Normandy offers you a lot to discover: heritage, historical or natural places, the region does not miss any. Another specificity: the gastronomy! Normandy has dozens of specific tastes, sometimes very rich, most of which are well known: apples, cheeses or tripe. But here, gastronomy is also an art of living and a know-how: what if you imagined your visit of the region according to this last prism?
Indeed, from the Seine-Maritime to the Orne, through the Calvados, the Eure and the Manche, there are many possibilities to learn, to receive, to create, while discovering. From seafood to sweet juices, tea, honey or jam, the offers are numerous: all you have to do is make your choice, draw up your itinerary and take your most precious notebook to write down recipes and tips. Normandy is also a matter of flavors!
From the port to the plate on the Calvados coast
It measures at least 11 centimeters, and is one of the star products of French tables: the scallop, in Normandy, is one of the most famous seafood products from local fisheries. It is in one of the most important ports in the matter, Port-en-Bessin, in the northwest of the Calvados department, that the chef Nicolas Marie, who officiates at the 6.3 Resto Home, will wait for you for a whole day dedicated to the tasty mollusc, from the choice at the auction to the preparation, and then to the tasting. The discovery begins with the chef's selection of the best shellfish: in the ultramodern fish market, you will take the opportunity to learn the fishing techniques, every year from October to May, on the sandy bottom off the local coast
Once you arrive at the restaurant, Nicolas Marie explains how to prepare the scallops before moving on to the actual cooking: there are hundreds of ways to prepare a scallop-based dish, and it is according to Nicolas Marie's inspiration that you will set to work. During these two hours of preparation, the chef will not be stingy with either advice or pedagogy: a moment of sharing that is obviously useful for the apprentice cooks that you are, and which will end with a tasting that is as expected as it is delicious!
The conclusion of your day? A meeting with a "ramendeur": indispensable, his task is to mend manually the fishing nets. An essential know-how, and a nice way to end an unforgettable global experience.
6.3 RESTO HOME - More information on the website
63, rue de Bayeux
14520 Port-en-Bessin-Huppain
Tel : 02 31 92 17 66
Press your own organic apple juice with your family
Apples are part of the soul of Normandy. Only problem is: how to choose them? And how to make your own fruit juice? For this last activity, dedicated to children as well as to adults, we will go to the Domaine d'Ouézy, located in the eponymous village, in the heart of the Pays d'Auge. In this educational farm, held by Hervé, who will guide you during your entire time here, the apples harvested are guaranteed without chemical treatment, the sheep maintain the orchards! Once collected under your eyes, the apples take the direction of the press. Then they are washed and pasteurized - bacteria are removed. The juice is finally there, and you will also participate in the labeling, in order to master the production chain from A to Z. You then take the road to the castle, where Hervé will show you an old-fashioned press - meaning manual. New tasting, and new verdict: it's excellent!
Beyond the flavors that you will discover here, the pedagogy distilled in these places by an owner who knows his subject allows you to apprehend this moment of discovery as an experience to be realized in family.
DOMAINE DE OUÉZY - More information on the site
22, rue Auguste Lemonnier
14270 Ouézy
Create your own calvados: with enthusiasm... and moderation!
When you say apple, you also say calvados! Only a few kilometers away from the domain where you will make your apple juice, it is at the Château du Breuil, in Breuil-en-Auge, that you will meet Antoine, the local guide. A distillery for nearly 60 years, the castle receives each year the harvests of more than 20,000 local apple trees: a guarantee of origin that allows it to boast the best quality certifications. After a few explanations on the history of the place, you will be amazed by the tons of apples recently harvested, and take the way to the stills, whose main purpose is to remove the less noble parts, and thus preserve only the best of the alcohol. Then head for the cellar, located in the chateau's orangery, whose framework in the shape of an overturned boat hull is exceptional. The maturing of the calvados continues here, in oak barrels. Now it's time for the tasting: calvados, aged from 2 to 15 years, are offered to you. Antoine invites you to make your own opinion, guides you in your discovery of the crus, explains how the youngest are lively, the oldest voluptuous. Finally, by blending some of these calvados, you will create your own unique nectar, before bottling it in the most perfect tradition: you are now a master blender, and leave the premises with a great experience, and of course with your own bottle!
CHÂTEAU DE BREUIL - LA SPIRITERIE FRANÇAISE - More information on the website
14130 Le Breuil-en-Auge
Tel : 02 31 65 60 00
From the cocoa bean to exceptional chocolate
It is in the prefectural city of the Orne, Alençon, that you will discover - or rediscover - chocolate, during 3 exciting hours. Appointment is given to the store of Petit Chocolatier, where Olivier Viel welcomes you in a very friendly atmosphere. He masters the entire process of elaboration, from the beans that he fetches directly from Cameroon, to the roasting of the latter in his Orléans laboratory. In passing, he will reveal his secrets for the choice, then the preparation of the beans. At the Petit Chocolatier, you will start, under the guidance of the expert, the making of a ganache. Then you will pour it into molds where the chocolate (dark or milk) has been previously poured. After a new thickness of chocolate is poured, you will go to the cooler until it solidifies. Finally come the two long-awaited steps: the unmolding and the tasting. Is it worth mentioning that your creations are excellent?
LE PETIT CHOCOLATIER - More information on the site
234, avenue du Général Leclerc
61000 Alençon
Tel : 02 33 31 72 73
Oyster and taste tour in Agon-Coutainville
Head for the west coast of Normandy for a walk that smells like sea spray. Facing the Channel Islands, this coast, also called "Côte des havres" for the presence of numerous natural bays over a distance of 20 kilometers, is famous for its oyster farming. Appointment is given with Hervé. Here, the tidal coefficient can be very high, and the sea sometimes withdraws to more than a kilometer
Taking advantage of this momentary withdrawal, you start your moment with a nice ride, pulled by a tractor. Anton's Walk, that's the name of this walk, makes you go through virgin spaces, just discovered by the sea: you will only meet here amateurs of fishing on foot... and stakes!
After a few minutes, you will reach the level of the bouchot stakes and the oyster bags. If the last ones are regularly turned over before harvesting, the first ones are collected in August, before young spats are installed. Then, let's go to an unusual discovery: the fishing. A technique widely used in the 20th century, it has gradually disappeared - except here: it consisted in trapping the fish by means of a funnel-shaped structure several tens of meters long. Once the tide was out, all you had to do was to bend down and pick up the fish with a net in one of the small remaining pools. And it's a good thing: the continuation of your itinerary here will allow you to practice this fishing! The sea air whets your appetite, and you end your visit with a nice buffet in the middle of the foreshore: seafood, wine, the immensity of the beach all to yourself, a moment out of time!
HERVÉ GATEAU / LA BALADE D'ANTON - More information on the website
La Cale du Passous
Avenue des Dunes
50230 Agon-Coutainville
Make my jam the old-fashioned way: tradition and excellence
A jam making course : what a nice idea ! Here, you go to Autheuil-Authouillet, in the Eure, in the heart of Sophie's splendid property. In a tastefully decorated room, which looks like it came straight out of a decoration magazine, the utensils are there: if Sophie has previously macerated the fruits, the copper basin, the stove and the wooden spoon are waiting for you! Quickly, you are put to work, mixing the fruits taking care to draw an 8. Then a little butter is added. From a certain moment, the drop is heavy, and struggles to detach itself from the spoon: the jam has taken! Then comes the tasting, accompanied by explanations and advice from Sophie: a marvel, and a family experience to be repeated!
LA FERME DES ISLES - More information on the website
7, chemin des Isles
27490 Autheuil-Authouillet
Tel : 06 63 46 00 45
Make your own organic beer!
In the last decade, Normandy has become a land of beer production, just like its Breton neighbor. The proof? By heading to Lonlay-l'Abbaye, in the Orne region, and its well-named beer castle: no old stones here, but a contemporary wooden facade that looks like a castle from afar! It is a store, with a neat and friendly decoration, looking like a flea market, and where we propose you many beers produced here, thanks to harvests from organic farming. Pascale and Donatien propose you to discover the elaboration of their beverages, by following the different stages of preparation
We start with the crushing, that is to say the realization of a flour resulting from barley and wheat malt, which is then poured into a water tank heated to 60 °C. During the hour of cooking that follows, you are asked to mix the whole carefully to avoid the formation of lumps. The malt turns into sugar and becomes a juice called "wort". After various checks
- the wort is brought to a boil, and then you add the hops - the ones that will give your beer its bitterness - under Donatien's watchful eye. Coriander and orange peel are finally added, the whole is put in a fermentation tank, then cooled. If the brew still has to rest, you will nevertheless be able to taste some of the beers produced here: you will probably not be able to repeat the experience alone, but you will know a lot about it!
CHÂTEAU DE LA BIÈRE - More information on the site
61700 Lonlay-l'Abbaye
Tel : 02 33 38 07 86
Production and tasting: discovering honey
Direction the south of Normandy, in Saint-Paterne, a few kilometers from Alençon, on the border with the Pays de la Loire. The objective: to turn you into beekeepers, under the guidance of Patrick, who has installed his 400 hives in the park of the splendid castle. You have regularly seen the white suits, topped with a protection for the faces, which look like those of the fencers? Now it's you who is wearing this indispensable work outfit! Patrick delicately opens one of the hives in front of you: what a sight! Thousands of bees are at work, creating kilos of what will become one of the best honeys of the region on honeycomb plates. The explanations begin, and leave you dreaming: the organization of the work of the bees, their strictly respected hierarchy, the daily kilometers that they make to go to gather the flowers, and under your eyes the fruit of this intense work. If the excellence of the honey produced here is recognized by many restaurateurs, it is towards the restaurant l'Alezan, located in Alençon, and whose chef is Adrien Chauvin, that you will continue your discovery. Adrien, a regular customer of Patrick's, will show you how honey is a key ingredient in many of his preparations. Under your eyes, he executes one of his dishes, obviously enhanced with the honey produced in front of you earlier. Then it's time for the tasting: the guests are unanimous and leave with a jar of the precious nectar. Its name? The black frames percherons". A whole program..
HONEY WORKSHOP, FROM THE HONEY HOPE TO THE HONEY TABLE - More information on the website
Château de Saint Paterne and restaurant l'Alezan
All information is available at the Alençon tourist office
Place de la Magdeleine
61000 Alençon
Tel : 02 33 80 66 33
How to make your own herbal tea ? It's with La Fée cueillette !
It is another magnificent castle - that of Harcourt, in the medieval domain of the same name - that serves as the setting for this equally unique experience. Here the Picking Fairy, Julie by name, awaits you for a moment dedicated to the whole family. The park of the domain is home to many species of trees and plants: their leaves will compose the herbal tea that you will concoct at the end of your visit. Beforehand, the fairy will introduce you to the giant sequoia, inviting you to caress it, as its bark is so soft. More than 150 years old, its buds are renowned for their medicinal virtues. It is time to pick: lime, sage, mint, ginkgo leaves and even ground ivy are duly collected. You are informed and guided, and the moment turns out to be fun and educational. Finally, the preparation workshop takes place: the leaves are sorted, cut and carefully placed in small bags before infusion. Let's taste it: it's excellent! In the end, you spend a moment here in a timeless place, that we advise you to make with the children
FÉE CUEILLETTE - More information on the website
13, rue du Château
27800 Harcourt
Tel : 02 32 46 29 70
Gathering and cooking wild plants in the Pays d'Auge
Another gathering, another place! Let's go to the Pays d'Auge, known for its half-timbered houses emblematic of the region. It is precisely one of these, Christine's splendid farmhouse, which serves as a backdrop for your experience. Originally from the Netherlands, she welcomes you in a splendid property, mixing authenticity and modernity. After useful explanations, you will head to the garden where you will discover the various plants, from chervil to nettle. If, in the collective imagination, these last ones sting, it is however not the case of all! You will pick many of them, preferably the youngest, untouched by animals. Back on the property with your harvest, and after a good breath of fresh air, it's time to prepare it! Soaked in vinegar, boiled, mixed with almonds, yogurt, garlic or a little sugar, they become a spread that you will of course taste with Christine. During the discussion, you will learn more about nettles, and in particular about their numerous virtues: irrigation of the organs, relief of rheumatism, anti-inflammatory aspects. This extraordinary moment ends with a shared drink, the body, the mind and the taste buds invigorated by so many healthy discoveries!
CHRISTINE VAN DEN BOER : Gathering and cooking wild plants - More information on the website
950, chemin de la Rocquerie
14100 Courtonne-la-Meurdrac
Tel : 06 80 57 84 71
An apple spa at Domaine de Villeray
Our last experience is a little different: we use the apple, but we won't eat it! Indeed, if it is indeed in a spa that you have an appointment, the products used for your well-being are indeed based on the star fruit of Normandy! It is in the heart of the Perche region that you will discover the Spa Pom, which is part of the Domaine de Villeray, in the Perche region. The hotel, whose rooms are divided between a mill and a castle, is one of the most chic in the area: everything is beautiful, calm, relaxing, and the service is not to be outdone. After making your appointment at the spa, go there: the massages are made with oils and products from local apples. The sensations are excellent: to be massaged with apples, who would have believed it? To continue this moment in the sublime indoor swimming pool of the spa will be the most beautiful conclusion of this enchanted - and fruity - interlude!
DOMAINE DE VILLERAY - More information on the site
61100 Sablons-sur-Huisne
Tel : 02 33 73 30 22
Useful information
How to get there. Normandy is well served by an efficient motorway network: A13 (the Normandy freeway), A28 (via Rouen and Alençon), A84 (Caen - Rennes via Avranches...). On the rail side, several lines link the capital to Normandy, to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Le Havre and Granville
SNCF CONNECT - More information on the website
When can you travel? It all depends on the experience you want to do: outdoor experiences are best done in the summer, and are sometimes only offered on sunny days. The others can be done during other seasons. In Normandy, summers are rarely scorching, winters rarely very harsh!
Budget. Count on 15 to 20 € for a meal in a brasserie or a restaurant, from 50 € for a night in a hotel and about 20 € for a night in a campsite for 2 people.
