Our gourmet weekends are always something special, but for Valentines we thought we’d do something even more amazing.  There will be two evening meals on Friday and Saturday as usual, but on Friday Natalie will be rustling up four courses instead of the usual three, and you’ll be treated to an aperitif to start.

Natalie is our chef and is constantly exploring what’s new in the world of vegan cookery which is one of the most exciting areas of food today.  She rejects the use of meat substitutes and inferior versions of meat dishes.  Instead she cooks dishes which are vegan by their very nature.  It means that her food is balanced and satisfying with no compromise on flavour.

Perhaps Natalie’s greatest gift as a cook is her ability to combine flavours in unexpected but delightful ways.  Her dishes rarely have a central “main event” around which various accompaniments cluster as is usual with meat dishes.  Rather each dish has several elements designed to work together without any being dominant.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that Natalie’s modus operandi is simply to track down recipes from the furthest corner of the internet.  Of course she’s influenced by what she reads and what other chefs are producing, but all her work is marked by her own particular style, arrived at through endless experimentation and a restless desire for the new.

She’s noticed a recent upsurge in high quality vegan magazines and blogs in France, but has also noticed that the food they describe is rarely available outside of  Europe’s capitals.  Here in rural southwest France, vegans are too often condemned to eating the same food they’ve been eating for the last twenty years.  It’s easier to eat here than before, but too often the quality and interest is missing.  Natalie’s on a one woman mission to change all of that!

For our Valentines weekend, we’re offering two nights accommodation in our award winning 16th Century Auberge, Le Cheval Blanc, a gourmet vegan meal on both evenings and and something pretty special for breakfast too!  Weekends in St Antonin are always great fun because one of the finest markets in the region is on our doorstep, so you’ll have time to enjoy soaking up the sights, sounds and smells of that before you head home.  St Antonin itself is one of the best preserved medieval towns in France, and there’s fabulous countryside especially the Aveyron Gorge right on the doorstep, so you won’t be short of things to do during the day.

Price is €425 per couple in an en suite room.

Included

• Accommodation for two nights in a double or twin room
• 4 course gourmet vegan Valentines meal on Friday night with aperitif and wine.
• 3 course gourmet vegan meal on Saturday night.  Wine included.
• Sumptuous vegan breakfast

Not Included

• Lunch
• Transport

It may be possible to accommodate other dietary requirements.  Get in touch for more information.