A R O U N D T H E M O U N TA I N
BOULANGERIE CHARLET Boulangerie, pâtisserie, chocolate factory, tea room, vinothèque... Visit now for sensory overload. Words Sarah Woodward Photography Joe McGorty
T’S ONE OF THE MOST HOTLYANTICIPATED arrivals to Aiglon each day – the early morning delivery of croissants and pain choco from Boulangerie Charlet. “We aim never to be late of course, although if it snows, we sometimes have to take a roundabout route,” says co-founder Didier Charlet. “But we have to be there before breakfast, seven days a week.” The journey from the small village of La Barboleuse, near Gryon, to Aiglon is often the easy bit. More complicated is loading the van in the first place. “It is not just the viennoiserie and the different types of breads. Each house has a different order – one house has donuts for the little ones every Thursday, another has a regular special order of coquilles au chocolat. Then there are the sandwiches. We have to cater for vegans and vegetarians, and watch out for allergies. It used to be just ham, cheese and tomato or salami, but over the years we have seen the pupils at the school broaden their tastes, and we now cover an ever-wider range of choice!” As his customers’ tastes have changed, Didier and his wife Ghislaine have grown their business to match. The bakery they opened in 1988 has expanded to include a traiteur (or delicatessen counter), a winter garden, a wine tasting room and a tea-room with a roaring fire and a view of the Alps. Look the other way, though, and the view is of the chocolate laboratory, a relatively recent addition since Didier and Ghislaine were joined by their sons Adrien, a qualified boulanger-pâtissier, in 2009, and Guillaume in 2012. Guillaume trained as a chef and chocolatier before joining the family business and today leads chocolate-making courses, says his proud father. “Making chocolate is complicated and we have had many groups of children from Aiglon come here to learn how it is done.”
I
6
AIGLON
Issue 16
Charlet boys
Guillaume, Didier and Adrien in the tea-room, one of the many recent additions to the family business that has grown since 1988.
The two sons are also responsible for special events at the school, such as the chocolate and wine tasting on offer at a recent graduation ceremony. “We offered home-made ice cream last year, which was very popular. And throughout the year, we make special breads on demand, with vanilla, cinnamon, currants – whatever we are asked for.” The family’s latest project is to build an exterior wood-fired oven for their sourdough breads, says Didier. “All our breads are made using locally produced flour, with our own yeast, with no additives or conserving agents. It’s all about fresh, good, local ingredients.” Delivered, of course, on time – day in, day out, come snow or shine.
