Although this area is not famous for fancy gastronomic specialties, it is proud of its rustic, honest and simple fare based on top-quality ingredients.

Blessed with an abundance of water, both fresh and salt, the region offers a great choice of fish and shellfish - oysters, mussels, clams, scallops and soft-shelled crabs sole, turbot, eel, cuttlefish and carp are especially popular.

For meat eaters there is the fabulous Limosine beef, jambon du Poitou (ham) really great salt-marsh-fed lamb, Poitou goose served with chestnuts and Duck accompanied with green peas or conserved in its own fat for Confit de Canard.

Oysters

Marennes-Oléron is the reputed oyster capital of the world and well worth a visit. It’s proximity also means that you can buy fabulous oysters at all the local markets around Montmorillon.

The oyster basin or “claires” are built in open sea beds in the estuary of the Gironde, the Seudre and the Charente rivers.

The reputation of Marennes-Oléron oysters is not only based on their green colour but the careful nurturing in the claire basins which give the oysters their distinctive hazelnut taste.

The Fine de Claire oysters, whether white or green have been cultivated in the basins for one to two months with a maximum of 20 oysters per square metre. These oysters are plump and round and generally have a rating of 6.5 to 9.

The top class Red Label Fine de Claire oysters always have a green shell.

The Spéciale de Claire is cultivated for at least two months with a maximum of 10 oysters per square metre, this oyster, rated a 9, is fatter than the Fine with a firm flesh.
When the Spéciale de Claire reaches an exceptional level of quality it becomes Pousse en Claire.

The Pousse en Claire feeds on the plankton of the Marennes-Oléron basins for at least four months. These basins have a maximum of 5 oysters per square metre. Very fat with a flesh rating greater than 12, these very firm and wonderfully flavoured oysters are not only a treat to oyster farmers and seafood connoisseurs; they might even win you over if, until now, you have not been keen on the idea of oyster eating!

Mussels (Les Moules de Bouchot)

You will find mussels on menus throughout the area as well as an abundance at the markets.

A few kilometers away from La Rochelle, next to the Poitevin marshes and near the southern border of the Vendée Department, the Aiguillon Bay opens on one of the most famous mussel breeding sites in the world.

Collected on 50 metre-long lines, young larvae are moved to "bouchot" poles for the fattening process during the months of May and June.
Depending on weather conditions, each pole produces its first harvest during the months of June and July of the following year.

The La Charron brand is exclusively attributed to mature mussels cultivated in the Aiguillon Bay. They are bred in the mussel centres at Marsilly, Esnandes, and Charron in Charente-Maritime, as well as in the Aiguillon-sur-Mer centre in Vendée.

La Cagouille

This is the name given to the snails bred for eating in Charentais, sometimes referred to as “Lumas” in the rest of Poitou.

Also referred to as the Petit Gris (the little grey one), the cagouille has became the unofficial emblem of the Charente region. This is explained as being because in this region people are thought to be especially laid-back and relaxed just as“the Cognac that sleeps in the barrels, develops all its flavouring”.

The cagouille snail, is however known to be quite aggressive and so, legend says, it is best not to cross a Charentaisan as they will never back down!

A very different snail to l’escargot de Bourgogne, it is traditionally served as Cagouille à la Charentaise – cooked with local ham, garlic, onion, white wine, herbs and tomatoes – the exact recipe will however vary from one Chef to another.

The French are the primary consumers of snails in the world and the Poitou-Charentes region is the largest producer by tonne of l’escargot. 60% of local production leaves the region.

If your budget stretches that far and if you can actually find it. Caviar D’Escargots (snail eggs cooked quickly with salt and herbs and sold in small pots) is apparently a great delicacy. We’ve yet to see it.

Eel

Eel (Anguille) is popular fare in the region with the small , six to seven centimetre long, Civelles regarded as a particular gastronomic delight.

Eels are especially prevalent in the Poitou Marsh area where they are now protected in some areas having almost died out some years ago because of leaching of agricultural pesticides into the waterways.

These eels, returning to spawn each year from the Atlantic Ocean are viewed as symbols of the quality and health of the waterways and a powerful symbol for the region.

On menus look out for Fricassee d’Anguilles - cooked with garlic, butter and, often, finished with Cognac – which is a dish more closely associated with the Dordogne but commonplace in this region too.

Anguilles au Vert is a classic from Escoffier’s era still prepared today with eel and lots of green leafy herbs including sorrel, parsley, tarragon, chervil and chives.

Lamb

This area is very proud of its lamb. When you order L’agneau at many restaurants you will find it arrives with as litle flag denoting that it has been reared locally. You will also find it can be a bit pricey!

Profusely lush pastures and a lovely temperate climate help the animals to thrive and explain the high quality of the meats produced within the region.

L'agneau du Poitou-Charentes, the "Diamandin" (Red Label), is a local meat the flesh of which s excellently marbled, balanced and light. It is really fabulous and features in the most highly valued regional dishes.

Beef

Limousine and Parthenaise cattle have been bred for centuries for their excellent meat which has a reputation far beyond this region.

As with the lamb there is a certification system with
Its first-class meat (certified Red Label).

Pork

Pork used to be the one and only meat eaten in the countryside areas here. The "goret" (piglet) is still a central part of local cuisine as is the "tribalée", a stew featuring small pieces of pork seasoned with herbs.

Goat

Poitevins have retained their hearty appetite for chevreaux (kids), which are said to grow "giddy" from the lush herby pastures of the area. Traditionally this is served with green garlic or sorrel.

Rabbit

Rabbit production is a common "top up" income in Poitou-Charentes and the region is the third biggest producer in France. Needless to say, therefore, you will find it readily available and on many manus. It's cheap, tasty, lean and when combined with garlic, herbs and Pineau, quite delicious.

Foie Gras

For years, despite my love of food, I shyed away from eating Foie Gras. Until that is, I tried it at Le Lucullus! Now I am a complete convert.

For those that may not know, foie gras is the French terminology for fat (gras) liver (foie). It is the fattened liver of a waterfowl, such as goose or duck.

Traditionally, only geese are used to create this delicacy. Today, however, 80% of the world foie gras production comes from ducks.

Foie Gras refers to the raw fattened liver. A Magret is the breast of a duck (de Canard) that has been fattened for its liver. It will be generally larger, and meatier.

Foie gras used to be a totally seasonal product , eated mostly around the winter holidays and New Year's.

Nowadays you will find it featured on menus throughout the year but... it's still best in the colder months. as it is such an expensive treat, we tend to link it to Christmas.

Foie gras is available raw, in a terrine , as a mousse or blocked.

Raw varieties are graded: grade A, grade B and grade C. Grade A is the top-of-the-line foie gras. Grade B is lesser in quality than grade A, and it has more veins. Grade C isn't’t always available, and is mostly for making sauces and adding flavor to other dishes

Terrine of foie gras is when the liver is served chilled and sliced up. Mousse of foie gras is soft and can be used for spreading. Block of foie gras comes in a cylindrical tin.

Melon

This region is the second sunniest in France and the third largest producer of melons in the country.

The Melon du Haut-Poitou is small, round, sweet, slightly perfumed and simply delicious. You will find it on virtually every menu, in every market and, if you peer over walls and fences, growing in every garden.

Summer here simply wouldn't be the same without the lovely yellow/orangey Melon du Haut-Poitou. A tip is to freeze a whole melon. Cut in half, scoop out the frozen flesh, add liberal quantities of Pineau and eat before the alcohol de-frosts the fruit. Deliciously cooling if a bit potent!

Fruit & Vegetables Generally

There may not be many vegetarians in France but there is the most superb choice of fruit and veg. Whilst it's true that everything always seems to taste better in the sun, you will find yourself spoilt for choice when it comes to salads, fruits and veg.

The taste, we believe, comes from the fact that virtually everything you buy has been grown close-by. It hasn't been shipped, out of season, ripening as it travels in its container. Every season has its own flavours and everything is fantastically fresh, especially if you shop at the markets.

Simple as it sounds, we know we're in the foodie heaven of Montmorillon when even the Hypermarket tomatoes have that indescribably hairy tomato smell of our grandfathers' greenhouse.

French supermarkets are beginning to yield to pressure to have all things available at all times. Ignore it! Buy what looks good and what's cheapest and you will eat like kings and queens. Just don't try sniffing the tomatoes when you get home. You'll be disappointed.

Goats Cheese

If you love goats cheese you will love this area.

Look out for names such as Chabis and Chabichou which was recently awarded a Protected Designation of Origin - the French AOC.

Chabichou du Poitou can only be manufactured from fresh and whole goat milk. The molding of curds is performed by hand in strainers. As a result, the cheeses take on the shape of a truncated cone.

Poitou-Charentes accounts for three quarters of French goat milk production, hence the vast number of different cheeses to try.

Le Tourteau Fromagé

This region produces some of the finest butter in the world. You can buy it at the market from great white blocks, just as you would cheese and it is heavenly.

Protected by the French AOC and made only from pasteurised cream, from milk produced in strictly controlled zones, the butter is said to adhere to 100 year old principles of production.

The Compostelle Travels

The original Compostelle Travels was a cake prepared by confectioners in this region for Christian pilgrims passing through on their way to Spain.

More recently a fabulous chocolate version has been created. It's definitely something to look out for with its almond biscuit base, chocolate, raisins and vanilla cream.

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