LES BISTROTS DE PAYS DE LA SOMME
Bistrots de Pays are festive places where you can meet people, help out and (re)discover local dishes, and reconnect with the roots of a region and its own culture. This label recognizes establishments that promise simple, tasty, convivial and authentic moments. What are the criteria for becoming one of these ambassadors of the Somme terroir? To be part of a rural area, and to be locally rooted, often by offering a range of services. One of the aims of the Bistrot de Pays is to help preserve the economic and social fabric of villages with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, which have seen their businesses disappear one by one. Often the last surviving shop, a Bistrot de Pays is first and foremost a place where local people can meet and talk, and should offer groceries and products from small local farmers, as well as other services such as a newsagent's or a bread depot... In short, everything that is no longer available elsewhere in the village. By proposing events, it plays an ever-increasing role in maintaining the human link around it throughout the year. But it must also act as a kind of beacon for visitors, providing local tourist information in the same way as a friend who welcomes you into his home and advises you on points of interest not to be missed... In this way, the Bistrot de Pays label is inseparable from the Qualité Tourisme label. And of course, true to its primary vocation, it must offer local dishes, based on fresh, local produce.
The Conseil départemental de la Somme, concerned with preserving social ties and economic activity in rural areas, encourages the men and women who, through their day-to-day catering and entertainment activities, keep the villages of the Somme alive and kicking. The label is demanding, and is re-evaluated every year, to guarantee a real quality of service. In the Somme, six establishments currently meet all these valuable qualities: L'Auberge du Vert Bocage in Bouillancourt-en-Sery, Le Ch'ti Quin Quend in Quend, Au coin de la Baie in Grand-Laviers, Les Chés Troes Piots Coéchons in Woignarue, Le Cheval Blanc in Naours and L'Auberge du village in Conty.
Happy discovering the Somme!
