Recently we had to be in La Roche Posay and, as luck would have it, it was about lunch time as we headed home. The weather was glorious and on impulse we persuaded ourselves --not a difficult affair-- that grabbing lunch somewhere was a good idea!
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| Chambon, village centre |
Ages ago, last January in fact, there'd been a plan to meet up with friends for lunch at the Auberge le Vieux Fournil in Chambon which lies more or less en route between Preuilly sur Claise and La Roche Posay. That plan was foiled as it turned out that the place was closed unitl mid-February and somehow we've never gotten round to it since. The auberge had been originally recommended by
Jim and Pauline Craig, fellow Scots who live in Barrou. We decided to give it a go.
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| Auberge le Vieux Fournil |
It didn't disappoint. Two years ago with financial support from the region the auberge built a very modern extension and the resulting diningroom is lovely, with the restored bakehouse oven taking pride of place. The menu du marché was €12.00 for three courses with a choice of two dishes for the starter and the mains. There were 3 choices for desert. Wine was extra, €4.00 for a small pichet.
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| Pretty roof lines; the building with the window is a pottery |
We had a smoked herring salad and a generous slice of pied du porc in aspic for our starters and the pork loin for mains. This came with a trio of very smooth purées: celeriac, carrot and broccoli and a pain d'epices sauce for the pork. It was very delicious although if we were going to be picky the pork could have done with something acidic to offset the sweetness. For afters we had a charlotte and cheese. It is definitely a place we will go to again and has gone on "the list".
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| Wisteria covered staircase |
Afterwards we had a quick look around the village which is very pretty, although the monument historique plaque on the church promised a bit more than it delivered: 13th and 16th century architecture but sadly no hidden gems that we could discover.
22 comments:
Oh, for some smoked herring...any herring!
It sounds good value for money..a nice menu... and doesn't that wisteria look superb.
Very good value and it looks and sounds delicious. Sunny day lunches in rural France bring back happy memories for me - thanks!
That whistfully wrapping Wisteria down that set of steps caught our eye yesterday as we passed thro' Chambon... "bootiful" in'it!?
We have eaten there several times - not least because it's one of the few restaurants in the area that's open on Mondays!
I find it amazing that they can dish up such lovely food at the "worker's lunch" price. For only about a euro per head more than a lot of places they actually give you something that looks delightful and tastes great. A lot of the other "fixed price" cheap lunch menus are just that - cheap!
@Fly - oddly I'd never had smoked herring. I'm more used to the good old 'down the hatch with onions' version you get in the Netherlands but it was absolutely delicious!
@Craig - it is hard to beat; although great seafood on a sunny day on the coast of Scotland is pretty fantastic too :-)
@Tim - it was stunning! Especially in combination with that stone staircase.
@Jean - it is indeed nice food and presented --not just put-- on the plate.
Sounds like good value despite our $ being only 78c to the Euro.
@Leon & Sue - we think it's one of the best at this price level around here.
There is a restaurant in a village just up the road from us which everyone says is fantastic. Each time we have decided to go there for one reason or another it has been closed. One day we may get to find out just how good it really is! The place you have been to sounds excellent. Take care Diane
@Diane - They probably took their annual leave in January as it is the quietest time.
Sounds lovely. I'll put it on my list too ... Maybe we can have lunch there together when I'm in France in the beginning of June. Or would you rather join us for a BBQ with our other blogger friends at my Belgian friends' house in Pouillé? Martine
@Martine - either sounds lovely :-)
Oh yum! Impromptu sounds good and it was obviously worth visiting. I'm looking forward to sampling a menu du jour at some point over the summer, but heaven knows when....
@Perpetua - we're quite [perhaps too] good at impromptu ;-)
Hope you are able to come over to your Normandy retreat soon-ish -- once the weather settles down into 'summer mode'.
Look at tat staircase!
@John - wish we had one like that.... or even just the wisteria. Think we might have to plant one.
Hi there, thank you for visiting and bringing me back to your lovely corner of France. We've been over to the Loire Valley a couple of times.
I've enjoyed reading your blog in return. Your garden seems a bit ahead of ours. I did so laugh at the mouse with the chocolate biscuit. How long will it be before ours find those I wonder?
I do wish we could eat well for that price in England!
@rusty duck - Welcome :-) I suspect we're about 3 weeks ahead.
The lunches are one of the treats of France :-)
We've never eaten there but have looked at the menu many times - usually as we walk around the village.
We must go back at lunch time...
@Gaynor - it would be a great lunch stop after a good walk.
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