AUVERGNE THE MOON
France’s best kept secret is a pretty place where you can eat and drink the finest food and wine to your heart’s content
IF YOU enjoy good food, fine wine, stunning scenery and heartfelt hospitality, then Auvergne could be your dream destination.
Situated slap bang in the centre of France, this ancient province is the country’s best kept secret – despite being chosen as one of the top 10 regions in the world to visit by Lonely Planet.
The Auvergne is a dramatic region of forests and extinct volcanoes. It’s also home to Europe’s largest regional park and a host of picturesque villages and towns including its impressive capital Clermont-Ferrand and Vichy, a genteel spa resort that was installed as France’s seat of government for most of World War II.
We flew into Lyon and were driven to Clermont-Ferrand courtesy of the Flexibus Company.
We checked into the recently renovated Hôtel Le Lion and embarked on a tour of the surrounding landmarks.
Soaking in the city’s history and the sun’s rays on a balmy evening was blissful.
As well as being the region’s industrial hub, Clermont-Ferrand is a tourist-friendly destination with lots to see including a majestic Gothic cathedral. All that sightseeing worked up quite an appetite so we visited rustic family restaurant Le Kitchen for a hearty bowl of the local speciality truffade – sliced potatoes, garlic and fresh tomme cheese from Cantal.
The next morning, we headed to the world-famous Aventure Michelin interactive exhibition.
Much of Auvergne’s economy has been dependent on the tyre manufacturers based in the city, who once employed 30,000 people. We were treated to a captivating showcase of the company’s past, present and future. Then we were off to L’Ostal, a recent addition to the city’s impressive array of restaurants, where we had a wonderful lunch of gourmet French cuisine courtesy of chef Emmanuel Hebrard.
We took the chance to escape from the city to explore some of the region’s natural landmarks.
In the Massif Central range of 80 dormant volcanoes that dominate the Auvergne skyline sits the magnificent Puy-de Dôme – a dormant volcano which last erupted around 5760BC and one of only 33 grand sites of France.
Viewed panoramically from the spectacular 4800ft peak, the region’s landscape is so awe-inspiring that some visitors are moved to descend the summit by parajumping.
Others, myself included, took the less exciting exit option– a comfortable but still scenic 10-minute train ride.
Later we dropped in on Randanne Farm, where Jean Valere demonstrated how he produces the distinctive St Nectaire cheese – with a little help from his Montbéliarde and Abondance cows.
Full-flavoured fromage sampling was followed by a short car
journey to Vichy where we checked into the impressively elegant Hôtel de Grignan.
We rounded off a perfect day with dinner – and another example of exquisite Auvergne cuisine – at La Table d’Antoine restaurant.
Chef Antoine Souillat certainly makes the most of the abundantly available local produce to come up with some delectable dishes.
Early the next morning we headed for Charroux, which is touted as one of France’s most beautiful villages.
A bold claim, given some of the stunning destinations we had already visited on our trip, but thoroughly deserved. Among the sculpted stone façades dating to the 15th century lay the home of the finest mustard I’ve ever tasted.
The family business of Oils and Charroux Mustard is directed by Simone Maenner and each year a new variety is created.
The Maenner family have singlehandedly revived the production of mustard in the Auvergne and in the process won the patronage of top chefs all across France.
And I’m delighted to say some made its way back to Scotland.
Magnificent mustard was followed by fine wine and a pitstop tour of another family-run success story – the vineyards at Cave des Bérioles, where Jean Teissèdre produces an array of wonderful whites and remarkable reds.
Another highlight of a trip overladen with them was lunch at the Michelin-starred Maison Decoret restaurant, owned by acclaimed chef and local hero Jacques Decoret.
He pulled out all the stops to provide us with a tasting menu that was nothing short of sublime.
A tour of the great man’s kitchen was followed by a tour of his tranquil home town. Vichy lies on the banks of the Allier river and is architecturally eclectic and steeped in history – including some it would no doubt rather forget – but is best known for its thermal baths.
In Vichy’s heyday health pilgrims flocked from all over Europe to relieve their aches and pains by “taking the water”. And while what’s on offer will never rival Perrier or Evian for taste, who am I to question its healing qualities?
Our Auvergne adventure ended with an evening at Vichy racetrack and the fun of a few flutters. But we were already big winners getting the chance to explore this hidden gem in the centre of France.