Pastel

One of the best things about this region for us, is the rich food and wine heritage. We are surrounded by food producers and restaurants which offer a wide range of food drawing on the rich local food culture. The most famous local dish is cassoulet claimed by our nearest town, Castelnaudary. Nearly all restaurants offer a cassoulet or you can buy a ready made cassoulet from a traiteur. If the traditional cassoulet is a bit too much, several patisseries in Castelnaudary sell an ice-cream cassoulet with nougat instead of beans. A treat for children young and old!

We are surrounded by a range of excellent restaurants ranging from the Relais de Riquet on the Canal du Midi which offers good quality traditional food at reasonable prices with an unexpectedly wide ranging wine selection and a cassoulet to take away or the more modern menu of Le Pas de Narouze located by the Bassin de Naurouze on the Canal du Midi offering very reasonably priced set menus serving high quality modern French food. The restaurant in
For a more special gourmet experience there is L’ Auberge du Poids Public in the historic village of Saint Felix de Lauragais. The dining room boasts fabulous views across the Pleine de Lauragais and outstanding food including a vegetarian menu. It is mentioned in the Michelin Guide and is a great favourite with the locals for a special meal experience.

One of our passions is food, we are lucky to be surrounded by artisan producers whose products we stock in our on-site shop. Many of these are available for visits, so taste the beer, meet the producer. We even have an olive oil producer in our village who offers tasting visits in the Summer!
There are several wine regions nearby with interesting appellations that combine Mediterranean and Atlantic grapes such as Malpere, Minervois and Cabardes delivering complex reds and fabulous roses. Gaillac to the North produces brilliant whites as well as bold reds. The area is also a growing centre for organic wine making, with many organic vineyards as well as our friends at Brequet, the organic brewery nearby.
Markets
We are located at the heart of the Lauragais agricultural landscape which gives us access to local food and a fascinating range of markets. The most famous are Revel and Mirepoix which are both held in medieval market places with a large range of both local and organic producers. Our nearest market is at Villefranche de Lauragais every Friday where you can buy anything you need, and many things you did not know you needed. We found the best strawberries we have ever tasted! In all there are nearly 20 markets in and around the Lauragais.

Other amenities
Our nearest boulangerie, pharmacy, doctors and small supermarket are in the village of Labastide-d’Anjou 6km away, our favourite boulangerie is in Avignonet-Lauragais 5km away. Our nearest town is Villefranche-de-Lauragais which has a range of independent shops, boulangeries, boucheries, bars and restaurants and a large Hyper-U supermarche. Revel has a range of independent shops in and around the market square.