WHAT ’S ONL INE
A GUIDE TO FRANCE’S NEW FINE-DINING DESTINATION
With its seafood, cheese and growing crop of Michelin-starred restaurants, the region of Pas-de-Calais is a must for food-focused travellers. Words: Eddi Fiegel
Best known for its port, Northern France’s sprawling Pas-de-Calais region has long been popular with weekending Parisians drawn to its dune-backed, sandy beaches, medieval cathedral towns and tranquil, UNESCO-listed waterways and marshlands. As you might expect in France, food is an
equally important part of its appeal. Often overlooked by overseas travellers, the region is just two-and-a-half hours’ drive north of the French capital and easily accessible by Eurostar via Lille. Recently, it has been rising to prominence as a fine-dining destination, with a growing number of celebrity chefs opening Michelin-starred farm-to-table restaurants in historic chateaux and mansions.
WHERE TO EAT Les Piquinettes, Marais Audomarois There’s nothing quite like enjoying the sound of birdsong as you tuck into hearty local cuisine alongside the canals of the Audomarois marshes. This outdoor version of an estaminet (a rustic Flemish restaurant serving traditional local dishes) is set in Les Faiseurs de Bateaux boatyard on the outskirts of Saint-Omer. Home-cooked specialities such as carbonnade flamande (braised beef stew in a beer-rich sauce) or chicken with maroilles cheese sauce come with freshly picked salad and frites. €15.50 (£13) per main or €21 (£18) for a main course with a waffle, coffee and beer or wine.
les-piquinettes.restaurant
WHERE TO STAY Château de Beaulieu, Busnes Hidden away in the countryside near the hamlet of Busnes, this 17th-century chateau has been restyled as a Relais & Châteaux gourmet getaway. The brainchild of illustrious chef Christophe Dufossé (a former colleague of Alain Ducasse, among others) and his wife Delphine, Château de Beaulieu features a two-Michelin-star restaurant, a spa surrounded by fairytale woodlands, organic kitchen gardens and a farm for rescued animals. Locally sourced dishes in the fine-dining restaurant include saddle of rabbit with rhubarb confit. Doubles from €260 (£222).
lechateaudebeaulieu.fr READ MORE ONLINE
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