Food And Culture of

the Loire Valley

September 6-14, 2023

(travel days are Sept 5 evening departure from Newark, French Bee to Orly, arrive noon Sept 6. Sept 14 depart for evening flight from Paris, Orly. Flight not included in price)

Loire Valley France

Join Shelley Wiseman in the Loire Valley for an 8-day exploration of food and wine. The Loire Valley  is a Unesco World Heritage site, also known as the Valley of the Kings and the Garden of France. It is listed as a the biggest concentration in the world of Renaissance and Medieval Castles, and the gastronomical traditions and know-how here date back to the middle ages and were fit for the illustrious Kings of France and England. The Loire valley has also hosted great artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Calder, and Max Ernst. The luxuriant and abundant gardens and wild preserved landscapes are set in a Natural Parc (Loire Anjou Touraine) which is protected.

Our hosts in the Loire are mother and daughter team, Lesley and Coral Miles who own the beautiful La Couture manor house where we will be staying.

Lesley Miles, artist and Chef extraordinaire, her motto is 'you are what you eat'. She cooks everything from scratch, handpicking the best organic ingredients. She will share her techniques, specialties and experience as an artist and a chef.

Coral Miles is a landscape architect, garden and food historian, botanist and chef. Coral, who studied at Oxford University in England, is an expert on wild and medicinal plants, she loves foraging and cooking with flowers and herbs gathered in the surrounding meadows and woods. Coral 's green fingers and plant obsession have led her to settle in the Loire Valley and to create an award winning garden featuring a stunning potager and herb collection, which all serve as the starting point for the dishes cooked on site in the family restaurant. Her in-depth knowledge of the history of the Loire Valley, and of all the gastronomical know-how and dishes dating from the Middle Ages to nowadays, make her an indispensable guide and host for this unique trip!

The trip will include 5 cooking classes and a variety of visits including a cave lunch on a truffle plantation and goat cheese making on a farm. Please send us an inquiry if you are interested in joining us on this trip! Shelleystable@gmail.com. You can also send the deposit of $1250 to reserve your place here for June or here for September.

8 day Itinerary for September 6-14, 2023

DAY 1 Wednesday, Sept 6:

Arrival in Paris where you will be met at Orly airport and driven down to La Couture, your boutique hotel with award-winning gardens, in the Loire Valley, run by Coral and Lesley.

We will stop by the world famous Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (Château d’Ussé) which is a stone’s throw from the hotel.

Enjoy a swim in the outdoor heated pool or a stroll round the gardens which boast a large collection of medicinal and aromatic herbs, a potager, stunning boxwood and yew topiary as well a large collection of English roses.

Welcome aperitif and drinks in the garden followed by a delicious dinner on site.

Dinner at La Couture

Starter : Fresh young goat cheese salad with roquette and dill and young beetroot tops

Poêlée de saucisses de Toulouse et légumes du jardin served with Vitelotte purée (purple potatoes grown in the garden)

Dessert : local speciality : gelée de vin rouge aux épices de Rabelais avec son crémet d’anjou

DAY 2 Thursday Sept 7: Cheese, Fishing, cooking

Morning:

After breakfast we will set off to visit a famous Fromagerie .

This is a traditional goat cheese farm where they make the famous St Maure de Touraine raw goat milk cheese. Fabulous artisanal farmers rear goats and make the long cylinders, with a straw down the middle, that are then rolled in ash and left to ripen. We will learn about the different AOC goat cheese produced in the Loire Valley, the different stages of ripening, visit the farm and the workshop, pet the little goats. We will buy a selection of goat cheeses for lunch.

Lunch : Delicious Picnic on the banks of the Vienne River with cheeses from the cheese farm, local charcuterie, flat bread speciality dating from Rabelais called ‘fouées’ and fresh local produce.

Afternoon : Pécheries Ligériennes - BREHEMONT

We will head towards the picturesque riverside town of Bréhemont to meet Romain, a professional fisherman and the owner of an award-winning restaurant, who will take us on his boat to get the catch of the day.

We will then take this fish to Ambroise, the handsome award winning, TV celebrity Chef (who trained with Raymond Blanc in London). The restaurant prides itself in serving fish from the Loire river, fished daily. Ambroise reinvents these sometimes thought of as ‘un-noble’ river fish using contrasting textures, spices, interesting nuts and herbs.

He will show us round his kitchens and talk us though all the different processes of working with fish (curing, smoking, marinading etc..).

We will then join him in his kitchen for a cooking workshop.

Apéritif on the banks of the Loire with the local cocktail the Ligerian Spritz (Cointreau liqueur, Saumur sparkling wine, lots of ice)

Dinner at the fish restaurant.

DAY 3 Friday Sept 8 – VILLANDRY

Morning : Visit of the world famous potager at the Château de Villandry.

Villandry is undoubtedly the most iconic garden in France when it comes to formal topiary and geometric boxwood designs. However it's true beauty and originality lie in its ornamental vegetable gardens. It is a unique blend of medieval monastic planting, medicinal and culinary herbs, luxuriant abundant vegetable contained in a formal renaissance design.

Laid out around the Chateau, its numerous terraces display mesmerising geometric patterns filled with a healthy abundance of vegetables creating a mosaic of colour. Each garden is adorned with yew topiary, flowing fountains, lace stonework parapets and perfectly clipped hedges which open up to create formal vistas throughout the gardens.

Our visit will be guided by Coral, our host, who is an expert in gardens and medicinal plants. Working with one of the gardeners we shall pick some vegetables and herbs for our evening meal (fèves and peas, chocolate mint, oak leaf salads and various flowers)

Lunch : at Chateau de Villandry’s restaurant where they cook delicious dishes using the vegetables, herbs and flowers grown in the gardens.

Afternoon : Cooking workshop at La Couture to prepare the evening’s meal:

First we will go with Coral to harvest some of the ingredients for dinner from the potager (parsnips, raspberries)

Cooking with the residential chef Lesley you will be actively taking part in the preparation of iconic local dishes:

Dinner at La Couture:

Starter : Pan fried St Maure de Touraine goat cheese with red chicory,

Griottes (local Sour cherries) and walnut salad

Main Course : Medallions de Porc, cooked in armagnac served with Pruneaux de Tours (lovely golden St Catherine plums (indigineous to this area) that used to be far more famous than Pruneaux d’Agen) served with parsnip purée and fèves and or fresh peas an mangetout

Dessert : Raspberries in a jelly made from sweet white wine (coteaux du Layon), decorated with chocolate mint

DAY 4 Saturday Sept 9– SAUMUR (Food market & Wine tasting)

Morning : We will set off in the morning along one of the most scenic route driving along the Loire river until the confluence where the Loire and the Vienne rivers meet. From the bridge you will see the medieval fortified church of Candes St Martin where St Martin died. We will then continue past the limestone cliffs, with their charming troglodytic dwellings, mushroom and wine caves.

We will arrive in Saumur, home to the French Cavalry - the Cadre Noir French - founded by Napoleon in time to visit to the famous food market which takes place in the medieval paved streets of Saumur where we will get the ingredients and special wine for our coming workshops.

Lunch at the market in the local bistrot du marché

Afternoon : You will drive up to the castle to get the amazing panoramic views of the river, a quick walk around the castle grounds, then we will head through the cabernet franc and Chenin vineyards taking the scenic wine road to our next stop where you have an incredible wine and sparkling wine tasting in the limestone caves.

Dinner in Bourgeuil: A wonferful evening lies ahead in the most spectacular lime stone caves, cooking on an open Vianney, famous chef and winner of the Meilleur goûteur de Touraine, will cook cote de boeuf on the open fire, served with local vegetables and the local specialty for dessert ; tarte vigneronne! You will sample wine from the Bourgeuil AOC

DAY 5 Sunday Sept 10– MONTSOREAU Antique & Food market

Morning : Visit to the world famous ‘Puces de Montsoreau’ which is a monthly outdoor antique market along the Loire river. It coincides with a wonderful food market (smaller than the one in Saumur) and the farmer’s market boast incredible charcutery and cheese stalls, crusty French breads and organic vegetable. We will shop for our food for our lunch

Picnic lunch on the banks of the Loire made from fresh local products, cheeses and charcuterie, crusty French bread

Afternoon OFF/ walk around the brocante stalls and local decoration shops and art galleries, there are also some wine sellers,

Dinner river cruise - Montsoreau

Dinner on the Amaranthe boat overlooking the Chateau de Montsoreau and the Church of St Martin. The boat will leave Montsoreau (where it is moored on the Loire) and flow upstream until the confluence with the Vienne river, leaving the white limestone facades of the Montsoreau Castle and the Church of St Martin in our wake. It is truly magical. Sipping the local sparkling wine you can watch as the facades of the buildings and the cliff face beyond catch the evening light and slowly turn from a buttery white to different hues of peachy pink. The waters below shimmer and glint reflecting the light, and later the moonlit starry skies. We can enjoy a lovely dinner with river fish (sandre) and local mushrooms from the caves in Montsoreau, listening to the fabulous commentary on the Loire flora and fauna given by the captain.

DAY 6 Monday Sept 11– Truffle farm visit & tasting & Cooking

Morning : Visit of a truffle farm. The Loire Valley is the birthplace of the cultivated truffle. This tradition began in the Renaissance, under the King François the 1st. The Loire valley is the second biggest producing region of black truffle sin France. The farmer will take us on an outing through the truffle orchard, talking about the growing process and the symbiotic relationship between the trees (oak, hazel, hornbeam) and the mycelium. He will reveal the magic and mystery behind the most expensive and highly prized mushroom they dub the ‘black diamond’. We will take some truffles back with us to prepare our lunch

Lunch : candlelit truffle based lunch in a fabulous limestone cave

Serving starter : velouté de truffe with herb mascarpone

Main : latticed Pomme de terre au four, stuffed with truffle brie served with a fresh salad

Dessert : Fresh strawberries with an artisanal truffle liqueur ice-cream

We will then head back to La Couture for our next cooking workshop

Afternoon :

Cooking Workshop at la Couture

First we harvest the potatoes, red onions and baby carrots, tarragon from the potager with Coral then into the kitchen to cook with Lesley

Starter : red onion and tomato tart with pesto of carrot tops, dressed with

foraged herbs.

Main course : Poulet Anjou – organic chicken legs flambeed in calvados and then cooked with tarragon and Saumur white wine, served with new ratte potatoes, and baby carrots

Dessert : Tart aux apricots et amandes with a glaze from infused anis seed and honey from our garden and hives served with crême fraiche d’Isigny (AOC cream)

Dinner : at La Couture

DAY 7 Tuesday Sept 12-- CHINON

Morning : Stroll around the medieval town of Chinon, following in the footsteps of Rabelais (one of France’s most famous writers) and Joan of Arc. The town sits on the banks of the Vienne at the foot of the medieval Fortress of Chinon. Stunning views across the Vienne valley, a monument steeped in History: Home to the Plantagenet dynasty in the 11th- 12th (Henry 2 of England, Richard the Lion Heart, John Lack land and Alienor d’Aquitaine) it later fell into the hands of the French and was where the first encounter between the exiled Dauphin King Charles 7 and the young Joan of Arc took place. This is where Joan’s epic journey against the English all started. Lorts of lovely boutiques, cake shops, beautiful pedestrian streets.

Lunch at a local Cafe – refined and delicious home cooked food on the medieval Square surrounding the fountain of the three graces.

Afternoon : Cooking workshop at La Couture

First we harvest the new potatoes and spinach and raspberries, bergamot and rose petals from the potager with Coral then into the kitchen to cook with Lesley

Starter : watercress soup with shallot croutons

Main : salt Cod with new potatoes and truffle butter, dressed with fresh spinach and watercress

Dessert : fresh raspberry and bergamot sorbet served with rose infused whipped cream, sprinkled with sugared rose petals

Dinner at la Couture

Day 8 Wednesday Sept 13th -- HUISMES

Morning : foraging walk to visit the troglodyte village in the cliff behind the House where they used to dry the Pruneaux de Tours (lovely golden St Catherine plum that used to be far more famous than Pruneaux d’Agen) in big ovens carved in the rock. Foraging for wild edible flowers and herbs (acacia, elderflower, thyme, fennel etc) to make edible flower fritters which we shall have for lunch

OR resting by the pool

Lunch : at La Couture

Starter : French onion soup with grilled cheese croutons

Main : salade tourangelle (fresh herby salad, with goat cheese, fried apples, seared rillons (local porc charcuterie)

Desert : Acacia or elderflower fritters served with elderflower and ginger icecream

Afternoon : After lunch we will head to the impressive château du Rivau, home to another beautiful award winning potager and garden.

We will have a cooking masterclass with their award-winning chef in the Chateau kitchens which will be privatised for this event. Awaiting the final menu

After the cooking workshop you can relax in the castle grounds until dinner

Dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 9 Thursday Sept 14

Departure

After an early breakfast you will be driven back to Paris Airport Orly.

Price: $6,500 per person
Deposit: $1,250, to hold your place: non refundable*
June trip deposit due before May 22
September trip deposit due before July 6

Deposit may be paid:

Here for the September trip

or by check to Shelley’s Table LLC, sent to:

10 Bridge Street, Apt B, Lambertville, NJ 08530.(please indicate which trip)

Includes:

Transfer from airport, beautifully appointed room single or shared room with ensuite bathroom, all meals, classes and excursions, and most wine and alcohol

Not included:

Airfare to Paris. However, please coordinate your flight with Shelley so there is one pick up in Paris.

Extras:

Outdoor pilates lessons can be organized by an English osteopath upon request for a small supplement (25 euros per person)

Californian or Ayruvedic massages can be booked in advance (95 euros for 1 hour or 150 euros for 1h30)

Artisanal soaps and toiletries made in an award winning local spa.

*Refunded in full if there are not enough participants to hold the trip (minimum 5, maximum 12)