Last spring, we had the chance to take some time off with some friends to visit the French department of Drome. Drome is just south of Isere and just north of Provence. The original idea was to stay as close as possible to Valence and visit the Valhrona chocolate factory (again).
I did some research on some "Chambres D'hôtes" (that's french for B&B) and "Gites" and since we were a large group of 10 (silly me, I made the reservation for 8, thank god the Gite still had space), there were only a few Gites that could accomodate all of us.
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| Yeah that's our laundry |
A Gite is basically a series of Chambres D'hotes put together. A Gite can be a stand alone house, or a connected house with our without a kitchen. The one that I settled on was
La Croix du Gres- the location was a bit far but the website and photographs convinced me that it was the way to go (*ahem importance of having a good website). The complex is run by Noelle and her partner Sid with the help of Noelle's children and really super friendly son. The complex is completely interconnected and consists of 2 houses and a series of Apartments with kitchens and rooms without kitchens. Noelle, her family, the dogs, cats and horses also offer home cooked meals, horse rides, an outdoor pool, lots of lavender, rosemary and thyme and super knowledge of the area and a whole lotta hospitality.
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| Nothing beats a sunset dinner overlooking the French countryside |
The Gites were extremely charming and impeccably decorated. Most of the wall art was created by Noelle's grandfather who also built the Gite(s) himself. The Gite also features an enormous Salon or living room that houses a huge fireplace and more amazing art. Noelle and her family offer dinners in the living room where guests help to prepare the food that is cooked in this gigantic fireplace. It's amazing to think that her grandfather put everyone of these gigantic stones into place.
We were lucky enough to make it to the local farmer's market in Grignan. It has been a long time since I've gone to such a comprehensive market. The produce was fresh, in abundance and just gorgeous!
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| Just a little peak at the amazing variety of food: naturally flavored wild honey, lavender, amazingly tasty saucissons, world famous Montmelier nougat, confit garlic (my husband tried a piece and didn't have stinky breath afterwards. he said it was mild and very tasty), asparagus and onions, olive tapenade |
...And of course cheese there was wonderful gorgeous cheese.
Tomme de Montagne is just a generic cheese produced in the French Alps. The taste is generally mild and fat content is usually low as the rich creamy part of the milk is used elsewhere.
Cantal is from the Auvergne region of France. The unpasteurized cheese tends to have a tangy butter taste. I have been told before that cheese such as this one that uses the "winter milk" meaning milk that is produced during the wintertime when the cows are kept in the stables and fed hay, the milk tends to hold less floral/ herbal/ grassy flavors. Also, the winter milk tends to have a higher fat content, and thus (as depicted from the photograph) the winter cheese does not become as hard as summer cheese.
Our favorite cheese, this unpasteurized cheese is usually quite hard (still bendable). Made in the French Comte region of Alsace, many consider Comte the French version of Gruyere. just like Gruyere, the flavor of the cheese is strong but not harsh with a slightly sweet tinge to it. The Comte we usually find at the grocery store is aged 12- 18 months. this fine specimen of 24 months had a stronger flavor and the delicious Comte cheese crystals that are so coveted. I had the pleasure of dining at Arpege in Paris and man, do I wish I could get my hands on some more of their 48-60 month old Comte.
Oh, did I mention that Grignan also happens to be voted one of France's most beautiful cities?
The Tuesday market is a MUST do so if you plan on heading down to Drome, plan to be there on a Tuesday morning. We also highly recommend staying at La Croix du Gres.
Our visit to Drome was one of the best vacations I've had in a long time. The locals in Drome are incredibly helpful and nice and the food, mind blowing.
Addresses:
La Croix du Gres
26230 Valaurie, France
+33 7 87 02 80 36
Lacroixdugres.com
Marche de Grignan
Every Tuesday 8am- 1pm
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