Tour de France - Brittany
This post is sponsored by Sawdays.
Lighthouses, timber framed buildings, green pastures, salt plains and tonnes of butter... while researching My Little French Kitchen, I headed to Brittany (and bits of Normandy) to scour out the most interesting produce and recipes of the region.
At a first glance, it is easy to see how Brittany acquired the nickname "Little Britain", particularly as the rain didn't let up on my first day of the trip, but also because it reminded me of the lush verdant British fields around where I grew up. There's also drizzle. A lot of it.
My first stop took me to one of the most iconic landmarks of the area, Mont St Michel. Technically Mont St Michel is in Normandy, just north of Rennes, and jutting out into an expanse of water. In the flesh (as I was fairly familiar already with the imagery I had previously seen of this imposing walled abbey built into a granite island in the middle of water), the Mont was as impressive as expected.
On a grey day, the silhouette against the lighter grey in the background makes it look all hazy and ethereal. And as you trudge up to it on the road leading through the sludgy wet lowlands (when the tide is out), it feels like you are on some kind of medieval journey to rescue a damsel from a dragon's nest. Or maybe that was just me.
I'm not going to lie; it is impossibly touristy. Inside the walls, the cute cobbled streets are flanked by multicoloured signage drawing attention to cheesy biscuit shops (mostly industrial) and omelette restaurants (I was advised by a friend against trying to enjoy the 30 euro omelette on the menu at one tourist trap), that greet you and lead you up to the abbey. The abbey is the peak of the Mont and was built in the 13th century into the rock.
Leaving the torrential rain in Mont St Michel, I headed to meet 4th generation local producer Yannick Frain, who is what you might call, the ambassador of the Mouton pré-salé . The Mouton pré-salé are the French equivalent of our Welsh salt marsh lamb, but certainly not to be confused, as Yannick is very quick to point out. He is a farmer specialising in this very particular type of raising. The sheep (mostly black faced Suffolk) live in shadow of the Mont St Michel, making it not only a highly impressive back drop for them to graze on, but when the tide is in during the full moon, the marshes are covered in salt water, imparting a specific flavour on the grass. The sheep are then left to graze in this area, for at least 70 days per year, or it doesn't count for the AOC labelling. Yannick explains that in contrast to the tidal flooding of the land in Mont St Michel, what we refer to as salt marsh is just the salt watery winds kissing the grass.
We headed into Dinan for some diner, and stumbled across Fleur de Sel, which seemed inviting from the outside. It was an odd place, dabbling in creative plating whilst feeling quite regional and rustic. Set menus around here are by far the most affordable way to eat, so we joined the oodles of other duos and picked from the set menu - oysters to start with a little mignonette and blinis, a beef cheek stew in a cocotte with some Asian flavours, followed by desserts of epic proportions, a trio of giant choux filled with ice cream, doused in chocolate sauce (and a little jug of it set on the side).
Tired and wet, we pitched up to the inviting home of Martine and Hubert Vianna at Malik, where each room boasted a little veranda where breakfast was served. Martine is clearly an avid collector of French flea market finds, boasting pretty little cabinets, beds and linens. Breakfast was a treat, warm from the kitchen, the classic prune studded 'far', similar to a crepe batter, and of course fresh orange juice and St Malo yoghurt with homemade compote, warm homemade breads ... I could go on as the offerings were more than generous.
The next day we paid a visit to Dinan market, alive with producers, fresh bakes and plenty of crepes filled with sausages (apparently a local favourite). I saved my appetite for a brief visit to Cancale, home to some of France's most famous oysters and an array of seafood restaurants where you can experience the wealth of their waters.
St Malo is barely a stone's throw away, and picture pretty when you take in the view from the islands in the bay in front, which can be reached when the tide is out. Les Mouettes in St Suliac was the perfect place to lay my head after a long day of sightseeing, run by the delightful Isabelle, who, once more, was a master in the art of hospitality.
Salt, gros sel and fleur de sel, are one of Brittany's most famous exports, so there was no missing a visit to Guerande, home of the salt fields. We were given a tour by a veritable paludier, part of the Sel de guerande cooperative, who owned a part of the land were the salt was produced.
Later that day, at the home of Nathalie Hubier in a converted barn in the South of Brittany, I had the pleasure of being introduced to a dynamic young fellow, David Le Ruyet, on a one-man mission to make an impact on the local food scene. Sure enough he has, at just some 20 something years of age, he founded his own pasta making business, going as far to grow his one wheat, mill it and then create his pasta which he sells across France and beyond. Due to the weather conditions not being optimal for durum wheat (blé dur), David works with the local wheat flour (blé tendre), and has created a successful enterprise doing so.
I also tasted a surprising cider from local producer Sacha Crommar, who is among a growing group of producers experimenting and refining traditional techniques to produce a product good enough to serve alongside fine wines on Parisian tasting menus. My favourite of his ciders was the Cidre Chataigne, in which the pressed juice was fermented with chestnuts, adding an earthy complexity to the flavour.
The next day it was back to the North for the famous Rennes market, which proved to be one of the best finds of the trip. Prior to the trip I was unaware of its reputation around France for being one of the finest of the fresh food markets.While many of Paris's offerings market wise can be predominantly composed of 'revendeurs', here the local producers themselves were manning the stands, opulently piled with some incredible heritage root vegetables.
In the afternoon, we headed to the coast, ending up at Cap Frehel, with its stunning lighthouse and equally impressive beaches (where we would later return to shoot the picnic shots for My Little French Kitchen). Being with a national park it was totally untouched, just pure white beaches, studded with some craggy rocks where crafty locals were picking off the mussels for their Saturday suppers. We finished off the trip in style, with an evening and night spent at Le Chateau du Pin with its elegant dining room and rather grand grounds.
Where I stayed in Brittany:
Malik in Plélan le Petit (from 82 Euros per night)
Les Mouettes in St Suliac (from 58 Euros per night)
La Val de Brangon in Baden (from 160 Euros per night)
Chateau du Pin (from 88 Euros per night)
For a selection of other special places to stay, visit Sawdays.
Here is what I got up to in Biarritz and Espelette and then in Bordeaux and its surrounding area, on my edible explorations of France.
GIVEAWAY: Seeking a touch of wanderlust this winter? Thanks to the team at Sawdays, I’ve got 10 copies of a lovely French B&B book to giveaway, (in conjunction with several blog posts that I’m publishing about my time travelling around France). The book is called ‘Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay French Bed & Breakfast’ (RRP: £15.99), and is full of magical spots to stay in France, from chateaux to chalets.
For your chance to win a copy, follow these steps. Since my Bordeaux blog post, I'm seeing lots of creative entries coming through. Bonne chance!
1. Using the hashtag #rachelkhoosawdays, leave a comment on via Twitter, post on my Facebook page, or tag me in an Instagram post.
2. Tell me about a special place you’ve stayed on holiday (extra bonus points if you include a photo). From camping by the sea to snow-covered chalets – anything goes.
3. Bonus points if you mention this giveaway on your own blog
Here’s the fine print: In order to be eligible for entry refer to the steps listed above. Ten winners will be generated on Monday November 25, 2013. Entries close Sunday November 24, 2013 5:00pm GMT. Any queries, send me an email
