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France Weekend

Bailliage of Gironde, France
Les Eyzies, October 23-24, 2020

Fine food and festivities in the Périgord
" Claire Veaux .. conjured up a captivating programme, which charmed our taste buds as well as our souls! "

The Dordogne has plenty to offer: plenty of friends, plenty of fine food and plenty of history. This event has become a real tradition: a delicious and rewarding get-together that we eagerly look forward to every year.

Claire Veaux, our Périgord “fairy godmother”, conjured up a captivating programme, which charmed our taste buds as well as our souls! Claire is a Member Honoraire of the Conseil Magistral, Chancelier Honoraire of the Bailliage of France, and a former Bailli of Périgord.

The members of the Chaîne in Nouvelle-Aquitaine gathered to share good company and good food in the prehistoric town of Les Eyzies. We were warmly welcomed by Laurence and Pascal Lombard, our hosts at Les Glycines, a real gem in this spectacularly colourful part of the world.

The 4-star hotel and restaurant, part of the “Les Collectionneurs by Alain Ducasse” group, is located in the very heart of the Périgord Noir, not far from the pretty little village of Sarlat. Sheltered by the steep slopes of the Vézère Valley, which itself is classified as a “Grand Site de France”, it enjoys a unique panoramic view of this enchanting setting, the cradle of Prehistory.

Chef Pascal Lombard loves to keep in touch with the south-west terroir and all of its culinary and vinicultural treasures. The region’s history has been passed down to him by his grandmother from the Landes, and learnt from the wonderful establishments that he has worked in. Honey from local beehives, mushrooms, abundant in season in the surrounding undergrowth, black truffles from nearby... so much to inspire and contribute to natural, healthy cooking.

A surprise dinner on Friday night was the perfect introduction. As is his wont, Chef Pascal used regional, seasonal ingredients in his cooking and selected the best accompanying wines.

Members, who had come from Canada and various French départements, enjoyed guided tours of Sarlat to explore its innermost secrets in between taking the opportunity to sample some regional specialities.

The Gala Dinner was the highlight of the weekend. The following is the menu, labelled “Les Trois Truffes” (the three truffles), served up to us by the Chef:

MENU

“Appetisers”
Autumn truffle nibbles

Cameron king prawn, white Alba truffle, agastache

Ravioli, white Alba truffle, duck

Free range pigeon, white Alba truffle

Sarlat Tomme cheese, Périgord black truffle

Grand cru chocolate, Périgord black truffle

A usual effusive tribute was paid to the brigades by Claire Veaux.

Dominique Naboulet
Chargé de Missions, Bailliage of France

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