Luxury cookery short break holiday near Bordeaux
This 3- or 4-night cookery holiday in Bordeaux is held at a cookery school at Le Saint James, a Relais & Chateaux hotel on the outskirts of Bordeaux, situated in its own vineyards. You join cookery classes run by the team at the hotel’s restaurant for up to 10 members of the public. The Côté Cours is an established cookery school at Le Saint James. What makes this so special is that there is a self-contained kitchen, very bright and spacious, with Poggenpohl units and Miele ovens and equipment. Lessons are hands-on with all participants having their own work stations. There are lessons on Wednesdays to Sundays and they cater for all levels, from children to those who are proficient cooks wanting a Master Class. The lessons vary in duration and include themed classes and world cooking. We have put together a short break and include two cookery lessons: one is the Saint-James Brunch on a Saturday morning from 9.30 until 1.30 (early booking required) and the other is either a Themed Class on a Thursday or Friday morning from 10 until 1.30, or the Saint-James Aperitif on a Friday evening from 6.30 until 9. The themed classes are on a particular produce such as mushrooms or fruits of the vine.
Highlights
• St-James Style cookery lesson • One themed cookery lesson
We had a wonderful holiday which exceeded our expectations. Great hotels with a good itinerary. We wouldn't hesitate to use your services again.Mrs J, June 2025
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 3 nights.
From about
£2,180 three nights
Holiday Code FHFE01
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury cookery short break holiday near Bordeaux
This itinerary assumes a departure from London for three nights on a Friday. There tends to be a very early morning flight or a lunchtime flight. The flight times do vary according to the season. You are collected by car from the airport or you may choose to have a hire-car for the duration of the holiday, returning it to the airport at the end. The rest of the day is at leisure to settle in to the hotel, explore the region, go for a walk in the grounds, swim or perhaps do some shopping or sightseeing in nearby Bordeaux. On the first evening we include a 5-course menu for dinner, accompanied by 2 glasses of wine, mineral water and coffee.
After a leisurely breakfast, prepare for your first hands-on cookery lesson, The Saint-James Style. This is for up to 10 people and takes place from 09.30 until 1.30. After an initial presentation about the world of gastronomy you learn the ropes of gourmet cuisine with the Chef as you prepare a three-course meal, with chosen recipes from the Saint-James gourmet restaurant. This includes a hands-on course with the preparation and tasting of a starter, a main course, and a dessert prepared by the head Pastry Chef, along with a glass of wine and coffee. The afternoon is then at leisure to rest and relax or to explore. Own arrangements for dinner.
Again after a leisurely breakfast, you join the group for your second cookery lesson, a Themed class that takes place from 11 am to 2.30 pm. The Themed class is for up to 10 people and it focuses on a specific product or ingredient. The ingredient changes each week. You practise professional techniques that make it possible for you to reproduce these dishes at home. There will be the preparation of a starter, a main course, on-site tasting of the two dishes, a dessert prepared by the head Pastry chef, a glass of wine and a coffee. Themes may include ingredients such as wild salmon, scallops, lamb, duck and sea bass. The rest of the afternoon is then free to explore or relax.
If you are on the 3-night break, depending on the timetable, you may have most of the day at leisure until a transfer in the afternoon from the hotel to catch the British Airways flight leaving at 18.45 hrs from Bordeaux. If you are staying for 4 nights or more perhaps, then this whole day is at leisure and it is worth having a hire-car to make the most of the region, perhaps visiting nearby Saint-Emilion, or the splendid vineyards of the Médoc. Le Saint-James can also arrange for a wine tasting for you. Own arrangements for dinner.
We had a wonderful holiday which exceeded our expectations. Great hotels with a good itinerary. We wouldn't hesitate to use your services again.Mrs J, June 2025
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 3 nights.
From about
£2,180 three nights
Holiday Code FHFE01
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
● Scheduled flights with British Airways London Gatwick to Bordeaux return, economy
● Private car transfer from Bordeaux airport to the hotel and back
● Three nights' bed and breakfast in a deluxe double room at the Saint James
● Saint James Style 3-course cookery lesson
● Themed cookery lesson
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Call us on 01392 441245
We had a wonderful holiday which exceeded our expectations. Great hotels with a good itinerary. We wouldn't hesitate to use your services again.Mrs J, June 2025
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 3 nights.
From about
£2,180 three nights
Holiday Code FHFE01
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Scheduled flights with British Airways London Gatwick to Bordeaux return, economy
• Private car transfer from Bordeaux airport to the hotel and back
• Three nights' bed and breakfast in a deluxe double room at the Saint James
• Saint James Style 3-course cookery lesson
• Themed cookery lesson
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there There are scheduled flights with British Airways from London Gatwick to Bordeaux, daily and perhaps more than once a day depending on the day of the week. Flying time to Bordeaux is 1 h and 35m. At Bordeaux airport you are met by a private transfer and taken to the hotel. The journey time is about 25 minutes. A private car transfer returns you to the airport at the end of your holiday. If you are staying longer than 3 nights, it is worth having the use of a hire-car for independent sight-seeing, in afternoons and on spare days.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury cookery short break holiday near Bordeaux
We had a wonderful holiday which exceeded our expectations. Great hotels with a good itinerary. We wouldn't hesitate to use your services again.Mrs J, June 2025
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 3 nights.
From about
£2,180 three nights
Holiday Code FHFE01
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Scheduled flights with British Airways London Gatwick to Bordeaux return, economy
• Private car transfer from Bordeaux airport to the hotel and back
• Three nights' bed and breakfast in a deluxe double room at the Saint James
• Saint James Style 3-course cookery lesson
• Themed cookery lesson
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there There are scheduled flights with British Airways from London Gatwick to Bordeaux, daily and perhaps more than once a day depending on the day of the week. Flying time to Bordeaux is 1 h and 35m. At Bordeaux airport you are met by a private transfer and taken to the hotel. The journey time is about 25 minutes. A private car transfer returns you to the airport at the end of your holiday. If you are staying longer than 3 nights, it is worth having the use of a hire-car for independent sight-seeing, in afternoons and on spare days.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury cookery short break holiday near Bordeaux
About Bordeaux Region
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Bordeaux is a chance to explore a region renowned the world over for its wines and its awe-inspiring chateaux, whilst Cognac is less explored yet holds a countless store of treasures waiting to be appreciated. The Bordeaux region is ideal for short breaks and touring holidays with a range of sights to discover. Cognac country is a perfect destination for the discerning traveller as it is still relatively unknown yet is within very easy reach of more popular areas such as the coastal resorts between La Rochelle and Royan about 30 minutes` drive to the west, the Medoc and Saint Emilion vineyards about 45 minutes` drive to the south and the intriguing Marais Poitevin about an hour`s drive to the north. Moreover, the cuisine has a character of its own, utilising cognac, pineau and Marennes oysters. A holiday to the Bordeaux and Cognac regions is highly recommended. A fantastic way to discover the region is to incorporate it into a self-drive touring holiday, flying to Bordeaux and then exploring this area as well as the Basque Country and Carcassonne by hire-car. It is also accessible by train, such as in our suggested rail holiday travelling to the Loire Valley and Bordeaux which also allows you to explore by hire-car.
Highlights of Bordeaux
Visit vineyards and chateaux, for tasting and buying. Visit the oyster beds. Experience the Cognac distilleries, and the Romanesque architecture. Bordeaux is the historical centre for wine however you may also visit the villages of the wine region such as St Emilion.
Climate in the Bordeaux Region
Average air temperatures in Centigrade: Jan: 10.0, Feb: 9.4, Mar: 12.2, Apr: 19.5, May: 18.0, Jun: 23.7, Jul: 27.2, Aug: 25.7, Sep: 24.2, Oct: 19.7, Nov: 15.4, Dec: 11.0. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France
