French Dining School
French Dining School
5
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
About
French Dining School is a unique cooking school located in the medieval village of Kerrouet in central Brittany.The school is focused on gourmet quality French and modern Europen cuisine. Students are encouraged to get actively involved in all areas of food preparation. The area is noted for its rolling hills, gastronomy, rustic roads and friendly people. Courses are varied to ensure everyone gains hands on cooking experience with our Michelin trained chef.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
82 reviews
Excellent
82
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Jamin G
Bucharest, Romania14 contributions
Jan 2017 • Solo
I am an amateur culinary enthusiast and finally decided to take a more formal culinary course to hone my skills. I also wanted to get some advice from a real chef, so this was my first foray into the world of culinary institutions and I wasn't really sure what to expect. I couldn't be more pleased with my decision with Poul's French Culinary School in Brittany. First off, Poul is an extremely good chef, amazing teacher and is filled with a wealth of knowledge of all things food and the restaurant business in general. Second, Poul and Niall are the most generous hosts and genuine people I have ever met. Conversation was never dull and my drink was never dry. Lastly, I would be hard pressed to find a more gorgeous home and kitchen. It has all the feel and authenticity you would expect from a 15th century home in the Bretagne countryside, yet with all the amenities of the 21st century. Whether you are a novice or experienced chef you will learn something here and have an amazing experience in the process, I can guarantee it. I will certainly back. Highly recommend A++++
Written January 21, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lyndon W
Bialystok, Poland1 contribution
Oct 2015 • Solo
Expected a lot but got even more. The entire course was an adventure with a lot to take home and put to practical use. Lovely location, great hosts and warm welcome. If you are interested in learning new kitchen skills this is the place.
Written November 17, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TomD101
West Vancouver, Canada4 contributions
Aug 2013 • Friends
My wife & I did Poul's 5-day cooking course in mid-August 2013, along with 4 other lovely people we first met at the course (from Australia, US and Canada). We did the course in the middle of a 5+ week stay in France, including a couple of weeks in Paris and a drive across the country to the Swiss Alps, and it was our favourite part of the trip.
We both like to cook and entertain a lot, and this course was exactly what we needed. It was really hands-on and very intensive, with a lot of variation. Poul is a great teacher and clearly knows his stuff - ranging from appetizers to deserts, bread-making to 3-course meals, preparation to presentation. Both he and his kitchen are well organized and well suited for the task. The quality of the food he supplied as part of the course was first-rate, and the wine flowed freely once we stopped cooking and ate the results. It's amazing how many ways the French have found to use butter, eggs and cream in almost everything! Some of the things we cooked: lobster bisque, langostine-stuffed chicken legs with tarragon sauce, tiramasu, hot-smoked fish, remoulade sauce, several fish dishes, a veal roast, a leg of lamb, a couple of chicken dishes, panna cotta, homemade ice cream, pommes anna, mushroom risoto, sabayone sauce.
We prepared and cooked a substantial lunch and a full 3 course dinner every day. We gained weight and made friends, and came home with more skill and a whole new set of recipes. Poul is charming man, easy to learn from in the kitchen. He keeps everybody working during the prep and demonstrates the techniques. Then as soon as the aprons come off, he turns into the perfect host, raconteur and somelier. Did I mention the wine? We generally spent from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm preparing and eating lunch, then from 6:00 pm to about 11:00 pm with dinner, except one morning off to visit a local market in a gorgeous town 45 minutes drive away.
Kerrouet itself is a tiny hamlet in the middle of farm country. Poul's Kerrouet House is a lovely 400 year old stone house, fully modernized. There's maybe 30 or so homes in the hamlet (I say hamlet, because there are no stores of any kind there, it is smaller than a village) of which about half are occupied by French farmers, and half are part-time houses owned by English. Poul organized for Sue & I to stay in one of the vacant vacation homes, a perfect French country house, very well appointed, very good value, right at the end of his driveway. I believe he also organized lodging for the rest of the class, some in houses like ours, some in B&B type accommodations. You eat so much at the course that breakfast is not something you need worry about, except maybe a coffee and croissant. We walked through the farm lanes and drove to the nearby towns in our limited time off.
I can't recommend this enough, especially if, like us, you are a capable but self-taught home chef. Poul will add to your repertoire as well as to your skills and confidence. You can contact me at tom@tomdodd.ca if you have any questions.
Tom & Sue
Vancouver, Canada
We both like to cook and entertain a lot, and this course was exactly what we needed. It was really hands-on and very intensive, with a lot of variation. Poul is a great teacher and clearly knows his stuff - ranging from appetizers to deserts, bread-making to 3-course meals, preparation to presentation. Both he and his kitchen are well organized and well suited for the task. The quality of the food he supplied as part of the course was first-rate, and the wine flowed freely once we stopped cooking and ate the results. It's amazing how many ways the French have found to use butter, eggs and cream in almost everything! Some of the things we cooked: lobster bisque, langostine-stuffed chicken legs with tarragon sauce, tiramasu, hot-smoked fish, remoulade sauce, several fish dishes, a veal roast, a leg of lamb, a couple of chicken dishes, panna cotta, homemade ice cream, pommes anna, mushroom risoto, sabayone sauce.
We prepared and cooked a substantial lunch and a full 3 course dinner every day. We gained weight and made friends, and came home with more skill and a whole new set of recipes. Poul is charming man, easy to learn from in the kitchen. He keeps everybody working during the prep and demonstrates the techniques. Then as soon as the aprons come off, he turns into the perfect host, raconteur and somelier. Did I mention the wine? We generally spent from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm preparing and eating lunch, then from 6:00 pm to about 11:00 pm with dinner, except one morning off to visit a local market in a gorgeous town 45 minutes drive away.
Kerrouet itself is a tiny hamlet in the middle of farm country. Poul's Kerrouet House is a lovely 400 year old stone house, fully modernized. There's maybe 30 or so homes in the hamlet (I say hamlet, because there are no stores of any kind there, it is smaller than a village) of which about half are occupied by French farmers, and half are part-time houses owned by English. Poul organized for Sue & I to stay in one of the vacant vacation homes, a perfect French country house, very well appointed, very good value, right at the end of his driveway. I believe he also organized lodging for the rest of the class, some in houses like ours, some in B&B type accommodations. You eat so much at the course that breakfast is not something you need worry about, except maybe a coffee and croissant. We walked through the farm lanes and drove to the nearby towns in our limited time off.
I can't recommend this enough, especially if, like us, you are a capable but self-taught home chef. Poul will add to your repertoire as well as to your skills and confidence. You can contact me at tom@tomdodd.ca if you have any questions.
Tom & Sue
Vancouver, Canada
Written September 22, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fateme2016
Basel, Switzerland41 contributions
Jan 2018 • Solo
I attended the course over New Year’s holiday. Poul is a wonderful teacher and chef. I learnt a lot and enjoyed delicious food. Not only you will learn to cook, enjoy superb food but also you will be entertained in a charming holiday house in Kerrouet full of story and so much to see close by.
Niall and Poul are wonderful hosts I highly recommend attending a course with them.
Niall and Poul are wonderful hosts I highly recommend attending a course with them.
Written January 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ana
london4 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
Cook your own lunches and dinners with masterful guidance from the Chef. Fantastic recipes and pleasant informal meals in a company of wonderful hosts, great interactive learning experience. The venue is an ancient and lovingly restored house in a charming little Breton hamlet. Good location allowing you to explore the area when on leave from your culinary duties. If you ever feel guilty about overindulgence in good food, kick start your morning with a jog around the village through surrounding farmland.
Written April 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TorontoRover
Toronto557 contributions
Sept 2012 • Solo
It is difficult to appear in print to be objective, and scrutinized in a review after having had an absolutely fabulous week of learning to prep, cook, and present a variety of French Haute Cuisine, and other international delights such as Danish favourites along with appropriate wine and beer pairings!! It is comparable to finding a diamond where there are not supposed to be any to be found!! I like to cook, and learn to do more, better.Yet, this one week took me leaps, and bounds, beyond my standard level, and while it was mostly the result of the tutilage of the Michelin trained chef, Poul, the entire atmosphere of the Manor house and the surrounding pastoral village that made it almost magical!!! Then there are the neighbours, not unlike home, who come by and see if anything is needed by the chef while they are out doing their own shopping, or help photograph the participants at Graduation!( Yeah for Wes, and Jen, and Gunther, their dog!). Niall's, whom you will learn of on the Web pages, was not present on my stay but came by on Skype to lift us with his Irish lilt and humour as well as test us on our learned knowledge! Your experience is elevating, and homey at the same time!! Challenging, yet relaxing! Paced and also, calming. Ask to hear a recording of the neighbour's daughter who has the voice of an Angel!! I learned that few people rent a car to tour in free time, but I took the Chef's recommendation to do so, and am so glad I did. Traffic is light, and following his daily suggestion as to where best to tour, myself and another participant saw the countryside and major nearby attractions that otherwise would have been missed. We both left knowing we had seen and touched the essence of Brittany. Get out and try local favourite Galletes, Crepes, et Saucisses, and beverages while walking through Medieval streets and the rolling hills and valleys of Brittany! Start at Kerrouet house, The French Dining School, and you will appreciate France like you could never have imagined!!
Written September 25, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
anneV9553YX
Los Angeles, CA8 contributions
Mar 2022
A+ Experience of a lifetime!!! Poul and Niall know how to make you feel right at home. I learned so much in the kitchen as well as thoughtful conversations and much laughter. The countryside is gorgeous and we enjoyed walks, a must visit to Mont-Saint Michel, lunch in Cancale... I have joked with Chef that I failed and need to retake the course. Until we meet again. XX
Written March 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John F
Zurich, Switzerland16 contributions
Sept 2021
We got a good feeling when we saw the many good reviews before booking and we were not disappointed. Far from it. From the second we arrived, we felt at home with Poul and Nyall. Everything we experienced during this week blew us away. The kindness, the hospitality, the food (oh my god, the FOOOOOD!!), the learning experience, the deep discussions as well as the humor. Poul and Nyall went above and beyond to make sure we enjoyed our week and rekindle our love for food and cooking. We can't wait to cook some of these dishes for our friends back home!
We came as clients, but we left as friends.
We came as clients, but we left as friends.
Written September 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandra W
Canada129 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
Our friends joined us to attend the Dining School at Kerrouet House for 5 days of preparing, dining and of course enjoying wine. Our first meal was prepared for us by Chef Poul and gave us a pre-view of delicious dishes we would learn to prepare during the week.
We had a great group attending the classes, and although most had some experience with cooking, other more novice students were all helped along by Poul and the other classmates, The classes and tasks were not intimidating, so in the end we all felt we had learned so much about French cooking and cuisine. We also had the opportunity to tour Brittany for the first time and explored Mont-Saint-Michel, Saint Malo, Dinan and Josselin by car rental from Rennes Gare. Every village and town we passed through in our travels was so beautiful with lovely old homes, churches and flower gardens with hydrangeas of different colours.
I have made a number of dishes from our recipe folder and received high praise from our diner guests who got to enjoy the food with us back home. Thanks again to Poul and Nial for a wonderful experience and we would return again to Kerrouet House in the future.
We had a great group attending the classes, and although most had some experience with cooking, other more novice students were all helped along by Poul and the other classmates, The classes and tasks were not intimidating, so in the end we all felt we had learned so much about French cooking and cuisine. We also had the opportunity to tour Brittany for the first time and explored Mont-Saint-Michel, Saint Malo, Dinan and Josselin by car rental from Rennes Gare. Every village and town we passed through in our travels was so beautiful with lovely old homes, churches and flower gardens with hydrangeas of different colours.
I have made a number of dishes from our recipe folder and received high praise from our diner guests who got to enjoy the food with us back home. Thanks again to Poul and Nial for a wonderful experience and we would return again to Kerrouet House in the future.
Written August 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tommi H
Denver, United States6 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
This is for people who really want to learn cooking in the French-style. It's not half-cooking and half-touring.... it's ALL cooking, laughing, learning and, as the name implies, DINING! Former restauranteur Chef Poal is focused on the total food experience. His students come away knowing how to put really simple food and drink together to create a feast as well as creating a complicated dish with small effort. Daily, we prepared (and enjoyed eating) lunch and dinner beginning with aperitifs, appetizers (with appropriate wines) mains and desserts. A full menu is provided for the week and adjusted as necessary based upon what is available in the market. All courses were expertly prepared by the students assisting the chef with hands-on. We received instruction in techniques -- but only as needed. We learned to adjust dishes and sauces to achieve the desired outcome -- some of us actually make mistakes in the kitchen and Chef Paol provides instruction and demonstrates how to save expensive ingredients from the trash can... This is our 4th cooking school in 35 years and we WILL be going back in the future just because it was so much fun to enjoy the international atmosphere of the school while having a totally functional, positive vacation. We left with a collection of recipes and techniques that will be incorporated into all of our cooking until we're back for more!
Written May 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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