Everyone’s heard a myriad ways to relieve stress – from kissing to laughing, sketching to writing, drinking black tea to sniffing scents – but we think Northern France offers just the right restorative cocktail for frazzled folk. The mix of the great outdoors, local produce and the rhythm of centuries-old tradition that beats in the background will have you reconnecting with the ‘you’ that was buried under the detritus of life, or a loved one who had got used to booking time with you in your jam-packed diary.
L’Auberge du Vert Mont sits on top of the Flanders hills : perfect base to discover northern french cuisine
Barely a climb, but at the top of Mont des Cats, when you arrive at Vert Mont you’ll find the largest, greenest views imaginable. Near Calais and a hop from the motorway, the slow pace of this place forces you to let go, relinquish control and embrace the simple things in life.
Florent Ladeyn uses food from a network of local producers
They say to eat well is to live well and Florent Ladeyn is a firm believer. The kitchen in the auberge uses only local market gardeners and farmers, and the restaurant has neither menu cards nor tablecloths. Just come, lie in, walk the trails in the area, studded with villages and abbeys, admire the view from the house, pull up a chair and enjoy the eyes-closed tasting menu.
Cooking up a storm – with the best healthy local produce
Florent Ladeyn is not the region’s only devotee of local produce, or ‘locavore’ in French. Traditions stick in France, so buying locally or seasonally is often second nature in these time-forgotten towns and villages. The chef Pascal Lefebvre at Auberge de la Marine is a bolthole with the French touch, perched spitting distance from the quay in Le Crotoy and offering simple, brilliantly cooked food and an intoxicating sea breeze.
The Auberge de la Marine is part of the Baie de Somme Zero Carbone, an initiative promoting eco tourism and advocating the benefits of outdoor activities (the non-petrol-consuming sort) and eating locally sourced fruit and vegetables, dairy produce, meat and fish.
Cheese cellars and sellers like Ferme des Récollets
Another tradition in Northern France is the value placed on skilled craftspeople and French savoir-faire, the art of cheese-making being a case in point. Production can still be seen in French cheese farms like Ferme des Récollets in Sainte Marie Cappel and its farm shop – overlooking pasture, strawberry field and vegetable garden – is a great place to poke around and stock up on healthy local produce to take home. Or take a trip to a cheese cellar like La Cave des Fromages in Lille which stocks many of the 1200 cheeses for which France is famous such as Maroilles Cheeses.
With Michelin-starred chefs and many restaurants listed in the influential Gault et Millau guides, Hauts-de-France region is a paradise for foodie couples
