… about Mixed Chamber Music with Russell Keable
“Thank you for such a fantastic week! The location, the music, the food, the evening’s tango sessions – it was all perfect! ” Helen
“Thank you so much for the fantastic Cubertou experience! Still am amazed at all that top quality cooking!!! As well as everything else being so well arranged. Really enjoyed it. Not quite down to earth yet.” Sylvia
“Thank you so much for a most enjoyable week here at Cubertou. It was a pleasure to be able to play alongside such skilled and experienced musicians and a happy balance was struck between sessions and free time. The food was delicious at every meal and a real treat. Thank you too for the interesting outings in the locality. We will recommend Cubertou to our friends.” Karen
“It seems we all got on very well and I think I spent time with everyone at some stage or other either in ensembles or at mealtimes etc. (even running) so that was good.
Quite a challenge to travel to be with a load of people I’ve never met before … They were all very approachable … the venue was perfect – it has such an atmosphere doesn’t it, something inexplicable but just the right place for the kind of thing you are doing there.” Paul
“Many thanks again for looking after us so well this week and the lovely food. Liz, you are amazing to keep up that standard all week. … Please give our regards to Tom and Lottie who were such sports with both hosting and music making and Lottie especially for keeping me going in difficult 2nd violin parts. It was also fun playing the fiddle music together – I hadn’t played that for sometime.” Karen
… about Art Holidays with Jo Buffery
“Jo was the perfect facilitator. As a practising artist I didn’t want to improve my watercolour techniques or have to sit painting the same view as everyone else. But I needn’t have worried. Jo provided just the right balance of structure and freedom, offering a wide range of materials and introducing approaches in drawing, print-making and 3D work as well as exercises that allowed ideas to flow. Nothing was imposed and nothing was impossible. Materials were sourced if we needed them and I didn’t have to wash a paint brush all week. Having space to do large-scale work was a joy, as was being able to wander from my art to the beautiful swimming pool or to eat yet more home-made cake. Those who wanted structure or challenge were offered it. Those, like me, who wanted to do our own thing, were given space and support. Jo connected with each of us where we needed to be, with respect, warmth and humour. By the end of the week, this lovely combination had enabled everyone’s creativity to flow in beautiful and unique directions.”
Fiona Godfrey, Primary Schools Visual Arts Adviser, Hampshire County Council
“Just had the most brilliant week at Cubertou with an amazing group of talented, interesting and fascinating people – that included Liz, Jo and the ‘helpers’ – sheer magic….” Maggie
“From our first warm hello to our final farewell, our hosts Liz and Jo made us feel extremely welcome. We had the run of the farm and the lovely pool, and the relaxed atmosphere was great for enjoying a lazy informal week. Liz’s food was really good, with generous helpings (a little too generous for my waistline!) and Jo’s encouraging art tutoring and fun approach gave my daughter confidence to try new things and flourish in a safe environment.
If you are expecting 5 star luxury this is not the place for you – you won’t find en suite bathrooms and sumptuous furnishings. This is more of a home from home, where there is everything you need in a glorious secluded setting full of rustic charm, where there are no airs and graces, just a lovely friendly down to earth approach and everyone of all ages encouraged to join in with the fun, laughter and music (and local wine of course!)”
Nanda and Hannah
“… thank for your kindness and energy as host, tirelessly providing for us with your lovely food and more. Having Bea, Lottie and Tom there too was such fun too! They are lovely and bring a very special energy to the place.” Fiona
“… thank you so much for looking after us on the course. You made it such a wonderful environment in which to experiment and I thoroughly enjoyed trying out new techniques as well as revisiting old ones. Even when everything went completely pear shaped you still had a word of encouragement, a mean feat in itself I think!
Being back in England has given me severe Cubertou withdrawal symptoms, as I am sure you will agree! I miss the vin de vache, Tom’s cakes and Liz’s marvellous cooking, but most of all I miss the company of such a lovely group of people, all of whom seemed to be so similar to myself … and yet all so individual too.” Sophie
“… a huge thank you to you for a wonderful week at Cubertou. I really enjoyed myself … It was great to have the space and time to make some artwork and to try some new techniques. You led the course brilliantly – the atmosphere was so nice and relaxed, but so open to making new things too … I felt very ‘at home’, it was just what I needed to do to unwind after a busy year at school.”
“I thought Cubertou was beautiful and I felt completely at home. Your food was lovely, the course was great, the surroundings were so tranquil…it couldn’t have been better. You and Jo looked after me so well and it was lovely to make some art work, see the sunshine, swim, eat and drink and spend time with some lovely people.” Nina
“I would like to thank you all for making the week in Cubertou so special. I really enjoyed it – and Janet seems to like my attempt at painting the pigeonnier – so thank you all” Stephen
“Wonderful place, people, food. Lovely memories.” Lucy
“Working with an assured artist like Jo is a delight. The strong, trusting relationship she builds with children and adults inspires creativity in everyone she works with”.
Brian Bishop, Education Director, Warwick Arts Centre
… about Philippa Davies Flute Holiday
“Had a fantastic week on the flute course. Thanks to Liz, David and Lotte for making me feel so welcome.”
“I wanted to say a big thankyou for a lovely and absolutely delicious holiday/course last week! I really hope that I will be able to join you again at some point in the next few years and I will pass on what a great time I had.” Flavia
“What I really learnt wasn’t so much how to do new things but how to stop doing all the things that were getting in the way of me playing my very best. A truly enjoyable time.”
“I had the most wonderful week and enjoyed learning simple and intelligent fast track ways to improve my playing. There are some fabulous modern techniques for mastering control with breathing, high notes, etc. that weren’t around when I last had a flute lesson.”
“The whole ‘Philippa Experience’ was liberating and such good fun. Her attitude is so positive and encouraging. The course was amazingly supportive and non competitive, I’d never have guessed that being with other flute players could be such fun!”
… about The Food
“…a lovely and absolutely delicious holiday/course…”
“Still am amazed at all that top quality cooking!!!”
“The food was delicious at every meal and a real treat.”
“and the lovely food … you are amazing to keep up that standard all week”
“… food was really good, with generous helpings…”
“… providing for us with your lovely food…”
“…I miss the vin de vache*, Tom’s cakes and Liz’s marvellous cooking..” *wine from the local dairy farm.
” Thank you for the lovely food, I’m sure it did us all a lot of good too…”
“.. your food is so memorable…”