La Gabrière

We have visited this spot in the Brenne a number of times, the first being Christmas 2006, the most memorable being in June 2007, but I think the most welcome stops we have made here have been in the depths of winter. Although you dont get the full benefit of sitting under the umbrellas looking at the étang there is something particularly right about sitting down to lunch in a warm restaurant after walking in the ice and frost. This goes doubly when you know you can have a near gourmet experience for very little money.
As in a lot of the restaurants, most of the produce is local. In February we ate carp cooked in local herbs, which was amazingly delicious. In Australia one would never eat carp, which is a real problem introduced fish - yet it is illegal to return them to the water if caught. This means an awful lot of potentially good food gets wasted.

Our ambition is to visit this region when the lakes get drained for the fish (it's easier than fishing - take the water from the fish rather than vice versa!) because the fish farmers sell their produce at the roadside. Susan has cooked Jean-Michel Chedozeau's recipe for Brenne Carp with Ste Maure de Touraine (thanks to chm for the recipe link) which proved to be simple and delicious - and works with any white freshwater fish.

Simon