Luberon Provençal Market and Farm-to-Table Cooking

Luberon Table has run farm-to-table cooking experiences in the Luberon Regional Nature Park, centred on the market town of Apt in the Vaucluse, since 2015. The five-hour programme begins on Saturday mornings—when Apt hosts its celebrated weekly market, one of the largest in Provence—at the Place Jean Jaurès, where the resident chef guide meets the group of up to eight participants. The market visit lasts approximately ninety minutes. The chef leads participants through the stalls, explaining which producers supply certified organic and AOP-labelled goods, how to identify quality seasonal produce (wild mushrooms in autumn, courgette flowers and cherries in summer), and how to select the olive oil and lavender honey characteristic of the Luberon plateau. Participants help choose the ingredients that will form the menu for the cooking class. The group then moves to the Luberon Table teaching kitchen—a converted Provençal stone farmhouse on the edge of Apt—for a two-to-three-hour hands-on cooking session preparing a three-course menu. The menu changes weekly with the season but typically includes a cold starter such as tapenade or chilled melon with Apt cherries, a hot main such as rabbit à la provençale or a seasonal vegetable gratin, and a dessert featuring lavender crème brûlée or a fruit tart using produce sourced that morning. Cooking takes place alongside the chef rather than as a demonstration. The session closes with a shared lunch eating the prepared dishes, accompanied by a carafe of Luberon AOC rosé wine. A printed recipe card for all three dishes is provided to each participant. Transport between the market and the farmhouse kitchen is arranged by the operator for participants without vehicles. The class is conducted in English; French-language sessions are available on alternate Saturdays.