The following morning in Sarlat, we found ourselves with a fair bit of free time.
We would be meeting with a chef later in the day to try some proper cuisine from the region but for now, time to see Sarlat in the glorious sunshine!
As we were in Sarlat on a Saturday morning, the street market was out in full force by the time we hit the streets. Street markets = Free food tasting so needless to say, I was very much in my element!
It was such a fun way to spend a morning! Dipping in from food stall to food stall, getting lost in quaint side streets and stopping every so often to soak up that French sunshine.
Oh, and one place you have to go to here is Sainte-Marie church. The church has a glass lift that takes you to one of the best viewpoints in the city.
You’ve pretty much got a 360 point of view when you’re up here.
Eventually, we made our way to the centre of the market to find out chef who would be treating us to French deliciousness in his home.
First things first, we had to find the ingredients for our lunch…
…or, for me anyway, more reasons to go strawberry tasting!
The chef lives smack bang in the old historic part of the city so within minutes of shopping, we were at his place. We kicked off our shoes and go straight to work in the kitchen.
While he chopped up truffles and halved strawberries, I saw to the wine. (You know, the important stuff!). I made sure everyone’s glass was topped up all the time, especially mine.
Eventually I helped with the strawberries but once people started noticing the rapidly shrinking strawberries(*licks lips*), I was kicked off strawberry duties and back onto wine duties (oh the travesty!).
I wasn’t going down alone though, I roped in Ketty with me and so while Lloyd, Karen and Rachel were finishing off in the kitchen, Ketty and I saw to the wine on the French balcony – taking in the hustle and bustle of the market with every sip.
Soon enough, lunch was ready (by this point everyone had joined us in the balcony) and it was amazing! Duck with creamy herby potatoes, asparagus, French cheeses and our strawberries in a creamy wine sauce (first time I’d had that dessert).
Now you make notice a lack of photos of the food. I blame the wine.
Eventually, much to my disappointment, we had to say farewell to Sarlat! My only consolation was that there were many more amazing sights to see in the Dordogne Valley and this, I was very much looking forward to.
After a fairly short drive (…or did it seem short due my wine induced nap? I have no idea), we arrived at the village of Beaumont-du-Périgord where we stopped on a whim, as we’d been told about how charming it is and figured it was as good a place as any for an afternoon drink in the sunshine. 🙂
Beaumont-du-Périgord by the way is sheer French perfection. It’s one of those cute places I wondered how I’d never heard about it before now. Everywhere you turned was one pretty French sight after the other.
Even the little houses and their terraces were the stuff of postcards.
It took me all of 10 seconds to fall in love with this place.
We headed to the main square for drinks but I could barely contain my excitement (and curiosity) and had to go a-wandering through the village.
We still had a bit of a trek on our hands so after a couple of hours here, thoroughly invigorated by my new-found love of the village (and a cheeky glass of French wine) we headed off in search of even more amazing gems in The Dordogne Valley…
Read more: Best places to see in France
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