Walks France
... by The Walking Party
The Truffle Hop
The special Truffle Hops with The Walking Party include hunting the truffle with the pig, cooking your own truffled foie gras, eating the most fantastic truffled dinner as well as a seven course brunch to die for and visiting the renowned truffle market at Lalbenque. It is not a glamorous market! It is a very rustic but world famous affair. The glamour will come from the truffle delights cooked by Bernard Philippe. A rare chance to get to grips with one of the wonders of the gastronomic world.
| Duration | Distance | Price Per Person | Single Room Supplement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Days | 11 Miles | €1050 | €190 |
| Departure Dates | |||
| 21st - 25th January, 28th January - 1st February, 4th - 8th and 11th - 15th February | |||
Plutarch believed they were mud cooked by lightning. Juvenal that they were the product of thunder and rain and Pliny that they were nature’s greatest miracle. Elizabeth David said they were the most delicious of foods anywhere and Brillat Savarin that ‘without truffles there can be no truly gastronomic meal.’ And the mystic around the truffle continues, in its nebulous way, to intrigue.
This weekend is an idea to allow you to get to know this mysterious and gastronomically fantastic fungus as you may never have been able to do before. We concentrate on three subjects concerning truffles: the hunting, the cooking/eating and the buying.
The weather in February can be glorious. Cold and crisp with perfect blue skies – the perfect skies to go hunting truffles ‘à la mouche’. The idea is to do some walking but should we get bad weather there are ample alternatives (castles, chateaux and wineries to visit) and of course we will be well prepared for such events!
The weekend takes place in the truffle rich region of the Quercy. This is a beautiful untouched region of France just south of the Dordogne. In 1152 it was given by Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henri d’Anjou two years before he became Henry II of England and it is an area that has changed little since. There is no industry here to pollute the atmosphere and the limestone plateaux, fertile lombardy poplared valleys, long lazy meandering rivers and fantastic food and wine lend themselves to a wonderful long weekend holiday!
The Truffle Hop : Day 1
Bonjour
You arrive at Toulouse airport in the afternoon to be met by James. We drive to Le Vert, a charming Quercy stone Manor House situated in the middle of the rolling Quercy countryside. All rooms have bathrooms en suite. It is a most lovely and relaxing place to stay under the careful eye of Bernard and Eva Philippe. Bernard will cook us dinner as we sit in front of a roaring fire drinking aperitifs and enjoying the weekend off.
The Truffle Hop : Day 2
You are greeted in the morning by a table laden with croissants, pains chocolats, jams, fresh fruit juice, fruits and strong black coffee. Then we set off in the cars to start a good walk to breath in the fresh French air and to build up our appetites for an excellent lunch at the Auberge de la Tour. After lunch a little walk to the village of Montcuq for a drink before returning to Le Vert passing by a pretty fourteenth century frescoed church to learn about the seven deadly sins. We finish the day with an excellent truffle dinner cooked by Bernard Philippe. Bernard is probably one of the best chefs of the region and he will also be cooking crepes suzette. This is a rare treat as Bernard never has the time to cook at the table but we are there off season so we gain this privilege! Walk 7 miles
The Truffle Hop : Day 3
‘Cook the truffle’
More croissants and breakfast delights before a drive to Lario, the home of James and Diana. Here we can all cook in the kitchen and see how one can work with the truffle. ‘Poule en demi-deuil’ is a wonderful treat with a good fresh farmyard chicken and vegetables fresh from the Sunday Montcuq market. We will make tiny cabbages stuffed with bread crumbs, truffle and bacon. Here we will also use the frozen truffle which is the best way to preserve the fungus. This gives you the opportunity to see and handle the difference between the fresh and the preserved. You will also make your own truffled foie gras which you can then take home with you! After lunch we will walk through the beautiful Quercy landscape before returning to Lario. From here we drive to the vineyard of Clos Triguedina. This is an important Cahors vineyard and the Baldès family have been making wine here since 1830 which includes today a Black Wine where the grapes are ‘cooked’ in prune drying ovens and a beautiful sweet white made from Chenin Blanc grapes. We return in the vehicles to Le Vert for more delicious French cuisine from Bernard. Once again a warm crackling fire. Once again delicious wine. And once again a well-earned cosy bed. Walk: 5 miles
The Truffle Hop : Day 4
‘Buy the truffle’ and ‘Hunt the truffle’
A coffee and a small walk to a local church to build up an appetite for the great seven course brunch of Bernard Philippe. This is a real treat as each course is carefully truffled to give you a morning tingle before setting off for the rural and world famous truffle market at Lalbenque. After brunch therefore a drive to the village of Lalbenque. It is indeed a gloriously rustic and remarkably unique and simple affair. You will never get a better collection of pure bred rustic types, beret clad and ruddy faced! And here is a chance to buy some real fresh truffle to take back home to England. A decent truffle should cost around 70 euros depending on August rains. That would come out at about 1000 euros a kilo! After the market we leave Lalbenque by car for a truffle hunt with a dear old lady and her friendly pig. It is a rare event to find a truffle pig these days as most truffle hunters use dogs. If there is time after this we may try for a cup of tea at the bar-cum-bakery of Concots before returning to Cahors. We stay the night at Le Grand Hotel Terminus, a large ivy clad nineteenth century bourgeois house with an excellent restaurant of international repute where we will have our farewell dinner.
The Truffle Hop : Day 5
Au revoir
After breakfast there is time to shop in Cahors and enjoy the hustle and bustle of market day. This takes place in front of the majestic Gothic cathedral on an ox-bow of the river Lot. It is very picturesque and full of colour and action. We will leave Cahors in time to lunch at Moissac after looking at the fabulous Romanesque abbey that Sir Kenneth Clark eulogised in his great BBC series ‘Civilisation’. A quick visit in the abbey before lunch. After lunch we drive to Toulouse Blagnac.
