Judith Schrut reports on her delicious adventure exploring the food, drink and many pleasures of Dordogne, France.
The gracious folk at Dordogne Valley Tourist Office have called our press trip Gastronomy at its Best, so can there be any better way to begin than with a long, lazy French lunch? We’re met at Brive’s impressive new airport by our expat host and driver, Kate. With the consummate skill of one who’s mastered the art of minivan driving after ten minutes’ practice in the airport carpark, Kate straps us in and zooms off. Within a few minutes we’re out of the airport and deep in the heart of rural Dordogne.
We head straight to Martel, a once prosperous medieval town famed for its seven towers and an elaborate 18th century wood-roofed marketplace. Fame and riches may be long gone but Martel’s charm, ambience and marketplace still flourish, especially on twice weekly market days and every Wednesday evening in summer when locals gather for live music and dancing. And joy of French joys, dotted round the marketplace are several small but punch-above-their-weight cafés and bistrots, including Le Petit Moulin.
There’s no ‘little mill’ in sight but Le Petit Moulin’s award-winning chef-proprietor Adrien Castagné is clearly pumping big energy into every dish and drink emerging from his kitchen. Lunch is a simple but scrumptious four course affair served personally by the vivacious young Adrien. Adrien takes pride in a daily-changing artisanal menu using local ingredients, mostly from his family’s farm, walnut orchard and vineyard. This means home-produced foie gras, bread, meat and creamy Rocamadour cheese, riverfresh fish, just picked vegetables and the freshest walnut oil you will ever taste. It’s best enjoyed with Adrien’s own vintage red wine, La Castagne. Dessert is a fabulous Martel Brest, pure choux pastry bursting with whipped walnut cream. I could easily eat here every day and grow fat but happy.
Judith ate and drank at Le Petit Moulin, Rue Droite 46600 Martel, which serves a daily four course adult menu at 30 € and children’s menu at 11.50 €. Judith travelled to Dordogne as a guest of Dordogne Valley Travel and Brive Dordogne Valley Airport.
Stay tuned for more posts in Judith’s Delights of the Dordogne miniseries.
