Discover the new hostels, these places where we sleep and where we eat very well

Europe 1 2:01 am, October 24, 2021

INTERVIEW

In recent years, more and more young chefs have left the big, trendy cities to settle in the countryside.

Close to nature, they reinvent the codes of the inn: a place where you sleep and eat very well.

Victor Coutard, journalist and author of the book

(Ed. Tana) crisscrossed the country to discover the best new inns.

He was the guest of Laurent Mariotte in "La Table des bons vivants", this Saturday. 

How to define a new hostel?

It's a bit like the return of country restaurants according to journalist Victor Coutard.

"It's a kind of revolution in country restaurants. These are young chefs who settle in villages, sometimes far from traditional tourist flows. They offer healthy, simple and affordable cuisine," he explains. at the microphone of Europe 1. With their knowledge of local products, these chefs offer local and traceable cuisine.

They favor seasonal cuisine and they encourage new winegrowers. 

"We wanted to highlight those who are trying to do better"

Victor Coutard says he started from the observation that there are not many restaurants in the villages that offer regional, local, and good cuisine.

"Traveling through rural France, we never ate as badly as on the roads. It's a bit hopeless. We wanted to highlight those who are trying to do better," he said. 

The ten commandments of the new inns

It is for this reason that the journalist draws up a list of ten commandments of the new inns.

Among them, the most important is user-friendliness.

"The first thing is to see a boss who is happy to receive you, who practically hugs you," explains Victor Coutard. 

The second commandment: "the customer, you will not snub him".

The others revolve around short circuits, seasonal cuisine, discussion with local producers, and highlight natural wines. 

Addresses in Auvergne, Brittany ...

The starting point of the book is at the Auberge de Chassignolles in Auvergne.

"It's a true gourmet refuge and it's very far. It's very inexpensive: 28 euros for a full four-step menu and a wonderful wine list. It's a place that is not necessarily comfortable and that won't appeal to everyone, but it's a place where you feel welcome, ”he recalls. 

Another favorite: Le Petit Hôtel du Grand Large in Saint-Pierre-Quiberon in Brittany.

A place off the beaten track with cuisine based on the sea. 

A kitchen accessible to the inhabitants around

The Auberge de la Roche in the Alpes-Maritimes is also on this list.

All of the products on the menu come from the region.

The hostel has also helped to breathe new life into the village and brought life to the surrounding inhabitants.

The place remains very accessible to all the villagers with affordable prices.

"Often, the criticism that can be made with restaurants which are quite qualitative in the countryside, it is that the prices are too high and they forget the locals. And there, this is not the case. These new inns are part of an environment and they do not cut themselves off from people or the nature that surrounds them, "says Victor Coutard.