Charente specialities: a picnic to suit every taste! l Office de tourisme Châtelaillon-plage

An unexpected reunion

Wake up at 9am, open the shutters, the sun is shining! Without further ado, we send a message to our friends to find out what they have planned for the day. Clearly, we all had the same idea: today we’ll be having a picnic by the sea!

In just three minutes and five messages, we’re ready to go. That’s the Châtelaillon spirit too: leaving room for the unexpected!

Céline is in charge of bringing the tablecloths and cutlery… Célia and Aline are in charge of buying delicious Charentais specialities from the covered market and Aude and Léonie are in charge of the drinks.
We meet at midday, on the picnic tables opposite the Ekume and in the shade of the carrelet. After a quick breakfast, it’s off to the shops!

Visit the covered market, home of Charente specialities

Everyone in the group has different tastes! Célia is partial to charcuterie, Aline loves the iodised taste of oysters, Céline loves cheese and Léonie only eats vegetables and fruit.

We found ourselves in the covered market, surrounded by all the specialities of Charente. First stop: Manu’s for crickets. Célia, who was not yet familiar with Charente Maritime regional products, was frightened when she heard the name of this speciality. Manu reassured her by letting her taste it: it’s a pâté, not grilled insects!

Our little gourmet stroll through the market stalls continues. We buy 12-hour ham from Manu, oysters from Willie and melons from Couleur Marché. The fruit and vegetable platter prepared for us by Sandra, the fruit and vegetable seller, is a real work of art – it looks like a painting by Arcimboldo!

We were ready to leave when Aline called out to us: we’d almost forgotten two of Charente’s unmissable specialities: jonchée and Pineau! We found what we were looking for at Pascal’s cheese shop and Sandy’s wine shop.

Our little gourmet stroll through the market stalls continues. We buy 12-hour ham from Manu, oysters from Willie and melons from Couleur Marché. The fruit and vegetable platter prepared for us by Sandra, the fruit and vegetable seller, is a real work of art – it looks like a painting by Arcimboldo!

We were ready to leave when Aline called out to us: we’d almost forgotten two of Charente’s unmissable specialities: jonchée and Pineau! We found what we were looking for at Pascal’s cheese shop and Sandy’s wine shop.

Noon: time to try the specialities of Charente!

We arrive at the feast site. Céline had already prepared the table and Léonie had thought about the bread. She’s chosen a corn bread from “Loulou Boulangerie” – what a treat!
Aude, the local member of the group, has cooked us a speciality from Charente: mouclade. A priori, it’s quick!

How do you make mouclade à la châtelaillonnaise?

1. Clean and rinse the mussels
2. Peel and chop the shallots
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes.
4. Pour in the white wine, reduce by half and add the mussels before covering.
5. Cook for about 5 minutes until the mussels open.
6. Remove the mussels with a skimmer and add the cream, curry powder and pepper to the sauce. Mix and heat for a few moments.
7. Ready to serve! Serve the mussels with the sauce

Everything is set up on the big table facing the sea, and it’s time to enjoy the food! Aude, who never misses an opportunity to show us around her region, reads to us from a crime novel made in La Rochelle by Marie-Claude Aristégui.

While lunch was in full swing, we met Joseph and Josianne, cycling enthusiasts on the Vélodyssée, who stopped for a photo in front of the carrelet. We invite them to come and share dessert with us and tell us all about their adventures. After all, that’s the spirit of Chatelaillon!