If you have more than a day to spend cooking and relaxing on the French Riviera - and I hope for your sake that this is the case! - you can choose from this selection of programs lasting three to five days. For information on one-day programs, click here.

Five-day cooking courses

Each season on the French Riviera brings an abundance of local ingredients and recipes. For students who want to explore the sun-drenched cooking of this region for more than a day, Les Petits Farcis offers five-day intensive courses a few times a year for a maximum of six students. This affordable program covers the basics of Provençal and Niçois cooking, providing students with a full repertoire of recipes to take home. Each two-hour class starts at 10.30am and is followed by a leisurely lunch. Afternoons are free to relax on the beach or visit the area. Renting a car isn't necessary, as there is a convenient system of buses and trains that will take you to places such as Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, Eze, St-Paul-de-Vence and Villefranche sur Mer.

The friendly hands-on classes take place in my beautifully renovated 17th-century apartment just off the world famous Cours Saleya market. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday we'll prepare a full menu of fresh, seasonal dishes before sitting down to lunch and toasting our efforts with delicious wines from the region. On Wednesday we'll tour the food market before tasting Provençal olive oils and enjoying a Mediterranean lunch that someone else has prepared!

You will leave with a complete recipe book, my list of recommended restaurants in Nice, and a Petits Farcis apron to take home.

Celebrate Spring: April 5-9, 2010 (four spots left)

Learn to cook with delicate spring vegetables such as fava beans, peas in their pods, tiny zucchini and their flowers, and finger-thin carrots. Spring is also time for fresh berries of all kinds, from tart redcurrants to slender gariguette strawberries.

Cost: 650 euros per person.

Includes four hands-on cooking classes followed by three-course lunches, a market tour followed by an olive oil tasting and Mediterranean lunch, a complete recipe booklet, my list of recommended restaurants, and a Petits Farcis apron to take home.

A Taste of the Sun: September 20-24, 2009

Make the most of the season's bounty, cooking such typical Niçois dishes as petits farcis (stuffed vegetables), ratatouille and soupe au pistou (the local version of minestrone). For desserts we’ll be spoiled for choice with an array of apples, pears, plums and late-season berries at the market.

Cost: 650 euros per person.

Includes four hands-on cooking classes followed by three-course lunches, a market tour followed by an olive oil tasting and lunch, a complete recipe booklet, my list of recommended restaurants, and a Petits Farcis apron to take home.

To reserve your spot in any of these programs, please send an e-mail to rosa@rosajackson.com or call +33 4 9355 7579. We are happy to provide suggestions for accommodation in Nice, either at a privately-owned apartment or in a nearby hotel.

Les Petits Farcis continues to offer half-day and full-day market classes that include a visit to the Cours Saleya market and a hands-on cooking class followed by a four-course meal, with an optional afternoon food walk.