Bleary-eyed but very excited (it's not every day a girl gets invited to Paris), I boarded the 5.33am train from London Waterloo to Gare du Nord bound for gastronomic heaven. No, this wasn't a romantic rendezvous, but part of the 'Anything is Possible' campaign at Harrods. For the first time, the store has teamed up with the famous Escoffier School at the Ritz Paris to offer an exclusive one-day cookery course in London on 27 September 2006 and I was getting a sneak preview.

A few hours' sleep and a couple of coffees later the train arrived in France and I was whisked off to the hotel kitchens. These were no ordinary kitchens: they stretched for what seemed like miles, were ornately decorated and completely immaculate. I was a little nervous as my culinary prowess is somewhat limited and I was living in fear of being taught by a Gordon Ramsay type-tyrant for the day. I shouldn't have worried, Christophe Pouy, the Ritz Escoffier School chef could not have been more lovely (he will also be taking the London class).

For the morning session he was joined by Thierry Michelet, the assistant chef at the Espadon restaurant, who created the most exquisite menu:
Brittany Dublin Bay Prawns and Beluga Caviar Royal, creamy verbena-flavoured peas, followed by fillet of corrèze veal in a truffle showcase, golden foie gras from the Landes served with souffléd potatoes with gold leaf, pan sautéed golden chanterelles and Périgueux sauce. Is your mouth watering yet?

We assisted with the easier bits like shelling peas (did you know the best restaurants take off not just the shell but the outer layer of the pea too?) as well as handling the tricky caul casing (a thin fatty membrane from a pig or sheep that resembles a fine lacy net) which we wrapped the stuffing and veal in.

Although the menu sounds frighteningly complicated and isn't something I'll be whipping up in my kitchen (if the builders ever finish) any time soon, the tips and advice from the day will stick with me. I learnt things like: not straining vegetables and salad leaves because then all the dirt stays in the strainer; instead you should lift them out of the water leaving the dirt behind; searing things in oil rather than butter to begin with because butter burns at a lower temperature than oil; heating any wines, brandy, cognac (any booze used in cooking) so as to cook off the alcohol so you're left with just the flavour; adding salt to the mushrooms to take away any remaining water while pan frying... I could go on, but I think you get the gist. These are probably all pretty basic things any budding chef will already know, but for our novice group these were gems of knowledge.

After a not-too-strenous morning we sat down to enjoy the fruits of our labour complete with appetisers, cheeses and a simply fantastic accompaniment of wines, port and cognac. Christophe Montaud, the new chief sommelier, let us sample and talked us through the Champagne Ritz rosé, Puligny Montrachet 1er cru 2002 Champs Canet - E.Sauzet, Chateau Gruaud Larose 1997, Porto Graham's 1980 and Exceptional Cognac 1830. The latter is used in the world's most expensive cocktail, the 'Side Car' yours for an eye-watering 400 euros in the hotel's Bar Hemingway.

A meringue case filled with ice cream and seasonal fruit, charlotte eclairs and a cup of coffee later we all staggered to our feet to begin the afternoon course with Eddie Benghanem, the pastry chef at the Espadon restaurant. On the menu was tangy apple and pear tart with bourbon vanilla. It sounded deceptively simple, but by this point I like to think the drink and not just pure ineptitude (although I do have plenty of that) hampered my efforts. However I did manage to fashion something resembling a tart together (with quite a bit of help) just in time for it to be packed up for the trip home.

I have never eaten such fabulous food, received such great tuition and met such lovely people. It really was a wonderful day. The course at Harrods is currently a one-off but if it proves sucsessful I've been assured there will be more. I hope so because I'll be putting it on my Christmas list.

Further information
The course will take place on 27 September 2006. Tickets are £250 per person. To book call 020 7893 8155 or email andre.dang@harrods.com