Local delights and fine restaurants combine for a gastronomic holiday to live in memory

It was at the end of a particularly fine Burgundian meal that I stretched back, swallowed another soothing mouthful of wine and commented: "You know, the Indians got it right deifying the cow. Any animal that can produce beautiful steaks, great cheese, then shoes AND handbags deserves a fast track to heaven." The only surprise, really, is that the French didn't have the Saint Vache idea first. Because this is a country that knows what to do with its cows. And its sheep. And goats. And geese. For one glorious week, I reveled in being a completely carnivorous, cheese eating, wine sipping hedonist. I thank all the animals, vines and chefs whose sacrifices made our holiday such a delight.

Our relaxed schedule and the fact that everything else was closed at mid-day encouraged us to embrace the long French lunch, and we quickly fell into the habit of finding a nice restaurant and taking our time. We didn't skimp. Since we were having only one large meal per day, it was going to be a good one, at a nice restaurant with multiple courses and good wines. After so long on a fish- and vegetable-laden Weight Watchers diet, every meal felt deliciously sinful. (Despite the excesses about to be described, plenty of activity, light breakfasts and dinners and a week of post-holiday vegetable soup means that only the blog entry, and not my body, carries a permanent reminder of my fall off the wagon.)

So, let's recall those marvelous restaurants in order of preference.

The finest meal of the trip, as so often is the case, was an unplanned and unrecorded little place. In this case it was Le Saint Etienne, about half way along the main street that climbs to the abbey. We were wandering about town, hoping to taste some local wines, when we asked the proprietress of one shop where we might find a restaurant with a good local wine list. She stepped out her door, had a quick conversation with her friends across the street, and soon we were passed over to their capable hands. One of only two occupied tables in the restaurant, we were a bit worried that emptiness indicated a lack of quality. Not so. Instead, it meant that we had the staff lavishing their full attention on us throughout our three hours there.

Three hours because we couldn't help but indulge in one of the chef's menus. We started with a soup of mussels, magnificently concentrated. Then on to foie gras with tomato chutney. Next, a grilled fillet of red mullet with a side of pureed cauliflower and black truffles that was tasty enough to make me a fan of that vegetable for the first time ever. All of that built up to a fillet from one of those adorable Charolais cows, served with a delicate yet piquant mustard cream sauce.
Next came the cheese cart, complete with some local cheeses that we'd been told about but hadn't yet encountered and a full cheese menu to take home as a souvenir. Regale de Bourgogne is bathed in Marc, a local brandy, and covered in brandy-sodden grapes before aging, making it a sweet yet tangy taste sensation. Ami de Chambertin is soft, aromatic cheese so pungent it makes the local Epoisses seem mild. And finally, a rich chocolate cake with a tart apricot and orange sauce. All served with frequent checks from the jolly head chef, who made it seem as if we'd made his day by allowing him to cook for us. This menu was 48 Euro which, though not cheap, was great value for money for what we got.

The unexpected delight of Le Saint Etienne bumped our expected front runner, the Hostellerie de Clos in Chablis, into second place. Expected because this was our one Michelin star rated restaurant, highly recommended by a colleague of Hillary's. We opted for the menu saveur (49 euro) and once again let a chef have his way with us. I was clearly too delighted by the food to take thorough notes, so I can no longer relate the delights that came with every course. But I can tell you that the creme brulee of foie gras might have been our single favourite dish of the holiday. The lobster bisque will live on in memory for quite a while, especially in the way it worked so perfectly beside the Guy Robins 1er Cru Chablis, Montmains 2005, that the sommelier helped us select from a wine list so massive it took real effort to lift. The main course was duck with poached pears and a pinot noir sauce. Just when we were wondering if life could get any better, they rolled out not one, but two cheese carts. One for cow, one for goat. Variety is, after all, the spice of life. This was all served in the delightful surroundings of a formally furnished but wonderfully bright conservatory, where the crisp white linens made the rain sodden skies seem a little brighter.

Not every meal was this lavish, although the all seemed to feature dishes of great quality. In Meursault we enjoyed Le Bouchons, a guidebook recommended restaurant that overlooks the picturesque town square. That's where I went completely traditional, starting with the escargot, dripping in butter and garlic, before moving on to a rare steak. All of which went perfectly with that rich, red grand vin de Bourgogne. And with the long, stomach-settling walk afterwards. In Noyers we ate at the Brasserie Petit Millesime, where I had an Epoisses tart that achieved the rare trick of being both substantial and delicately flavoured at once. I am normally not a fan of lamb but the roast served there, and recommended by our waitress, was fantastic.

We didn't always go posh, and found that even when we opted for very simple places we were encountering top quality. Our one bargain basement meal, at the Cafe Le Republique in Nuits Saint Georges, delighted with two courses (beef and ratatouille, followed by lemon tart) for 12 euro, and an inexpensive carafe of unnamed local red wine. A comparable meal at Le Grand Balcon in Beaune offered an excellent salade du thon and introduced us to what we would come to recognise as a local specialty: fromage blanc. This is, essentially, a mound of something very much like soured cream, served with a large sugar caster. Massive quantities of sugar made it quite tasty, but it was a one-time-only order. If you're going to sin, then doing so with proper cheese seemed so much more fulfilling.