Belle Bourgogne Part 4: Eat, Drink and be Happy
During our week in Savigny-lés-Beaune, we ate most of our meals at our accommodation so that we could really enjoy the ambiance of our home.
Our little home pretty in the summer evening light
We visited the boulangerie and mini market, as well as purchasing supplies from the supermarket in Beaune. Below you will see the delicious local food including terrine with fresh salad. We love the tiny radishes. Pastries and croissants from the boulangerie. We enjoyed the croissants with jam and some lavender honey we had purchased in Provence.
Delicious fresh peaches. Until recently we had never seen this type outside of France.
There are about five restaurants in the village and their opening hours vary. In summer, you will need to make your restaurant reservations in advance. We discovered this after trying to get a last-minute dinner reservation one evening. Luckily, fate was on our side. Chris bravely telephoned Le 428 Restaurant and was advised that they could accommodate us, but the offer was only for their Surprise Menu and the booking was in 30 minutes.
Santé Chris!
We were a little concerned what the ‘surprise’ might be given that neither of us are keen on some dishes containing offal that we have seen on many a French menu. However, with no other local option we quickly snapped up their offer rather than starve. It was a very pleasant summer evening but as the restaurant was on the other side of the village, a walk was a bit too far given the short timeframe until our reservation. We quickly dressed for dinner, jumped in the van and headed off.
A delightful and imaginative amuse-bouche
We began our meal with a glass of wine each and then chose the 5-course option paired with wines. The meal started with an amuse-bouche and continued with dishes including seafood, fish and meat. Later we enjoyed a selection of cheeses followed by our dessert. In France, there is often additional offerings, so besides the amuse-bouche to start, there was also a mignardise following dessert.
mignardise
A mignardise is a tiny one bite sweet often served with coffee at the end of the meal. The meal was a delightful and delicious surprise with lots of different flavours and mouth experiences. It was one of the highlights of the trip. I have since discovered that there is also a boutique hotel onsite. See this link.
Our other restaurant experience of the week was booked in advance. In the months leading up to our trip, we had enjoyed a TV show called ‘Remarkable Places to Eat’ hosted by Celebrated maitre d' Fred Sirieix and joined by various by celebrity chefs in each episode. In Season 4 Episode 5, Fred and Michael Caines, a well-known English chef, make a tour through Burgundy. They visit a farm to fork restaurant in the Ouche Valley just west of where we were going to be staying, Savigny-lés-Beaune. You can still find this episode on various streaming services.
La Ferme de La Ruchotte is located outside of the village of Bligny-sur-Ouche, a small village on the Ouche River approximately 20km northwest of Beaune. Chef Frédéric Ménager owns the organic farm that includes pigs, poultry, vegetables and fruit are grown, cooked and served to the restaurant guests.
After a morning spent in Beaune, we set our GPS to head to lunch. I’m glad that we had already checked out the location on Google map because the last part of the drive was a long a narrow road through the forest.
On our arrival at La Ferme de La Ruchotte
On arrival, as we were driving along the driveway, we were greeted by 3 enthusiastic dogs who escorted us from the carpark to the door of the dining room located in the main building.
Parking area
Photo of the dining room when we were the last to leave
The dining space was intimate and rustic. The room had a collection of small tables and one larger table to accommodate either a large group or to share with other guests. There were 19 people for lunch and that was full. We were the last guests to arrive and after we were seated, Fred came to meet us and he explained that his philosophy is for produce to come straight from the farm to table, cooking in harmony with the seasons.
Menu Aujourd’hui
We chose the 5-course option and a great bottle of wine to accompany the meal. Fred has a huge cellar of wines to choose from. Our meal included pintade (guinea fowl) that we had seen running around the farm before heading inside.
Not only was the food yummy but the plates and bowls were so delightful and added to the appeal. I particularly loved this side plate by Gien
The food experience was unique and delicious but there is another side to Fred. While enjoying the meal, our attention was caught by the rock and roll paraphernalia decorating the walls and there is a jukebox in the corner.
Fred is also a musician. A keen guitarist who loves rock and roll. Being of a similar age, we spent time at the end of our meal swapping stories of rock bands (in particular, a mutual love of Kiss and Alice Cooper) and comparing guitar collections.
Fred introduced us to his partner, Carole. Quelle coïncidence!
Carole and Fred
Chris purchased a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo of the La Ferme de la Ruchotte, a skull topped with a rooster and adorned with feathers and wheat stalks that was designed by a local tattoo artist.
La Ferme de la Ruchotte unique logo
Fred then gifted him a sticker and 2 guitar plectrums, all with the same design. Of course, the visit was not complete without a grand merci and some photos to finish.
Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience. We were able to make an online reservation for our lunch booking. The restaurant offers a few different time options to stagger the arrival of guests. Lunch is only served Wednesdays to Sundays. Please note that dinner reservations are not possible. After all, this is a farm and work starts early!
Please join me next time as we visit the lovely town of Beaune. À bientôt!
