Absent-mindely, and almost lovingly, Eric Bucquet dal Molin pulls the petals off a rose and scatters them over the low wooden table. “What can I tell you?” asks the 50-year-old Frenchman, who with his wrinkled forehead, five o’clock shadow and gruff, solitary air calls to mind the actor Jean Reno. And then he proceeds to tell us a great deal. How he cuts the flowers off his 500 rose bushes every day throughout the summer, in the morning when the dew has just dried. How he layers the petals with sugar in large vats and after five years mixes the contents with alcohol in stainless steel tanks. How he waits for two months, filters and transfers the liquid and, after another nine months, can at last bottle his famous rose liqueur. He is currently making the petals from 2002 into around 1400 litres of liqueur. It has a sweet, yet pungent flavour that unfolds on the tongue, with hints of almond, ginger, candied lemon peel and grass…

Monsieur dal Molin is the man whom time forgot. He lives in an old farmhouse with roughly rendered walls covered in vines, exposed beams and an open fire. As well as liqueur, he also makes rose jelly, grape preserves and vinegars. In his heart he belongs in the Renaissance. His late wife once came across a recipe book dating from the end of the 15th century while searching through an archive. Cinnamon liqueur, cough medicine, ink or soup powder – Eric Bucquet dal Molin finds his inspiration in trying old recipes using modern methods and ingredients.

The former musician is typical of the unconventional people to be found in Sarthe. This is the area around Le Mans which lies between the Loire Valley and the Atlantic, to the south-west of Paris. Baker Jean-Claude Evrard is a similar type. This year he beat 150 other competitors to win the title of “Champion de France” in the brioche category. “Good flour, butter from Normandy and plenty of eggs,” explains the man, who has the same expression as Charles Aznavour. “This makes the dough as soft as a woman’s breast.” And he tenderly presses a loaf set aside to rise.

His home, the town of Le Mans with its 140,000 inhabitants, is generally known only as the backdrop to the 24-hour race. Who would have guessed that it has one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in France and a collection of wonderful 15th-century half-timbered houses?

Another tourist attraction of quite a different kind is the organic garden established five years ago by Paris three-star chef Alain Passard on the estate of an old manor house in the nearby village of Fillé-sur-Sarthe. Two women are just loading a Renault van with the daily delivery for L’Arpège restaurant in Paris: crates of celery, peppers and chard. White, yellow, pink and red-and-white striped beetroot. Bunches of sage, peppermint and nasturtium flowers. Sylvain Picard, the head gardener, is checking the delivery. Where are the radishes which the restaurant asked for? And what about the five jars of honey for the famous millefeuille?

The suntanned, warm-eyed 33-year-old is a trained landscape designer and has found his dream job here in the four hectares of organic garden from which he produces 20 tonnes of vegetables every year. With the calm confidence of an expert, he leads us between beds of globe artichokes and Jerusalem artichokes 3 metres high, past orache, scented curry plants and flowering clover. The garden has 13 types of asparagus alone, and Armenian cucumbers, citronella plants from Madagascar and 60 varieties of tomato are grown in polytunnels.

It is people like Sylvain who make our culinary journey through the flat landscapes of Sarthe so fascinating. Whether they really put their soul into their products, as some people say, is an open question. However, their experience and craftsmanship definitely play a vital role, together with ongoing doubts about what their achievements to date and an obsession with getting everything just a little bit closer to perfection.

There are the wonderful chocolates produced by Jacques Bellanger. In his Chocolaterie Béline, the employees, wearing white shirts, brown aprons and caps, are combining couverture from Cuba and Caracas with home-preserved cherries, pear liqueur and sea salt to produce tempting chocolates called Schubert, Malgache or Camille. Then there is the braised shoulder of organic pork, served up by busy Nadége Boulai to the visitors to her farm guest house. There are the turkey rillettes and hare terrine which the Bouins sell in their farm shop, Ferme de la Malvoyère. Meanwhile, in La-Chartre-sur-le-Loir, Ludovic Gigou has devoted his life to wine. This town on the Loir, the little brother of the Loire, is like a scene from a picture book. Around the three-sided Place de la République are the baker, the butcher and the hairdresser. Every morning at eight the shutters are opened and the bricklayers enjoy their first cup of coffee at Chez Miguel.

Monsieur Gigou, who has a grey ponytail and a face which calls to mind the young mime artist Jean Marais, fits in perfectly here. In 1974 he bought twelve hectares of vineyards and the accompanying wine cellar and taught himself to press grapes. His white wine made from Chenin grapes is called Jasnière, and in a good year he produces around 35,000 bottles. It is fresh and pale green with a variety of mineral base notes. The rosé Coteaux du Loir has a strong lemon aroma and a hint of pepper, while the 2006 Pineau d’Aunis red is still rather rough and boisterous. These are unusual wines, full of character, but not immediately to everyone’s taste…

They would be the perfect accompaniment for the meals served by 44-year-old Xavier Souffont in the Auberge de Matfeux in Arnage, which he took over from his father 15 years ago. A chef dressed all in black is unusual enough, but with a blue ceiling, high windows and a red patterned carpet, the decor in the restaurant is unusual too. However, as soon as the food arrives, the surroundings fade into the background. A generous portion of mushroom carpaccio with poached oysters, delicious ravioli filled with langoustines, veal kidneys served with herbs, haricot beans and pumpkin purée: five excellent courses for a modest 38 euros. We would like to spend the whole afternoon at the table being served enchanting dishes every fifteen minutes, but the waiters have already changed out of their black and white uniforms into jeans and T-shirts and are joking with one another as they ride away on their scooters. The chef has a little more time. He explains that his philosophy involves “good products, served simply”. Of course, that’s what everyone says. But here in Sarthe some people really mean it.

Text: Franz Lerchenmüller

Information:
http://www.france-voyage.com/en/, click „Pays de la Loire“ and„Sarthe“

Accommodation:
Hôtel de France, F-72340 La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, tel. +33/243/44 40 16, double room EUR 59–71

La Ferme de Gorgeat, Michel et Nadège Boulai, F-41100 Aze, tel. +33/254/72 04 16, http://www.fermedegorgeat.com/, double room EUR 51, incl. breakfast

Restaurant:
Auberge des Matfeux, 289 avenue Nationale, F-72230 Arnage, tel. +33/243/211 07, http://www.aubergedesmatfeux.com/

Selected Products:
Wines: Gigou, 4, rue des Caves, F-72340 La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, tel. +33/243/44 48 72

Rillettes: Ferme de la Malvoyère, Gaec Bouin, F-72340 Chahaignes, tel. +33/243/44 46 19, http://www.lamalvoyere.com/

Bread: J. C. Evrard, 5, rue du Docteur Leroy, F-72000 Le Mans, tel. +33/243/24 20 50

Rose Liqueur: Eric Bucquet dal Molin, Le Petit Chesnay, F 72110 Torcé en Vallée, tel. +33/243/511548

Chocolates: Boutique Béline, 5, place St Nicolas, F-72000 Le Mans, tel. +33/243/28 00 43, http://www.jacques-bellanger-chocolatier.com/