Restaurants for Norman home cooking

FOR STEAK

Café Forges

Dining at this no-frills bistro in Beuvron-en-Auge’s old smithy, complete with halftimbered walls and a huge brick-and-stone fireplace, is akin to eating in someone’s kitchen. The feisty rump and sirloin steaks and andouillette (tripe sausage), all cooked on the open wood fire, are legendary. cafe-forges.com

FOR APPLES & CALVADOS

Au Pítit Normand

Women rule this oldworld address next to Cambremer’s village church. Chef Huguette Besnard has cooked her signature veal in a creamy calvados and cider sauce since 1998, and the scramble to snag a table

(it’s essential to reserve ahead if you want to dine here) is worth it. End on a fiery high with a lighterthan-air apple omelette flambéed in calvados. auptitnormand.com

FOR A BUCOLIC GARDEN LUNCH

Auberge des

Deux Tonneaux

A Norman rendition of a country pub, this 17thcentury auberge celebrates produits du terroir (local produce) with ancestral recipes handed down from Hervé Amiard’s grandma. The former culinary photographer from Paris runs the cosy inn with son Pierre, and dining in their flowery garden overlooking the surrounding cottages and fields is French heaven on earth.