* Gascony : Country markets and Gastronomic delights

Arrive in the south west and the heart of Gascony. Settle in to your accommodation set in 8 hectares of wooded parkland. Welcome drink followed by dinner and an introduction to the area. Overnight.

In the company of your guide head for Gimont. Every Sunday in autumn the poultry and duck market here draws connosseuirs and restauranteurs from all around who come to purchase fine foie gras and birds for Christmas. Local style lunch in a Gers Country Inn. In the village of Condom, on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, visit the southern style Gothic Cathedral and Cloister, then continue to the Cathedral and Armagnac Museum to learn all about the fine art of making France’s oldest brandy. Nearby Chateau Cassaigne has a fabulous 16th century kitchen, perfect for tasting the local sweet aperitif, “Floc de Gascogne” made from grape juice and brandy, as well as the “Three Musketeers” favourite tipple, Armagnac. Dinner followed by evening entertainment. Overnight.

Enjoy a local style breakfast of egg on crispy ventreche bacon (air-dried, unsmoked), cheese, wine and coffee! Set off with you guide to visit a foie gras producer and pick up some top tips on the best ways to cook it as well as duck breast. Lunch at your holiday accommodation, then visit the beautiful Collegiate Church of La Romieu with its two imposing towers and unique frescoes. In Montesquiei stop at a local Garonne Valley producer’s to taste some of the region’s famous prunes, prune liqueur and Agen cocktails. Enjoy a feast fit for a King at dinner with a gourmet four course meal (foie gras to start, follwed by magret, cheese, local desserts, fine wines and armagnac digestif) and Theatre Show about one of the most famous Gascon’s of them all “The Legend of Henri IV”. Overnight.

Breakfast.