The Lot Valley – it’s all about the food.

The French love their food and this area is particularly well endowed with local food markets and restaurants. Duck is often omnipresent on the menus. But starting at breakfast you can enjoy Agen prunes sliced into yoghurt or muesli. That’s after you have visited the local Boulangerie for fresh bread and croissants to savour with your coffee. Lunches eaten outside this hot June have mainly been delicious salads, have to keep the calories down somehow. However the local restaurants all seem to do a fixed price lunchtime menu so we availed ourselves of this on two occasions.

Lets start with the wonderful Cafe/Restaurant de la Mairie in Duravel. I always try to eat here, preferably on a Friday for the fish. This is a no fuss lunch enjoyed by workers, locals and tourists. The mother and daughter team are welcoming and the meal is set, just listen carefully for the choices. First we can pick from the extensive salad buffet [soup’s off in summer] but don’t overdo it as there is lots to come. This time we had tasty merlu with gratin potatoes as the main course. The cheese board arrives next along with more fresh bread. The tarts for desert were all seasonal and delicious. Relax with a strong coffee after all that free wine. Can’t be beaten for 13euro.

Another day we went more upmarket and dined at La Terrasse Restaurant in Grezels [booking essential] A more formal dining area with no workers present, mainly English visitors and favoured French locals – they have there own personal napkins! One man serves the whole room with style and nonchalance, and more style. He knows his customers and has full confidence in what is being served. Meanwhile his wife slaves away in the kitchen. Again a fixed menu with ample wine included. Today we started with a wonderful noodle soup tureen with the freshest of bread. The maitre d’ encourages you to pour wine into your empty soup bowl and slurp it up – Faire Chabrot. [not recommended in your average English restaurant] Next was a goats cheese mille feuille on a tomato salad – superb. The main event was a pork casserole with roast potatoes accompanied by a simple green salad. The cheese board highlighted some of the local goats cheese and a well matured blue. Pudding was an egg meringuey thing. 18euros this time. What wonderful food perfectly presented to you in a classy dining area.

Going more upmarket again, we ate out one evening at Le Vert, a country house set in lovely surroundings near Mauroux. The weather was perfect for eating out on the terrace. This place also has ‘chambre d’hotes’ and was therefore quite busy. Aperitifs of the local Fenelon [Cahors red wine, nut liqueur and cassis] are served tonight with melon balls. A salmon and salad starter was favourite. The main course was a choice between duck and merlu, the latter was mine. Served with asparagus, mushroom and tomato it was perfect. The black fruits with meringue completed the banquet which had been enjoyed with a fresh white wine from a local estate. We splashed out at 32 euro a head. [drinks extra!]