Apprentices of lifestyle and cuisine

A New Zealand couple tell BARBARA HARRIS how they are cooking up a storm in the French countryside.

Between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France, a New Zealand couple is growing a tourism business in idyllic surroundings.

For eight years Sarah and Denis La Touche have run a bed and breakfast, and more recently a cookery school, in the village of Roquebrun.

In 1992 the La Touches lived in Auckland. Sarah, a caterer, ran cooking courses from home while Denis worked in the computer industry. She had just written Europe on a Plate, about their travels by campervan through Europe on the food and wine trail. Putting the book together sparked a renewed interest in returning to France.

"We wanted to live in a Mediterranean climate but couldn't really afford Provence. And it had the reputation of being full of foreigners and we wanted to live among French people," says Sarah.

Instead they turned their attention to the foothills of the Languedoc region and discovered Roquebrun - a medieval village of 450 residents which has a microclimate that allows cacti and oranges to flourish - where they bought and restored a four-storey 19th-century house to create Les Mimosas, their guesthouse. It provides accommodation for up to 14 and is named after the annual village fete that celebrates the flowering of mimosa.

This is wine-growing country with a regional park on the doorstep and the Mediterranean coast only a short drive away. The area is popular with New Zealanders and Australians who make up 30 per cent of the La Touches' visitors.

"We've got these lovely undulating hills around us covered in grapevines and olive groves and a natural scrubby bush of juniper and wild herbs," says Sarah.

A perfect setting for two foodies and, from a B&B, it's been a natural progression to the French country cuisine cookery schools. This is the third year the five-day live-in classes have run. Classes are small - no more than six students a class - and are conducted in English.

"I like working with small numbers of people - that way everyone gets hands-on experience."

Participants also visit food markets and wineries.

Sarah has had no formal training in cooking. "I learnt from the hard school of knocks working in catering and restaurants. Teaching is mostly commonsense and fun, and learning to have a feel for cooking, learning what to look for. The cornerstone is fresh produce. If the basic ingredients are good, you're halfway there."

Denis, now a landscape photographer, is also an enthusiastic cook. For some time, though, he's felt there could be a market for people who want to do some cooking and also make the most of the great outdoors.

The emphasis will still be on good food but, from July, there will a programme of organised activities such as canoeing, hiking and fishing.

"There'll be lots of grillades (barbecues on vinewood)," says Sarah "because so much of life is lived outdoors in the summer, it influences how you eat."

And to further complement their business they're planning one-day and three-day wine-appreciation courses. Guests will stay at Les Mimosas while the Maison du Vin, which controls the quality of wine for the area, will arrange vineyard tastings and a chance to meet the winemakers.

Work it may be, but what drives the La Touches, apart from their love of French food and wine, is something more fundamental. As they write in The Les Mimosas Cookbook, "We do not imagine we will ever trade in our blue aprons, the mark of an apprentice chef, for white ones - there is still so much to discover and it is still so much fun."

CASENOTES:

GETTING THERE: The TGV from Paris to Beziers takes about five and a-half hours. Sarah and Denis can arrange a pick-up from the station but, because Roquebrun is a small village, public transport is limited.

CAR HIRE: Check rates before you go. Prebooking often means substantial discounts.

WHAT TO SEE: Languedoc regional park, medieval villages, wine tasting, cheese caves, the Med ... this area is a little gem.

BED & BREAKFAST: Starts at 425 francs ($140) for two sharing a room. Les Mimosas has six guest-rooms, all with en suites.

COOKING SCHOOL: It costs 7295 francs ($2430) a person for twin-share accommodation and most meals. Upcoming courses: March 31-April 6, April 29-May 4, June 2-8, July 7-13.

READING: The Les Mimosas Cookbook (Random House, $39.95).

CONTACT: Les Mimosas, Ave des Orangers, 34460 Roquebrun, France.
Tel/fax: (0033) 467896136
Email: La Touche Les Mimosas

Les Mimosas website