A Gastronomic Experience

Gourmet cuisine and fine wines served with care in a relaxed and charming setting.

A Gastronomic Experience

The classic traditions of French and international haute cuisine are a true highlight of your cruise. Our highlytrained chefs are experienced culinary artists, whose gastronomic creations are often rated higher by our discerning clients than those they have sampled in top restaurants!

Finest, Locally-Sourced Ingredients

To give you a true taste of the region you are cruising through, your chef will create mouth-watering menus using the finest ingredients from local markets and specialist suppliers. In Burgundy you may be served a fillet of locally-reared Charolais beef, while on one of our Midi barges the chef may prepare a seafood platter of shellfish fresh from the harbourside. In Scotland, you may be served locally-sourced game and wild salmon and on a cruise in Italy you will certainly savour the very best homemade pasta dishes.

Menu

BREAKFAST Awaken to the aroma of brewing coffee. Then enjoy a continental breakfast of fresh fruit, cold meats, crusty French bread, hot buttery croissants and pastries freshlybaked and collected from the local patisserie each morning accompanied by delicious conserves, or perhaps a cooked breakfast.

LUNCHEON Luncheon may be a delicious homemade soup and entrée, accompanied by a choice of local cheeses and wines, or perhaps, a buffet of imaginative salads, pâtés, quiches, meat or fish platters – often served al fresco on the sunlit deck overlooking the countryside.

DINNER BY CANDLELIGHT On your hotel barge moored beneath the stars, dinner is a gastronomic adventure and the finale to your day’s journey of relaxation and discovery. You may be served Chèvre Chaud en Portefeuille, or Marinated Langoustines, followed by Filet d’Agneau au Basilic, Truite à la Chablisienne, or Magret de Canard au Vinaigre de Framboise – all complemented by fine wines. Then a selection of creamy and firm cheeses such as Chaource, Époisses or Morbier, before a delicious dessert, perhaps Ile Flottante, Crème Brulée à la Vanille avec Tuiles aux Amandes, Tarte Tatin avec Caramel au Beurre Salé or Fondant au Chocolat. And afterwards, of course, relax with coffee and liqueurs in the company of your fellow passengers.

Culinary Artistry

As well as procuring from markets and local suppliers, our chefs may use herbs grown in onboard window-boxes. Sometimes they even bargain with lock-keepers along the way for fruit and vegetables freshly-picked that day. Before every gourmet meal, to whet the appetite, your chef will come to the table to introduce the dishes prepared. And if you are a real ‘foodie’, the chef will be happy to give you a demonstration and offer some useful tips, perhaps on how to make the silkiest of sauces, or whip up the perfect soufflé. Our chefs are also very happy to accommodate requests for vegetarian or other special diets, intolerances and allergies, which should be made at the time of reservation.

Hand-Picked Wine Lists

To enhance the immersive gastronomic experience, your host for each lunchtime and evening meal will take the time to outline the characteristics of each accompanying wine before serving it with care. It may be a smooth Santenay Premier Cru from southern Burgundy, or a dry Sancerre; a crisp and flinty Chablis, or an aromatic Riesling Grand Cru from Alsace, each wine has been chosen to marry perfectly with the food.

Highly Acclaimed Cheeses

During your cruise, you will have the opportunity to sample many different cheeses, each with a rich local heritage. Again, your host will take the time to describe every cheese's individual qualities – from the creamy products of France such as Époisses and Chèvre au Poivre, to the memorably named delights of Scotland and Ireland such as Black Crowdie and Cashel Blue. And let’s not forget the flavoursome cheeses that Holland and Italy have to offer.

Whether you are a gourmand, wine enthusiast, cheese lover – or perhaps all three – we are passionate about ensuring the gastronomy on board every hotel barge gives a true insight into the very best a region has to offer.