Eating out in Aquitaine is to discover only half the story behind the gastronomy of this region – there can't be another part of France with such a wide choice of cooking schools.
These enable budding gourmets to learn a hands-on approach in the kitchen, as well as to get out into the countryside and experience what it is like to be a shepherd tending sheep in the mountains, an artisan cheesemaker, how to cure ham, make foie gras, hunt truffles or cultivate oysters.
The greatest chef in Landes, if not all of France, is Michel Guérard . Credited with inventing the revolutionary cuisine minceur, a doctrine for slimmers around the world, Guérard shares some of his secrets in his masterclass cuisine course. For something more relaxed, chef Jean Coussau organises either a half-day lesson preparing a full menu of recipes, followed by lunch, or a two-day programme that takes in a vineyard visit.
In Lot-et-Garonne, Le Bourdiel is a picturesque chambre d'hôte of three cottages, where the owner-chef offers a one-day course explaining and cooking local farm products. Enthusiasts should sign up for a seven-day stay at the 18th-century country home of Sylvie Pragout, who promises total immersion in Aquitaine's food-loving lifestyle.
The Ossau valley lies at the heart of the Pyrénées and it is possible to spend an unforgettable three days with a local shepherd, Jean-Pierre, as he herds sheep that produce Ossau-Iraty cheese across their summer pastures and back to his farm. Or try out a new eco trend, pescatourism, in the Bassin d'Arcachon, a memorable half-day outing spent either on a fishing boat trawling for sole and sea bream, or setting out at low tide with an oyster farmer as he tends and harvests his oyster park.
