The art of French cuisine in the Tarn is based on fresh local produce and aims to create appetising, healthy and balanced dishes. There are excellent local wines, many from the Gaillac region, to complement the food. The organic movement is gaining strength amongst the local winemakers, and is reinforcing the continuing quest for quality, and hence enhancing its reputation.

Many traditional dishes of the area, like magret de canard (duck breasts), pear and almond tart, cassoulet (duck, porc and bean stew) or foie gras (duck liver) are well-known as winter dishes, and are on offer at almost every restaurant in South West France. But the wide variety of local, seasonal, top-quality foods means that there are many other excellent, summer menus to discover, notably in the cuisine at the Domaine de Perches.

The art of French cuisine in the Tarn

The art of French cuisine in the Tarn depends on the freshness and quality of produce of local farmers. There are markets in Albi, Gaillac, Carmaux, and Castres two or three times each week, as well as direct suppliers. They offer excellent vegetables, ‘red-label’ veal from the nearby Segala, every kind of summer fruit from the Lot-et-Garonne, melons and goats cheeses from the Lot, and ewes milk cheeses from near Cordes.

Dishes and menus

All our summer menus at Perches aim to combine four dishes to offer contrasting, yet complementing, tastes in a balanced meal. All start with a chilled soup, each based on a fresh local vegetable – with fruit, herbs, and  spices to enhance the savours. The salad which follows adds a contrasting pleasure from a local cheese, fresh-water fish or local cured meat.