Best Provence Farmers' Market - Coustellet
August 05, 2017
One of the great joys of visiting Provence is the exquisite food and visiting colorful, lively farmers markets which are so much a part of the culture. We were lucky to visit some of the best in southern France and especially fortuitous to visit the Coustellet Farmers' Market with Thierry, the owner/chef of the spectacular Le Mas Des Gres ( a quintessential Provencal farmhouse and small charming hotel) where we stayed in the heart of Provence.
Marche de Coustellet ( as they call it in French) is the oldest market in Provence and a producers market with mostly organic food and artisan local products.
Thierry and his teen aged son Yanis come here every Sunday and know everyone as they've owned the hotel for almost twenty years. Thierry teaches cooking classes to adults and children at the hotel and it was exciting to watch as they were picking out the makings for the scrumptious cuisine that we would be eating later.
I love to just look at all the beauty in these markets and take photos to share with you, like this homemade bread
or this exciting display
or these carrots.
People watching is part of the fun, like this farm producer from Spain who now lives here and was full of smiles.
Sunflowers,
yummy cherries ( that I became addicted to on this trip)
and endless vegetables, oh my! Thierry would give me the inside scoop of what he liked and didn't and why.
We were up early for this market ( and I let Mozart sleep in) as we went to another famous antique market at nearby L’Isle sur la Sorgue before lunch. I will write a separate post about that thrilling market.
Provence is famous for it's black truffles which are called black diamonds in the culinary world as they are the best in the world as 80% of France's truffles come from this region. Yes, Thierry bought some and we partook later as I love truffles. Note the artisan product of truffles in olive oil and below you will see honey with lavender.
Even onions look divine displayed in this market and I always delight in the French signs, don't you? That adds a charm you won't see in our wonderful local farmers markets.
I learned a new word in French when I saw this honey with wonderful artisan touches like adding lavender.
Just like at home, there was a familiarity as we watched the famers and artisans set up from their trucks, but there was definitely a Provence and French style to it all in their products, displays and way of doing business.
I liked this pretty display for a local Côtes du Rhône wine in one corner backed by a house on the outskirts of the market
as well as the colorful umbrellas, green trees and blue sky in another corner. Let me know if you love Provence market photos as I have so many remarkable photos to share so might do some more posts or photo essays.
So loved this appetizing Provence market experience, but it was time to head back to Hotel Le Mas Des Gres as Mozart and I were off with Nina soon to visit the antique market before lunch.
Mozart had performed at this magnificent terrace at dinner the night before ( we'll be posting that story soon) and was happy to perform again for the crowd at their famous Sunday Brunch/Lunch. After her Keynote Speech in the UK at the Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art, (seen here), she did a 10 city concert tour in Europe and Provence was the charming midpoint on her #MozartIgniteTour.
The food of course, was stupendous, a mouth-watering Mediterranean masterpiece of Provencal choices
and all of it was made from the delectable local vegetables, fruits and supplies
we had gotten that morning from the market,
most of it organic, so fresh from farms nearby and stunning to look at and glorious to taste.
This is truly Provence and the Luberon at it's best. That's the other owner, Nina ( Thierry's wife) sitting across from Mozart at this delightful lunch. They speak French, German and English well and take exceptional care of all their guests. On the other side of Mozart is the amazing Corinne Russo who was our magnificent guide recommended by our long time online friend in Marseille, Provence Claude Benard.
Mozart's original songs and light-up-the-world smile just added to our perfect day in Provence. What is your favorite market in Provence or else where?
One of the great joys of visiting Provence is the exquisite food and visiting colorful, lively farmers markets which are so much a part of the culture. We were lucky to visit some of the best in southern France and especially fortuitous to visit the Coustellet Farmers' Market with Thierry, the owner/chef of the spectacular Le Mas Des Gres ( a quintessential Provencal farmhouse and small charming hotel) where we stayed in the heart of Provence.
Marche de Coustellet ( as they call it in French) is the oldest market in Provence and a producers market with mostly organic food and artisan local products.
Thierry and his teen aged son Yanis come here every Sunday and know everyone as they've owned the hotel for almost twenty years. Thierry teaches cooking classes to adults and children at the hotel and it was exciting to watch as they were picking out the makings for the scrumptious cuisine that we would be eating later.
I love to just look at all the beauty in these markets and take photos to share with you, like this homemade bread
or this exciting display
or these carrots.
People watching is part of the fun, like this farm producer from Spain who now lives here and was full of smiles.
Sunflowers,
yummy cherries ( that I became addicted to on this trip)
and endless vegetables, oh my! Thierry would give me the inside scoop of what he liked and didn't and why.
We were up early for this market ( and I let Mozart sleep in) as we went to another famous antique market at nearby L’Isle sur la Sorgue before lunch. I will write a separate post about that thrilling market.
Provence is famous for it's black truffles which are called black diamonds in the culinary world as they are the best in the world as 80% of France's truffles come from this region. Yes, Thierry bought some and we partook later as I love truffles. Note the artisan product of truffles in olive oil and below you will see honey with lavender.
Even onions look divine displayed in this market and I always delight in the French signs, don't you? That adds a charm you won't see in our wonderful local farmers markets.
I learned a new word in French when I saw this honey with wonderful artisan touches like adding lavender.
Just like at home, there was a familiarity as we watched the famers and artisans set up from their trucks, but there was definitely a Provence and French style to it all in their products, displays and way of doing business.
I liked this pretty display for a local Côtes du Rhône wine in one corner backed by a house on the outskirts of the market
as well as the colorful umbrellas, green trees and blue sky in another corner. Let me know if you love Provence market photos as I have so many remarkable photos to share so might do some more posts or photo essays.
So loved this appetizing Provence market experience, but it was time to head back to Hotel Le Mas Des Gres as Mozart and I were off with Nina soon to visit the antique market before lunch.
Mozart had performed at this magnificent terrace at dinner the night before ( we'll be posting that story soon) and was happy to perform again for the crowd at their famous Sunday Brunch/Lunch. After her Keynote Speech in the UK at the Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art, (seen here), she did a 10 city concert tour in Europe and Provence was the charming midpoint on her #MozartIgniteTour.
The food of course, was stupendous, a mouth-watering Mediterranean masterpiece of Provencal choices
and all of it was made from the delectable local vegetables, fruits and supplies
we had gotten that morning from the market,
most of it organic, so fresh from farms nearby and stunning to look at and glorious to taste.
This is truly Provence and the Luberon at it's best. That's the other owner, Nina ( Thierry's wife) sitting across from Mozart at this delightful lunch. They speak French, German and English well and take exceptional care of all their guests. On the other side of Mozart is the amazing Corinne Russo who was our magnificent guide recommended by our long time online friend in Marseille, Provence Claude Benard.
Mozart's original songs and light-up-the-world smile just added to our perfect day in Provence. What is your favorite market in Provence or else where?
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What an adorable lunch set up! And those colorful produce are so beautiful. Provence sounds like a dream :)
Posted by: Izy Berry | August 06, 2017 at 06:49 AM
Thanks Izy, it really is!! Make sure it is on your bucket list!!
Posted by: Jeanne @soultravelers3 | August 06, 2017 at 09:45 PM