Tableware Aveyron

Trained as an apprentice in his father's workshop, Benoît Mijoule has become a master cutler in over twenty years. The artisan has created his signature Laguiole knife: the Tribal, a contemporary knife with clean lines that fits comfortably in the hand. He also offers a "tableware" range. A master craftsman, Benoît Mijoule also offers six daily tours of his workshop throughout the year, as well as bespoke customization, engraving on blades, springs or bees. He also organizes knife-making courses by prior arrangement.

Christophe Lacaze, who has lived on the banks of the Lot for over twenty years, is a goldsmith whose talent is exported all over the world. Specializing in top-of-the-range knives, this artist chisels rare and precious materials -coral, mother-of-pearl, ivory, ebony...- to fashion knives, sometimes set with diamonds, emeralds and other stones, that rival the finest pieces of jewelry. His unique and exceptional know-how, his passion for creativity and elegance, will seduce lovers of luxury and beautiful objects.

Joël Canitrot, the creator of the Couteau du Larzac, has taken over this beautiful 180^m2 space on the Place du Mandarous. In this showcase, dedicated to local crafts, this lover of the territory highlights the famous Sac du Berger, but also his own production. Since the middle of the 90s, Joël Canitrot, a blade collector and glove maker by training, has been making knives that can be recognized among thousands, thanks to the sculpted sheep's head that decorates their handles. The craftsman uses local wood species, present on the Larzac, or horn.

Denys is an authentic artisan forger; he recovers the ore, hematite (iron oxide), crushes it, grills it, reduces it to powder and extracts the iron by reduction. Then he forges the metal. Told in two lines, this represents five days of work to design a blade. His table knives, folding knives or straight knives are unique, just like his signature creations. The forged dragon knife, recognizable among a thousand thanks to its twisted handle entirely made by hand, is particularly appreciated for cutting the aveyronnaise sausage.

In this shop, the objects all have a soul and a beautiful history. Racine offers authentic Laguiole knives, made in Espalion in the workshop of Laguiole in Aubrac. The company, which has been awarded the Living Heritage label, works with natural materials, rare materials and precious woods to produce folding knives, kitchen knives, table knives and cutlery in the traditional way. The shop is also a reference in terms of decoration and tableware, thanks to a relevant selection and a clever staging.

Made in the factory according to the cutlery tradition that goes back to 1828, each knife of Forge De Laguiole bears the signature of their cutlers. About a hundred cutlers work daily in the factory to make unique pieces by hand. By taking the time to visit the workshop, you will discover for example demonstrations of knife assembly or the secret of wooden handles carved and shaped in horn, bone or even mammoth molar. A real trip back in time!

Le Couteau de Laguiole was one of the first companies in 1985 to revive the village's knife-making tradition. With a promise: "Each knife that leaves our workshop is a guarantee of our know-how". The company manufactures all its products, assembling and polishing each one by hand. The blades are also stamped with a bull, symbol of the Aubrac breed. In addition to the traditional folding models, the company also offers table knives, bread knives and cheese knives, and always a warm welcome.

On the outskirts of Espalion, Cathy and Francis' workshop has existed since 2013. The shop has arrived since then. Here, you can find the classic Laguiole and many other very creative, and original models, the Antartica made with Jean-Louis Etienne against global warming, the Espalion with the old bridge on the handle, the Saint-Côme with the blade reminiscent of the village's twisted bell tower, and the unique Laguiole double pump closure. Ex-engineer in the aeronautical industry, Francis created the Laguiole "double pump closure", very original.

Founded in 1991 by Jean-Pierre Mijoule, the workshop has been taken over by his son Benoît, and offers a wide range of traditional laguioles, as well as creations such as the Sarrans, a timeless knife carved from the wood of the Nord-Aveyron lake when it was drained in 2014. These knives are produced in limited, numbered editions. La Maison du Laguiole works exclusively with local woods and French materials. A whole range of tableware, crafted with the same artisanal know-how, is also on offer.

The L'Âme du Causse cutlery workshops are home to the makers of the Larzac knife. In a land steeped in legend, this rugged, authentic knife was once a shepherd's companion. The workshop is diversifying its offer with other knives with stories of yesteryear: the Fidélis, the Âme du Pèlerin, the Santiago, the Roquefort and the Aveyronnais. To find them, head for the store in the heart of Millau or the online boutique.

This vineyard around the Château de Peyrelade covers 9 hectares, 100% organic. Here, only organic manures are used and weeding is done mechanically to guarantee the best possible products. Amongst these are red, rosé and white Côtes de Millau wines, made from Gamay, Chenin and Syrah grapes. The Domaine du Vieux Noyer also produces aperitifs, notably calistou, a rosé wine made from the maceration of mirabelle plums and walnuts, and cherry vinegars (burlat variety) and old wine vinegars (cabernet-sauvignon variety).

In Aveyronnais patois, lou barri means "the neighborhood". However, this cutlery, more than thirty years old, has crossed the borders. It must be said that the knives Antoine makes deserve to be seen. His secret? The use of traditional materials, of course, but also an unequalled know-how. The handles are made of olive wood, boxwood, juniper, ebony, thuja, bovine horn and even giraffe bone, mammoth rind or molar, abalone, for the Prestige range. In 2020, his daughter Elodie took up the torch by testing new materials.

The wooden storefront still has a retro feel to it, and the windows are filled with knives. The most beautiful are also the most classic ones, those with horn tip handles. The range is complete, it provides boxes of table knives, folding knives with only one blade, others with two and three pieces - punch and corkscrew. The blades are of several types, made of an excellent stainless steel or a traditional carbon steel which requires a little more maintenance but whose cutting quality remains unsurpassed.

In creating Laguiole Village, whose workshop is located in Espalion, Cathy and Francis have set themselves the goal of combining tradition and innovation. Each knife is made by the same cutler from the first step to the last, giving it a soul and reflecting the one who made it. The Laguiole pieces are water jet cut, allowing the creation of many new original models. You can visit the workshop and find out more about their techniques and processes, and don't forget to have your knife engraved!