The culinary treasures The culinary treasures of northern France but you’ll still be able to get breakfast. From 4.30am – 4.30pm La Chatillon restaurant, an institution in Bourgogne, serves fishermen and anyone else who loves great food – their seafood is superb. Fish fit for a Queen Journey along the beautiful coastal roads of the Opal Coast and you’ll pass by authentic fishing villages where traditional little wooden boats are parked outside houses and fishermen sell their catch direct from their garages. Don’t miss Boulogne’s fabulous fish market where artisans (local fish) and commercants (fish from further afield) put on a colourful display of fish from scallops and sardines to spider crab and sea bream. At Solutions Fish Market stall the seller tells me “I’ve won 17 awards for quality of fish, I even had a message from Queen Elizabeth II about my award as a supplier to the royal table - the first French fisherman to win such an award from the Queen.” Solution fish/seafood Cap Blanc Nez©lescoflocs Come to Pas-de-Calais in the Hauts-de-France region and you’ll discover an area of ancient history and rich culture, fringed by the glorious Opal Coast and brimming with historic villages and quaint hamlets which pepper the bucolic countryside. But what I love most about this friendly region – is its gastronomy says Janine Marsh. The gastronomy of Pas-de-Calais is unique. Its flavours come from the rich natural bounty of its fertile land and sea. It takes a pinch of influence from its Flemish past. And it’s seasoned by – well the seasons, in the far tip of northern France, it’s the rain and temperate climate that makes this area the vegetable garden of France. Come here with stretchy trousers and a healthy appetite because you’re going to be feasting like a lord… La Mer Pas-de-Calais is home to France’s biggest fish port – Boulogne-sur-Mer and restaurants in the region serve a wide range of the freshest fish from lobsters and mussels to langoustine and herring. Each morning, after a 5am auction, fish is delivered all over northern France and to the famous food market at Rungis in Paris. It might be early, The King of fish If you like your fish smoked, you’re in for a treat here. 100 years ago there were dozens of fish smokers in the town, now there are just four including Accary, famous for their smoked herring – AKA the king of the fish in this part of the world. This artisan producer consists of just 5 people who clean, cut, salt, smoke and pack the fresh fish delivered daily – a process that takes just 24 hours for herring, and a little longer for salmon. Smoked in huge stone chimneys called ‘corresses’ using oak and beechwood shavings, they’ve been working this way for almost 80 years and have won numerous awards including a coveted EPV and red label. The ashes are removed weekly and used by a local soap producer, any fish waste is used in cosmetics and animal food production. Nothing is wasted. 30 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 31
