The girls, who are set to release a lifestyle cookery book and TV show called ‘How to Cook in High Heels’, will exclusively share some of their French themed recipes with families.

So, armed with their cooking gear, kids, high heels and a handful of recipes, Korin Nolan and Sasha Parker are taking their cooking classes abroad….

They will be scouring the markets of the south of France sourcing in search of local products and a taste of the real Mediterranean.

Korin, who lived in France when she was younger, says that atmosphere and spirit of the markets makes shopping, sampling and haggling for a bargain lots of fun.

She adds that her perfect ingredients for a day out are a search round lots of stalls followed by a stop at one of the cafes for lunch and to find out what sightseeing is to be done in the area.

The girl’s menu includes Bouillabaisse, which is a traditional French fish soup, classic Ratatouille and poulet roti, plus Moule Marinieres (the French alternative to fish and chips) and desserts such as Clafouti aux Cerises and Ile Flottante – floating islands of meringues in creamy custard.

The kitchen is built below their house, so the set up feels extremely personal. I was joined by my family so the range of cooking knowledge went from pasta-and-sauce-pot-boiler (that’s me) to spent-a-lifetime-whipping-up-delicious-meals (mother-in-law).

Even so, we could all get involved and we all learned something new. Alain is the chef and he does a great job of showing you exactly what he wants before leaving you to carry on as he gives the next person a new task.

We cooked up a delicious tart and red snapper starter, followed by duck for our main. Between chopping, seasoning, rolling and filling we enjoyed regular breaks for coffee and cake, an impromptu spot of bread making and even created a selection of canapés. You can check out all my pictures here, on Flickr.

The ingredients were typically Mediterranean so we really felt that we were being given a taste of the region while taking away lots of ideas that can be used back in the UK.

The chef only speaks French, but this didn’t prove a problem as my basic French and his clear instructions got us through. The family actually enjoyed picking up lots of new words and on the odd occasion we were really stuck with a translation, there was a black board to scrawl measurements or draw an idiot’s guide.

This course is for: anyone who enjoys cooking or good food. There’s plenty to keep people busy and the atmosphere is incredibly friendly – bon appétit!

More fish was on the menu – red mullet this time – and our first job was to descale, debone and cut away the fillets. It looks easy when a chef with five year’s training at the Ritz in Paris does it, but even the experienced cooks in our group struggled to scrape.

Starting off with the most difficult task really broke the ice – we were following chef Fredo’s instructions in French, which means keeping a close eye on his actions and picking out the odd word. Our crib sheet of instructions helped and one we got in the groove, we were really cooking!

After prepping our fish we moved on to the sauce, with Fredo convincing us we could combine fruit, caramel and veal paste. It sounds bizarre but it really worked – that’s one more trick for the next dinner party.

Veg was a cinch and the group paired off to make sure the final preparations ran smoothly – everyone was frying, stirring, chopping (or hiding in the corner taking pictures).

And then we were done. With a triumphant yell Fredo declared we were ready to serve and so we all gathered round hopefully as our creation came together.

To fully enjoy the meal we moved on to the terrace, where we could soak up the last of the sun, share the wine and marvel at our meal – fish, fruit and caramel really can work.

This course is for: anyone with an interest in cooking – even though Fredo speaks French his actions are easy to follow and the recipe is given in English.

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First stop was Domaine de Kerlann near Pont Aven, where we were to spend a day learning the secrets of food and cooking in Brittany.

The tour started in Concarneau, once a thriving port but now a bustling ship yard with a pretty, fortified island old town.

Our charismatic guide Simon took us first to the local fish auction, where the daily catch was delivered by the fleet and auctioned off to restaurants, suppliers, even pet food factories.

Although we missed the auction, which takes place in the early hours of the morning, there was still plenty for us to see, from the assembly line of workers filleting fish, to the boxes and boxes containing the day’s catch to a (loud) demonstration of the auction practices from Simon, who was clearly getting into character.

The tour is predominately in French but our translator Gwendolene ensured we were up to speed and Simon’s actions kept us in the picture.

Next stop was a trip round one of the typical sea trawlers used by local fisherman. We were lucky as ours was being cleaned and painted so we were spared the smells of fuel and fish. Seeing the scale of the boat and getting a feel for the conditions gave us a healthy regard for the teams who spend two weeks on board with very little sleep. 

A comfy meal followed in the fantastic La Coquille Restaurant. Enjoying a slow-cooked chicken, a fruity dessert and a crisp white local wine – this really was French life as we love it.

Then, after dejeuner, our chance to see how a French chef perfects his fish soup. It was time for a re-appearance from our fishy friends from the auction, which were swiftly selected, chopped and thrown into a giant soup pot.

Clearly my blank looks were seen as a sign of cooking idiocy, as the chef used a felt-tip pen to spell out the simplicity of his dish. And despite my food-lite knowledge, a learned colleague assured me that this really was a tasty way to make fish soup and he had save several tips to use at a later date.

Delicious – and there was enough left for a fish soup dinner back at Domaine de Kerlann!

This course is for: those who want to find out more about the fascinating town of Concarneau, the trials of sea fishing and make the perfect fish soup. A translator is provided by some French is useful.

But are the headlines right? We’ve been asking our customers if they thought their siblu holiday was value for money and a whopping 93% wholeheartedly agreed (and the other 7% said it was satisfactory). 

A quick check on the web and I see that catching a plane to the Canaries costs over £2,000 for a family in a b&b hotel in July; fly to Florida and the lowest price gets closer to £3,000, for a room only hotel. Well, stay with siblu in late July and the cost is about £1,000 for a family, staying seven nights with Dover-Calais ferry, in accommodation with ensuite bathrooms, fully equipped kitchen, a sun terrace and a grassy play area!

On top of that, we’ll entertain your kids for free (what parent can say no). Our pool complexes are free, our children’s clubs run twice on most days, we have free stage shows every evening, there are free sports and you don’t need to pay for travel and parking, everything is available on parc. So, can you beat that by staying at home?

I think self catering is another smart way to save. French markets are great and seasonal foods are low cost, healthy and it’s fun to try new things. We’ve just launched a small selection of really easy recipes which can be cooked in your mobile home – even I managed the asparagus and ham and the scallops with Muscadet (okay, with a bit of help from my wife).

To see how an expert handles them click here, or for other recipe ideas I like the Small Time Cooks blog – Jessica’s ‘My Monsieur’ sandwich is a winner! If you want to find out more about our cooking schools, have a look here.

So, 93% of siblu customers say their holiday gave great value for money; a few newspapers say there’s a price panic – take your choice!

Why not tell us you tips for great value family holidays?