Roast suckling pig and amber ale

I realise this is not the first time I’ve written about the virtues of roast pork and beer but it’s such a great match (and such an underrated one) that I keep on coming back to it. This time I came across it in a splendid northern French tavern called Le Bruegel in Bergues, the highlight of what was otherwise a rather cold, miserable journey on our way back to England last week.

In this part of France, which is known as the Pas-de-Calais, beer rather than wine is the drink of choice as it is just over the border in Belgium. The restaurants too, which are known as estaminets are much more like pubs than bistros. Le Breugel, which was festively decorated with flags, lines of washing and assorted agricultural implements also had a blazing log fire which made it very cheery and welcoming on a wet winter’s night. And the portions were huge. I mean HUGE!

My cochon de lait grillé (which you can see from the picture was enough for at least three people) was wonderfully sweet and fall-apart tender with crisp crackling and needed just the refreshing bite of a cellar-cool, malty Brasseur bière ambrée as they call it in this part of the world to clear the palate for the next mouthful.

Other good matches were a sourish blonde ale with a rich dish of braised chicory and the pungent local Maroilles cheese and a citrussy ‘blanche’ (witbier) with the local speciality pot’che vleesch, a selection of boiled meats that included rabbit, pork, chicken and veal in a flavoursome jelly - served Belgian-style with chips! (I’ve also had it as a terrine)

Good as the food was I can’t really recommend an extended stay in the area which is one of the least attractive, most industrial parts of France but as it’s a mere half hour from the Channel Tunnel it makes a good - and very inexpensive - stopover for any beer-lover. (There is also a shop called La Cave du Berguenard at 2, bis quai des maçons where you can buy 120 different French and Belgian beers)

Chablis and Jambon à la Chablisienne

I’m in Chablis for a couple of days this week and last night enjoyed one of the classic local pairings: a basic Chablis and a dish of Jambon à la Chablisienne - thick slices of ham in a cream, tomato and white wine sauce. This version also had a touch of tarragon which cut the richness of the sauce. It contained all the elements that kicks a young Chablis into touch - saltiness (of the ham), acidity (the tomato) and richness (the cream), a perfect counterfoil to Chablis’ own crispness.

The restaurant, a friendly bistro called La Feuillette 132, which has the unusual virtue in France of being open on a Monday night (and the rest of the week, it appears) is operated by an enterprise called La Cave du Connoisseur which sells a range of competitively-priced Chablis under their own label from the shop next door. It also supplies the restaurant’s very decent carafe wine.

Chocolate and Cognac

I’m not a great spirits drinker but last night after a day sorting out dusty bookshelves we just fancied indulging ourselves in a small glass of Cognac as a nightcap. It was admittedly a good one - a Hine Antique Cognac which has all the hallmark rich vanilla and spicy notes you look for in a top quality brandy.

With it we had a couple of squares of plain dark chocolate - a Venezuelan bar of 70% cocoa solids from Michel Huvelin in Niort - which perfectly mirrored the smooth richness of the drink. Sometimes simple pleasures are the best.

Offering a selection of really good artisanal chocolates with a glass of Cognac is a great way to finish off a meal, if you haven’t - as we hadn’t - the time or inclination to make a dessert. And it’s a great treat to have to hand for unexpected visitors during the forthcoming holiday season.

Image © Mariusz Blach - Fotolia

Les-Baux-de-Provence and civet de sanglier (wild boar stew)

I went to a great little bistro the other day in St-Rémy-de-Provence called - appropriately enough - Bistro Découverte. It’s run by a very talented young sommelier I used to know in London called Claude Douard who worked for Marco Pierre White and Joel Rebuchon.

As you’d expect, the wine list is awesome but there are also plenty of good local wines to drink at modest prices, several of which are available by the glass. We particularly enjoyed a soft, plummy La Chapelle de Romanin Les-Baux-de-Provence 2003, the unoaked wine of Château Romanin which was a perfect match with the plat du jour, a robust wild boar stew served with a sauce grand veneur (classic French game sauce). Made from the estate's younger vines, the wine was a typically southern French blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvdre, Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise with some added Cabernet Sauvignon.

The bistro is apparently well patronised by local winemakers - the legendary Eloi Durrbach of Domaine de Trevallon was sitting on the next door table.