Le Lot in France

We read the recommendation for Le Lot (46320 Issepts, FRANCE; phone 011 33 [0] 5 65 40 17 61 or e-mail catherineissepts@wanadoo.fr) (April ’06, pg. 55). We stayed there during our trip to southern France in May ’06 and it was by far our favorite chambre d’hôte of the trip.

Catherine has two rooms. Our spacious room with a view of the countryside had its own bathroom. We paid €34 ($40) each night, and this included a breakfast of croissants, yogurt, bread, homemade jams and coffee.

A full dinner of three appetizers, salad, salmon and dessert cost €12 ($15), with wine available at extra cost. Since we stayed for five nights, we ended up asking her to fix us just light suppers; one night this was an omelet and another night, vegetable soup served with salad and dessert. For this, Catherine charged us €8 ($10) per person.

What a winner of a place! Catherine Grisé was indeed a wonderful hostess, regaling us with many humorous tales about the area and the people. Through these stories, I felt as though I really knew the people in the area and what they were like.

Catherine is an excellent cook. Her meals were something to look forward to. My favorite dishes were red peppers stuffed with fennel, rum-raison ice cream and brownies made with Belgian chocolate. I enjoy cooking, so talking to her about foods, sharing her recipe books and watching her cook was a real treat. She can cook and read a book at the same time! I also learned a great deal about using a local product, walnut oil; she used it in a salad dressing one night — delicious.

One of the highlights in the area was our visit to the Grotte du Pech-Merle, a cave with an impressive collection of prehistoric paintings and engravings. Many of the small towns in the area are designated as “beautiful French towns,” including Carennac, Loubressac and Autoire. Driving through the countryside was indeed a treat, with views, places to picnic and places to walk around at every corner.

This is a place my husband and I would love to return to in the near future. Lucky for us, Catherine quickly turned from a hostess of a chambre d hôte into a lifelong friend.

LORNA TJADEN

New Hope, MN