken breast stuffed with tarragon and butter, and a chocolate fondant for dessert. We made the meal for some other travellers that were staying with Peter and we had a fun afternoon cooking and sharing stories. We have made some of the dishes we learned back home and they have impressed our guests.

We had an amazing day. My husband and I took both of our children (aged 7 and 11) on the cooking class with us. We all had a ball. We started the morning with a look around the food markets where Peter explained a lot of the different foods to us, including how they differ to a lot of the foods you see in the UK and Australia (where we are from). This kids couldn't get enough of all of the different things that we don't see at home. We also went to a local cafe for a coffee and a chat.We then went back to the kitchen to help prepare a 3 course meal. The kids ended up doing a lot of the preparation work and they loved it. There was another 11 year old boy in the class that morning, and the 3 kids just wanted to try to do everything - which is great to see.We all then sat down together with Peter to enjoy the meal - with a glass or 3 of wine!!! The food and the wine were all excellent.My 7 year old son is an incredibly fussy eater, and because he had helped to cook the meal, he was happy to try everything - it was amazing. Initially my son was just going to go along to watch, which Peter was happy for him to do. But as soon as my son got there all he wanted to do was to help cook. It was fantastic for the 4 of us to do it together.I would recommend it to anyone travelling in this area. It is something different to do where you can learn lots of new things and have great time doing it.

We booked this course because we had seen it on Trip Advisor. We had a fantastic day and thoroughly recommend it to anyone. Peter was very friendly and knowledgeable, he was a mine of information as we visited the local Boulangerie, fish/meat/cheese market, fruit/veg market and during our coffee stop. We then spent a lovely few hours as we all helped him prepare a 3 course meal while drinking wine. There were only four of us on the course, one vegetarian, one who does not eat meat and two meat eaters and he managed to come up with a 3 course meal to suit us all, one person did not take any part in the cooking but was happy to watch and this was not an issue. We are so glad we did this course and will recommend it to anyone visiting Carcassonne.

We had a wonderful time with Peter. He is someone who loves to cook - his enthusiasm and love of fine food and his respect for the farmers is infectious. We gathered the ingredients from the market, we prepared a sumptuous meal in Peter's amazing luxury apartment (all the while hearing interesting stories of the local people) and then had the pleasure of eating our meal combined with incredible local wines. What an inspirational day!

We spent a very enjoyable few hours in the company of Peter last weekend. He is a very informative and patient tutor. We all learned something new, in fact, my 16 year old daughter is planning to recreate one of the dishes this evening. Highly recommended.

Peter Woodcock, the owner of 42 rue victor Hugo, is an accomplished chef, even though he is not a professionally trained one. We had a wonderful day scouting and then preparing lunch. Our session started with a little discussion of his thoughts about food and what to eat and then broadened into discussion of menu and the days logistics.Following that, we headed to the patisserie, where he gets his bread and other items for the inn, and watched the owner make and cook bread in a oven over 100 years old. Then, we headed to at our of the vegetable and meat markets. The former was populated by small, local farmers, some with only a few bins for sale. It was incredibly fine produce and very fresh. The meat, poultry, and fish market was also wonderful, with artisans in each area displaying a whole variety of cuts and items within their area. The displays were wonderful, and the people extremely interesting. We could have lingered there for several hours. After this, we ended our market tour with a caffe at a restaurant in the square, which was established by a local sports hero from a bygone generation. Only two waiters served the tables, so you had to be patient, lest you be put further down the waiting list - Peter had some good comments about the place, and it was an enjoyable interlude in the process.Doing the cooking and eating was almost anticlimactic after the wonderful start. However, we had a very enjoyable meal, and, since it was just Peter, my wife, and I, we had great repartee throughout the preparation and eating. A wonderful day with a wonderful host. I recommend this event highly.

A perfect introduction to the food and wine of Carcassone and the surrounding region! I would recommend taking the class early in your visit. Peter gives great tips on where to shop and what to eat! Relaxed and enjoyable day!

We have recently visited Peter for a cookery day, and had the most fantastic day. Everything was professional, passionate and friendly, and Peter even emailed the recipes to us afterwards to try at home. We cannot recommend this experience enough, and have even 'sold' the day to two friends of ours for August! Thank you again for a wonderful day!

Having recently bought a house in the Carcassonne area and with a great interest in food and wine, I thought that Peter's course would be a good way to find out about the food of the region. It really was a perfect introduction! The couple of hours spent visiting the market and Les Halles was a great way to learn about the best providers. Peter gave me some super recommendations for wineries to visit, at my request he included artichokes in the day as I was keen to try them and his chocolate fondant recipe certainly lived up to its reputation, the best I have ever tasted!

Adding a positive review to the list, after the wonderful lunch today.The location is a nice appartment about a kilometer from the old city.Lots of little tips & tricks for the ingredients, the cooking and the wines.Not too technical and with passion for the food.Can't wait to try the recipes at home!

A scrumptious journey through the Carcassonne markets where Peter gave us colourful explanations and descriptions. A lesson on how to order coffee with time to sit back and watch the world meander by. Then off to the kitchen it was. With much laughter and wine - a magical creation where we all got involved and shared the love for food. Thank you Peter for such special memories! See you again soon

I'm delighted that you enjoyed the day and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.

We had a great time ogling all the goodies at the markets and learning about the French way of eating. Peter is a delightful and knowledgeable host who was willing to allow us as much hands on experience in the kitchen as we wished (though I was content to watch his skill) The recipes were designed to host a meal with little time in the kitchen while guests were present, as most of the work and cooking was done before they would arrive. Food was traditional yet innovative. I know I'll use these recipes again and again.

My husband and I joined Peter for our culinary experience in October. It was easily the best thing we enjoyed on that holiday and thats saying something, as it was an amazing holiday. I just wish we'd arranged it for the start of the holiday, as Peter was so knowledgeable about Carcassone, the markets, food and wine. We made mackerel tartare for starter, pan fried duck breast with potato dauphinoise, with chocolate fondant to finish - and it was easily the best meal of my life, complimented with some fabulous wine.Peter has given us the confidence to go self catering in France for our next holiday, and we'll be recreating some of his dishes for our Christmas dinner.Highly recommended.

My husband and I visited Carcassonne especially to experience this cookery course and had a fabulous couple of days of which this was the highlight. Peter has a passion for food which translates beautifully into his teaching and preparation, we spent time at the wonderful market talking to stall holders and buying food for a fabulous 3 course lunch which we helped prepare, all washed down with wines perfectly matched to each course. We also stayed in the huge and beautiful apartment where the cookery course takes place, which is also highly recommended. Since returning home I have prepared all 3 dishes with confidence, we are asking questions about the produce at the markets and tackling new French recipes with our new found knowledge. Thank you Peter!