Regional groceries - Aveyron France

Founded in 1927, Carles is a family business, and Delphine, the illustrious third-generation representative of the village's master craftswoman, is its guardian. Carles Roquefort is made entirely by hand, using time-honored know-how. The cubed curds are stirred to prepare the texture of the paste. The grains thus formed are then placed in molds, then sprinkled with the powder of a Roqueforti penicillium grown as in the past on rye and wheat bread. Then comes the draining and, finally, the maturing in natural caves. The latest addition, Roquefort Carles Elégance, is the softest and smoothest, a true delight.

Le Vieux Berger is first and foremost a Combes family story. Cheese has been made here for three generations. It's a slow, patient and meticulous process. The milk comes from local producers. All stages - cutting the curds, molding, draining, salting and maturing - are done by hand. Discover all the secrets behind the making of this Roquefort during a visit to the packaging workshop, and leave with products that smell of Aveyron and quality.

Paul Alric created the Papillon brand in 1906, at the same time as his maturing cellar. Since then, the dairy has maintained a privileged relationship with ewe's milk producers, who supply it with quality milk. The Papillon cellar also has its own bread oven, where 300 loaves of rye bread are charred each year. Their moist crumb, sown with the famous Penicillium roqueforti, develops the fungus that gives Roquefort its distinctive taste and character. This natural alchemy is supervised by a master maturer.

Roquefort has been made in the Gabriel family since 1872. Today, Gabriel Coulet produces several cheeses among which La petite Cave, mellow, with a typical taste without being full-bodied; Le Castelviel, strong, powerful and generous, with an ivory color and an intense blue color; or the Tomme des Cazelles, melting in mouth. The house offers a free visit of its cellars with a film on the making of Roquefort cheese followed by a tasting. There is also a restaurant, La bergerie, where you can taste specialities based on Roquefort cheese.

The creation of Roquefort Société dates back to 1842, when a producer decided to group together several of his colleagues within what would become the oldest limited company in Europe. In the 1960's, 385 cheese dairies were working for Société. You will have the opportunity to visit the cellars, built in the Middle Ages and still in activity. In 12,000 square meters, at a temperature of 10 degrees, the cheese is matured between January and July. Don't miss the store to take a little (or a lot) of this Aveyron delicacy home with you.

It's been 5 years now since Gérémie and Sophie took over the Biscuiterie that Guy and Josy created in 1978. The family makes excellent cookies in this old stone spinning mill. Made in the purest tradition, with no preservatives or colorants, the range includes a dozen cookies, starting with the famous Biscotin de Camarès, the Vanillais, the Amarillos, but our favorite is the Ammandéen with almond powder and a touch of bitter almond. Welcome with tasting and sale at the workshop.

It is impossible to talk about Capdenac without mentioning the Raynal et Roquelaure cannery. You have already seen this name somewhere. At least, in your supermarket, in the canned food section. These two characters really existed. They worked at the station buffet in the last century and, after preparing ready-made meals for travellers, they decided to create this company. The visit of the company retraces this history and proposes to discover the secrets of manufacture.

Founded in 1890 by Paulin Vernières, this family business has about thirty employees and two Roquefort cheese cellars where the maturing process takes place. Its annual production, even if it represents only a small part of the sales of Roquefort, has not prevented it from attacking international markets. It must be said that, endowed with a particular typicity, the Vernières Roquefort seduces by the smoothness of its paste and the colour of its veins. Today it is available in various forms of packaging: in cubes, in trays, in pots or by the slice.

All you have to do is push the door open and you can have all of Aveyron at your fingertips. This shop, which is now part of the landscape, keeps the promises of its name and presents all the delicacies of the department: country-style charcuterie, foie gras, confits, cheeses, Aveyron wines... The drinks section is also doing very well and is full of flavoured aperitifs and liqueurs. There is also a typical cake - on a spit - and the essential tool: a Laguiole knife. The shop even offers baskets of food.

Based in Laguiole, Claude Rus relies on his roots and ancestral traditions to make his products with the good taste of Aveyron. As a master craftsman and foie gras refiner, he is uncompromising about quality. The raw materials are rigorously selected and the lobes of duck foie gras are simply deveined, salted and peppered manually. No preservatives, no alcohol, no flavouring! Claude Rus also offers stuffed necks, quails, tripous, pâtés, fritons and other terrines, all made in the traditional way.

Antique decoration and bread made in a rustic tradition. Here we are specialized in the bread of Aveyron and we are not skimping about the good things. Bench, mountain or corn, all are more watering than others. Choose according to your tastes. Also, desserts attract the eye of customers and the unexpected pudding always customers the most greedy.

This abbey was founded in 1147; built by Cistercian monks, it was until the Revolution one of the richest in the Rouergue. In 1875, the sisters of Maubec and the chocolate factory settled there. The nuns, who would get their secrets of fabrication from a Limoges chocolate maker, work in the old fashioned way. Their chocolate is presented in bars, but also in rocks, malakoffs, cream chocolates... as well as in small bottles with the heart of liqueur, very famous.

This house, founded in 1969, is renowned for the quality of its poultry from producers located 30km around Najac. Le Bec Fin has added many specialities: duck and goose foie gras, stuffed neck, rabbit pâté, poultry ballotine, goose rillettes, but also kid pâté, guinea fowl fritons, stuffed turkey leg, home-made aligot, duck lasagne, chicken paupiettes and, finally, duck or rabbit sausage of a very rare quality. All in all, a very nice address that will delight lovers of local products.

It is with an aperitif of the same name, based on wine and gentian, that Marius Bonal became known in 1938. The same one that continues to maintain the reputation of this house based in Onet-le-Château. Retro labels, regional recipes, local ingredients... Marius Bonal liqueurs, creams or syrups all bear today this mark of an authenticity very aveyronnaise. We also owe Marius Bonal the famous pastis aveyronnais. This version combines, on a base of anise, several plant essences cultivated or harvested in the wild.

A dozen producers from the Larzac plateau have taken over the former Grand Café in Nant. Together, they have transformed this village institution into a farmers' shop and bistro. They take turns behind the counter to serve fair trade coffee, syrups, juices, herbal teas and local spirits. The shop works like a local store, offering fresh products: vegetables, meat, cheese, yoghurt, juice..

Created in 2010, the Epicerie is a kind of temple, dedicated to eating and drinking well. In this downtown Saint-African shop, where a friendly team officiates, a hundred local producers and craftsmen share the shelves. All of them have in common a certain commitment to nature, the environment and animal welfare. Fruits and vegetables, meat, cheeses, bread, flours, preserves, ice creams, honey, wines, beers, hygiene and decoration products are all grown or produced in Aveyron or in its neighbouring departments.