Gourmet activities
Specialities to discover
Activités gourmandes en Loire-Atlantique
The Loire-Atlantique is also a land of culinary traditions! From sweet to savoury, there's something to suit all tastes and palates. Take wine, for example, with Muscadet. For cheese lovers, there's curé nantais. In Guérande, you can also visit the salt marshes. For those with a sweet tooth, you can try Nantes ginger or petit beurre. We'll leave you to discover five culinary specialities from Loire-Atlantique:
The muscadet
The Muscadet is the largest single-crop vineyard in France. It is a white wine that was introduced into the Nantes vineyards in the 17th century, in 67 communes. It is found on farms around the Sèvre, Maine, Grand-Lieu lake and Goulaine marshes. There are around 400 Muscadet vineyards, spread over 7,000 hectares of vines. Muscadet has a number of appellations guaranteeing its quality and origin:
- Two appellations, Muscadet and Muscadet, guarantee its quality and origin.
- Two regional Appellations of Controlled Origin (Muscadet and Gros Plant du Pays Nantais)
- One sub-regional appellation d'origine contr&eocirc;lée (Muscadet Sèvre Maine)
- Nine communal appellations d'origine contr&eocirc;l& e (Muscadet)
Muscadet is a wine that goes perfectly with shellfish and seafood. It is a light, fresh wine that can be kept for around 2 to 5 years.
Muscadet is a wine that goes well with shellfish and seafood.
There are many wineries opening their doors to you, so don't hesitate to go and meet the producers!
Among our Gîtes de France classified accommodation close to Muscadet farms, you'll find:
- The gîte La Sansonnière à La Haye-Fouassière
- Le gîte Caribot à Le Pallet
- Le Gîte du Champs Cartier à Vallet
- Le gîte L'Abri des Vendangeurs à Vallet
- Le Domaine de la Grange à Mouzillon
Don't hesitate to check out our other accommodation here.
Salt
Salt, we all consume it! The salt harvest dates back to the Roman era. Guérande. Today, there are more than 2,000 hectares of salt marshes spread over six communes (Guérande, Batz-Sur-Mer, La Turballe, Le Croisic, Le Pouliguen and La Baule). The Guérande site has received numerous labels, making it a unique and protected site:
- Label Paysage in 1992.
- Zone Naturelle d'Intérêt Écologique, Floristique et Faunistique (ZNIEFF) par l'État français depuis 1991.
- Important Bird Area (ZICO) in 1979.
- European Natura 2000 network.
We recommend visiting Terre de Sel, a former salt works. Located right in the heart of the Guérande salt marshes, it is divided into a shop area as well as a covered area with temporary exhibitions, photos of the salt marshes from all points of view and an edutainment area, explaining the salt worker's job and the tricks of the salt marshes. Weather permitting, don't miss the panoramic terrace where you can admire the expanse of the Guérande salt marshes. It's a breathtaking view!
To find out more, guided tours are organised in season with games for children: they can actually put themselves in the shoes of a salt worker!
Among our Gîtes de France à Guérande classified accommodation, you'll find:
- The gîte Villa Sual à Guérande
- The gîte Résidence Le Gwen Rann
- Le gîte Bouzeray
- The gîte La Musardise
- Le gîte Appartement Toud Koukou
- The Gîte des Paludiers
Discover more Gites de France label accommodation in Guérande here.
The beurre blanc
Bre beurre blanc is a sauce that was invented in the village of la Chebuette à Saint-Julien-de-Concelles, à about twenty kilometres from Nantes. In 1890, Clémence Lefeuvre ran a restaurant there.
At the time, beurre blanc was a simple melted butter sauce that was served with fish. One day, while serving three distinguished gentlemen, Clémence Lefeuvre overheard a remark: "it's a bit like mussel sauce". Displeased, Clémence cooked a pinch of chopped mussels with vinegar and a little white pepper. This is how beurre blanc came into being.
Today, you can enjoy this beurre blanc at the restaurant Chez Clémence, in the same location. It's a co-responsible gourmet restaurant offering menus from 33€.
Among our Gîtes de France classified accommodation near the Chez Clémence restaurant, you will find:
- The gîte Les Murlasines à Saint-Julien-de-Concelles
- Le gîte Le lit de la Loire à Divatte-sur-Loire
- The gîte Les Oiseaux at Loroux-Bottereau
- Le gîte La maison de Jeannette au Loroux-Bottereau
- Le Gîte du Sieur Hubelin au Loroux-Bottereau
Discover more Gites de France-labelled accommodation near Saint-Julien-de-Concelles here.
The curé nantais
The curé nantais à également été invented in the town of Saint-Julien-de-Concelles, in 1880. It was the result of a meeting between a farmer, Pierre Hivert, and a plastic surgeon. The cheese, once called "Le régal des gourmets" by the farmer, became "Le curé nantais" in homage to the curé.
The cheese dairy remained in the family for 4 generations. In 1980, Georges Parola, from a family of cheese-makers, decided to take over. The cheese dairy is now based in Pornic.
Nantais curd is now one of the jewels in the crown of French gastronomy, and was awarded the gold medal at the Salon de l'Agriculture in 2012.
It is possible to visit the cheese dairy in season, in the morning. You will watch the milk being turned into cheese and finish off with a tasting.
LU biscuits
LU is first and foremost the meeting of two biscuit-makers, Jean-Romain Lefèvre and Pauline-Isabelle Utile. The company LU (Lefèvre-Utile) was founded in 1848. It wasn't long before the biscuits they made became a local speciality: the biscuit factory even won the gold medal at the Nantes exhibition in 1882.
Louis, the son, took over the biscuit factory and invented the famous petit-beurre in 1886, with its 4 ears and 52 teeth. He opened a huge factory on the quays of the Loire and revolutionised the production methods. He even designed his own advertising posters, such as the one for the little necklace box.
The factory reopened in 1934.
In 1900, the factory won the Grand Prix at the Universal Exhibition and established its international reputation. Little by little, a new logo was created with the two white letters on a red background, and the tin packaging was replaced by more modern packaging on which a photograph of the biscuits appeared.
Today, the biscuits are sold in more than 100 countries.
Today, LU has expanded its range with new biscuits such as Prince, Barquettes, Pépito and Pim's. The brand tries to act on local biodiversity by using wheat from 1,500 French farmers, sown and harvested using more environmentally-friendly methods.
The LU tower in the centre of Nantes marks the site of the former factory. The factory has now been transformed into a venue for conferences and socialising, as well as a bar, Lieu Unique.
The Lieu Unique is a new building in the centre of Nantes.
Among our Gîtes de France à Nantes-labelled accommodation, you'll find the City Break:
- L'Antichambre de la duchesse
Discover more Gites de France-labelled accommodation near Nantes here.