FRANCE A food tour of northern France unearths more than just gastronomic delights
Follow these ‘girls on tour’ as they indulge in gastronomic delights – and worry about their waistlines later!
Being the dedicated foodie that I am, any companions on my travels have to accept that there will often be a gastronomic focus to my holidays. This year, I embarked on a cheese tour of France with my willing accomplice, Caroline.
It is easy to go to any French supermarket and come out with basketfuls of treats from all around the country, but we wanted to have a more select approach. Our plan was to buy and try them sur place as we travelled and to meet a few of the producers, where possible. If the producers also wanted to recommend accompanying regional tipples, so much the better!
We first stopped to sample some bubbles in the Phare de Verzenay – a delightful wine museum and tasting garden crafted from a lighthouse – and then to nearby Verzy to encounter a truly natural wonder. The forest in Verzy is everything you would expect it to be, with tracks and picnic benches welcoming visitors to walk and relax in the dappled sunlight.
What makes it unusual is the natural phenomenon of the Faux de Verzy. Around 1,000 contorted dwarf birch trees transform this into an area of enchantment and legends. They have amazed people for many years, were venerated for their beauty and thought to chase away evil spirits.
People have tried to explain their origin through fairies’ spells and witches’ curses. However, it is likely that the trees are just an extremely rare and mesmerising genetic mutation, occurring in only a handful of places around the world – and affording us a memorable and unique location for lunch.
The next day we headed to Chaource, the home of a remarkably good soft cheese and a renowned cheese shop nearby. Chaource is an authentic French town, with delicatessens, boulangeries and cafés, as well as the Auberge sans Nom, which has organic beer, Chaource cider served in a jug and bowl and even a local whisky.
The Fromagerie de Mussy is a great place to buy other Burgundy cheeses, too, such as Délice de Bourgogne, Époisses and BrillatSavarin. The queue of cheese pilgrims outside the shop indicated that we were not alone in our hunt for the flavours of the region.
We settled into a campsite in Marcenay, a laid-back and beautiful location in which to enjoy the Burgundy countryside, unspoilt by major tourism and offering tranquillity from the moment you arrive.
Marcenay is known for its stunning lake, an important staging post for many birds, being home to dragonflies, fish, wild orchids and otters and providing locals and visitors with incredible scenery from sunrise to sunset. It is possible to walk all the way around it in about two hours, unless you want to sit still in a bird hide or enjoy the opportunity to fish or sail. Many find themselves enticed into the hostelry on the shore to enjoy a bite to eat as they watch great crested grebes, mute swans, greenwinged teals and northern shovelers settling in as the sun goes down.
Once settled, we were determined to ³
find something a little different to sample, that couldn’t be found on the supermarket shelves. We were soon chatting with locals that evening who directed us towards the Maison du Terroir created from an old iron smelting works and selling local produce and crafts. Most importantly, it sold fresh cheese and crémant de Bourgogne (sparkling wine) to accompany it. The small rounds of cheese we bought were incredibly good but, in accordance with this unassuming region, they were extremely cheap with no fancy names or labels, just handcrafted affordable luxury.
We were so impressed by the crémant that we made a visit to the producer the next day. It was a chance to drive through some of the most beautiful countryside in Burgundy, watching the River Seine wind its way through villages, vines and fields of the creamy-white Charolais cows that were responsible for the cheeses we had sampled.
We reached the village of Belan-surOurce and were met by the owner, who calls herself simply a ‘farmer’. She seemed blissfully unaware of the extraordinary quality of her wine, but welcomed us to her rustic paradise with stories of the generations of her family who had lived and farmed in the region and had also helped to shape its future.
Back at the campsite, the fresh cheese and local bubbles fitted perfectly with the sights, sounds and tranquil atmosphere of this delightful part of the country. That is, until the music started!
I should have guessed when I saw the instruments on display that this might happen. An evening of impromptu singing had begun and, when that happens, there are only two ways to deal with it; you can either put your earplugs in or join in.
Having been drawn to Burgundy for its reputation for calm, I would have chosen the former, but Caroline had other plans in mind and was soon centre stage, belting out Abba songs on request. A good night had by all, I think!
The next day the peace was restored and we walked to the village of Marcenay, a small, quaint settlement with a Romanesque church and another winemaker. Domaine Guilleman welcomed us with generous tastes of its award-winning wine and ratafia. For once we didn’t have to worry about who was the designated driver – a real bonus! It even delivered our purchases to the campsite.
We left Marcenay in the morning and headed west through pretty Burgundy villages with covered market squares, stone gateways, restaurants and canalside motorhome stopovers. We picnicked with our feet in the River Serein in the medieval town of Chablis and eventually made it into the Loire Valley – home to some of the most delicate and expertly crafted goats cheeses (fromage de chèvre) in the world – produced in pyramids, rings and rounds and presented as exquisitely as jewels. ³
“The most stunning village is Le Bec-Hellouin, a riot of colour, charm and character. Its half-timbered buildings are impressively preserved”
We landed at the Parc de Fierbois where we lounged by the pool for a few days to enjoy the sun. It is a short trip to the village of Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois, which is dominated by a statue of Joan of Arc in front of an auberge also dedicated to her.
A little further on is Sainte-Maure-deTouraine, home to one of the most renowned cheeses in the Loire. It even boasts its own ‘Commandery’ of devotees who proclaim its worth in song as Le plus joyeaux des fromages (the happiest of cheese). At the nearby Les Fromages d’Angel, we met the goats responsible for the unique milk required and to see the ash-covered logs being made by hand in the viewing area. All we had to do next was to find an accompanying tipple.
Once again, it was a conversation with a local that gave us our lead. He was a poet who had settled in the region after falling for its charms and believed that this part of the Loire is all about the feminine. He said that the Loire, which beautifies and feeds the region, is always referred to as a woman, saints in many of the villages are female, the goats who produce the milk and the people who make the cheese are female, too.
He recommended a female producer of a local wine and directed us to the Clos des Cordeliers vineyard where we were welcomed enthusiastically. We chose a delicate rosé to go with the subtle flavours and texture of the chèvre that evening and, as the sun went down over the Loire, we began to understand how captivating this way of life could be.
But we had other sights and treats to discover further north. Our route led us to the 20-hectare site of Aubigné-Racan.
The area has been occupied since the Bronze Age and a Gallic necropolis has also been unearthed nearby. There are information boards in English that help bring this Roman city and its theatre, aqueduct, baths and forum back to life.
It was a wonderful place to stop for a break and to take stock of the wide-open arable fields all around.
We were soon en route through the chequerboard landscape of Normandy, the home of Camembert (which was the invention of a dairymaid named Marie Harel, close to the town of Vimoutiers). ³
We stopped at a brasserie to taste this famous soft cheese overlooking the town square before heading off on the last leg of our journey.
One of the delights of Normandy is its unspoilt villages and many still remain intact and thriving. Many boast their own cheeses, such as the iconic heart-shaped Neufchâtel and Pont-l’Évêque, the oldest in the region.
Perhaps the most stunning village is Le Bec-Hellouin, a riot of colour, charm and character. Its half-timbered buildings are impressively preserved, painted in vibrant shades and adorned in flower arrangements.
There are stylish café bars, restaurants and shops all along the street, leading down to the seventeenth century Benedictine abbey. We decided to select something from the region to accompany the cheeses while we were in the village and were soon stocked up with local organic beers and brut cider before heading to the campsite nearby.
The countryside around Le Bec-Hellouin is verdant, productive and a haven for wildlife. It is home to several organic ventures, including an experimental farm that uses no pesticides or machinery, yet produces an abundance of fruit in a small area.
Our journey had begun with the idea of learning more about the cheeses we enjoy. However, as so often happens, we had learnt a great deal about the people, the landscape, the history and flavours that they offer. And it was entirely fitting for two girls on tour to learn so much about the females that make it all happen. Our waistlines may never recover, but the trip was well worth it!