Savigny-lès-Beaune

This morning, under cloudy skies, we headed off to Dijon station to catch the train to Beaune, about 37 kms and 35 minutes away. Matthew, from the wine & cheese workshop met us at the station and we caught our train to Beaune. It was spitting when we arrived and the rain continued to get heavier as we made our way into the city centre.

Our first stop was the Hôtel-Dieu, a perfectly preserved Hospice from the Middle Ages that was built by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy Philippe the Good, in 1443. At the end of the 100 years’ war, Beaune suffered from misery and famine, and three quarters of the town’s inhabitants were destitute. A decision was taken to build a hospital for the poor. It is considered to be the jewel of Burgundian medieval architecture with its glazed tile roofs, which have become a characteristic of Burgundy.

From the 15th to the 20th century, the Sisters of Beaune’s Hôtel-Dieu welcomed and cared for many generations of sick people. The hospital quickly acquired a great reputation not only among the poor, but also among the nobility and the bourgeoisie. Donations from the latter made it possible to enlarge and embellish the hospital by creating new wards and bringing in works of art. The Hôtel-Dieu has kept its reputation as a Palace for the Poor. From 1971 onwards, its medical functions were transferred to a modern hospital, with the exception of an old people’s home.

We walked through the Great Hall, the Chapel, Saint-Hugues Room and Saint Nicolas’ Hall, which accommodated the “lightly” ill and separated them from the infirm and moribund. We next visited the Kitchen, the Pharmacy, the Founder’s Courtyard and the Salle Saint-Louis parts 1 and 2.

After exploring the Hôtel- Dieu we went in search of a coffee and sugar hit, which we found at Fabien Berteau, Pâtissier and we were nor disappointed:- we had a Mille-Feuille, an Eclair and a Fig Tart. All were absolutely delicious.

Our next mission was to visit a mustard factory. We made our way to Edmond Fallot, a family run company since 1840, where we booked in for the next available English speaking tour at 2.30pm. We then set off to find a place for lunch. Ian had spotted a little place called La Dilettante close to the mustard factory and they were able to accommodate us. It was a little restaurant with more locals than tourists and we chose a number of dishes that we could share. We also had a fabulous bottle of Pinot that was recommended by the owner. To eat we had roasted eggplant with tahini, smoked anchovies, a terrine a la campagne, saucisson sec with radishes, and a green salad. It was absolutely delicious. We finished with a coffee before heading off for the mustard tour.

There was a large group for the tour of the mustard factory. Our guide started by explaining the history of mustard. Initially it was made in France using locally grown mustard and verjus made from unripe Aligoté grapes. Phylloxera killed off the verjus production, and Louis Pasteur came up with the idea of using white wine vinegar instead. However, EU subsidies for canola led to local farmers digging up their mustard fields in favour of canola. An interesting fact is that after that Canada supplied 100% of mustard seeds to France until 2010, and still supplies the big name suppliers such as Maille (owned by Unilever). It is only recently that mustard growing has been re-established in France, due to the efforts of Monsieur Fallot.

Edmond Fallot is the only company that makes mustard in the traditional way. They use cold grinding with a granite wheel (others use an stainless steel wheel) to remove the husk, they do not heat the seed (unlike all other companies) and they only add water, vinegar and salt to produce their mustard. We were not allowed to take photos in the factory. It would have been difficult to do so as the whole group was tearing up from mustard fumes as we walked through the production area even though we were behind a glass partition. Matthew described it as pepper spraying ourselves, which is an apt description. It’s fair to say that the mustard cut us, rather than the other way around!

Following the tour we went to the tasting room to sample a number of mustards. We tried the Dijon, the Walnut Dijon, the Provençale, the Basil And the Burgundy. I started with the Dijon and it nearly blew my head, off and I began to tear up again - it definitely cleared my sinuses! The guide did warn us that using the cold pressing process led to a robust flavour. It was a fun experience and very interesting. Our guide, who usually works in the vineyards, was very entertaining.

The rain continued to fall and was getting heavier, so I suggested that Ian and Matthew invest in umbrellas, which they did. We wandered around for a while longer before heading back to the station for our trip back to Dijon. The rain had lessened by the time we got to Dijon. On the way back to our apartment we stopped to pick up some quiche, salad and a baguette for our dinner.

We farewelled Matthew and had a quiet evening in.Read more