How to create a French-style summer feast

3 inspiring menus from my weekend in the Auvergne

The Auberge de Chassignolles, as I wrote in my last post, has so many things going for it but the food has alway been one of the main draws. Served nightly as a fixed price no choice menu it draws heavily on what is grown and produced in the region and made in the Auberge’s own kitchen.

The chefs change each season - currently it’s headed up by Harry Miller who has worked at the similarly rustic Coombeshead Farm in Cornwall and Marmo in Bristol - hence a slight Italian influence, Jake McCarthy, another Coombeshead alumnus, is in charge of desserts which were a real standout too.

I was only there for two evenings plus the winemakers feast on Sunday which was a slightly different format but here’s what we ate. Like the post I wrote a couple of months ago on Italian food there are plenty of ideas to pilfer for your own summer entertaining, especially if you’re cooking for a crowd.

(This is in place of the Friday 5 in case you were wondering what had happened to that!)