France – In a hilltop monastery near Godewaersvelde, northern France, Jesse Fidele, a monk from Madagascar, makes award-winning cheese.
He’s modest, insisting the process “n’est pas difficile” (isn’t difficult). But he won’t reveal any details; his Cistercian order has kept the recipe a secret since 1850.
Mont des Cats cheese, named after the hill in French Flanders where it is made, is slightly soft with hints of cow’s milk and hay. It costs €10 in the abbey’s shop. Jesse suggests I buy the beer of the same name to go with it. It tastes of caramel with a dry finish. I presume he’s not allowed to drink it.
“Not at all!” he exclaims. “Everything in moderation!” It’s sound advice but difficult to heed, since I’m in Nord-Pas de Calais, the northernmost region of France, known for 60 varieties of cheese and artisanal beer with an alcohol content of up to 9 per cent.
Besides, it’s just a 90-minute ferry ride from Dover. My husband and I have brought the car, with plans to stock up on our return. And you have to try before you buy, surely?
Our long weekend begins in Lille, 60 miles south of Calais, with an unusual city tour in a yellow 2CV. Our guide drives at 12 mph, perfect for peering into shop windows: at bottles of colourful fruit syrups and macaroons in boxes with bows.
That evening, we dine at Rouge Barre, in the old town. Overseen by Steven Ramon, a semi-finalist in France’s equivalent of MasterChef, our five course menu includes skate with potato foam, john dory with asparagus, and quail –- the highlight.
The next day we head northwest, to Cassel, with its cobbled square and wooden windmill, going via a craft brewery in nearby Blaringhem. Olivier Duthoit at Brasserie du Pays Flamand sells beers of various proofs called Anosteke, a word that’s part ancient French, part Flemish, and is what people say when they’re so content they don’t want to leave somewhere.
We find this in abundance when we reach Estaminet Het Kasteelhof at Cassel. It’s a typical Flemish eaterie run by Emmanuel de Quillacq and Bruno Caron, who shower us with food. Much of it is grown in their spectacular garden, Jardin du Mont des Recollets, which they’ve spent 25 years creating.
At their estaminet, beams hung with baskets and dried flowers, Emmanuel brings carbonade flamande (braised beef in beer) tripe and copious chips. There’s folk music, story-telling and wooden table skittles. It’s a perfect anosteke moment: a fitting end to our foodie trip through French Flanders.
Visit myferrylink.com for fares from Dover to Calais from £45 each way with a car, or call 0844 2482 100. More information: visit tourisme-nord.com
The Independent