Livré-la-Touche, France
La Hunaudière
N/A
+33243122619
From the time I did my booking to the time we checked out, this place was just superb! Benedict and Maynard are the best chefs you can ever meet and their program was amazing. I was lucky enough to be in a class with some wonderful and funny people. We had such an amazing time learning, cooking, eating, drinking and above all laughing! I highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to learn how to cook, plate, knife skills and at the same time vacation in style. They are such professionals and at the same time they make you feel like family. Freya is an amazing host and she takes care of all your needs. I am looking forward to take their advance class as soon as my schedule permits it. Love every minute I was in this class and all the friendship and memories I took with me will always be something I will never forget!
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We spent 5 days with my wife honing her cooking skills and us both eating exceptional food every evening. The accommodation is set in an old French farm house and was of a high standard and Maynard, Benedict and Freya made our visit most enjoyable. Maynard and Benedict gave the training and shared their considerable experience in top restaurant kitchens. I highly recommend this.
I had the pleasure of attending the 5 day course at Walnut Grove for my honeymoon this May. To me, the course was the highlight of our several stops. I don't know what was the best part: spending five days in the beautiful French countryside in a gorgeous farmhouse, the amazing food, or the wonderful people we got to spend time with. I had done a great deal of research on cooking courses and chose one that I hoped would be rigorous and fun, so my expectations were high. Needless to say, from the very first moment when Freya picked us up at the train I knew Walnut Grove was going to be something special. That being said, I had no idea that at the end of it I would be walking away with the experience of a lifetime. The time in the kitchen with Maynard and Emerson positively flew. While we covered a tremendous amount of material, I never felt rushed in the slightest. Both of the amazing Chefs took great care to ensure we were really comfortable with all the techniques we learned. They taught with a sense of humor and happiness that made me eager to be in the kitchen. Fortunately for me, the time out of the kitchen was equally grand. I will never forget the wonderful lunches on the patio or the peaceful and easy conversation over tea after the luxurious dinners. The trip to the windmill was a real delight, of course it could hardly be otherwise with a host like the incomparable Monsieur Louis. Going on two months now, and I can confidently say that the course has made me a significantly better cook. I use the techniques that Maynard taught us regularly and the insights that Emerson gave me into cooking (both for the dishes we were working on and in general) will stay with me. I can’t wait to come back for the advanced course!
Fabulous course at Walnut Grove - a beautiful location, fantastic people (both chefs and fellow participants) and exactly the right mix of fun vs. serious instruction/technique. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in improving their cooking skills and enjoying the French countryside at the same time.
Such a fantastic experience at Walnut Grove! Absolutely loved the hosts Freya and Maynard and was blown away by how relaxed I could feel whilst being busy in the kitchen everyday. Truly a pleasure.
This is my second visit to return to do the Advanced Cookery Course with the brilliant chefs Maynard and Benedict, and the lovely Freya who tries to keep them in check and looked after us so well. This was just like returning to see good friends. As before, we were made to feel so welcome and even had my usual Vodka & Tonic brought up to our beautiful room whilst I unpacked.How's that for getting off to a great start! Little touches like roses and lilies from the garden in our room is a lovely touch. As to the cookery part of the course - where do I start? Amazing, brilliant, visually stunning, superb, wonderful. I could go on and find far too many superlatives to describe this but I got so much out of this course, following on from the initial course. Certainly I realised how much I had learned and was able to refine my skills and gain a greater understanding. I was thrilled when Maynard told me my knife skills had improved. Whether he meant it or not is another matter! Loved doing the Walnut Grove Challenge. We did girls vs boys and have to say us girls did pretty good! Loved working with Wendy and Rossy. I would never had thought I would be able to create, design and cook what we turned out. Of course Benedict advised us and helped us but we turned out some amazing dishes. If you love cooking, Walnut Grove is definitely for you. Fabulous farmhouse and kitchen where we cook, lovely people and very hands on with the food in all areas. Maynard and Benedict will get the best of you and you'll come away with a wealth of knowledge and information. Please hurry up and develop your cookery book. I'll be the first to buy it! Thanks to all of you for making my second trip so memorable.
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