Jacky Carles is an institution in his own right: in the heart of the Aveyron gorges, he set up his farm some fifty years ago with one idea in mind: green tourism! And today, we hurry there to taste duck specialties with all the sauces!
Welcome to the Carles farm!
By following the Aveyron valley, between Villefranche de Rouergue and Najac, I arrive in the small village of Monteils and lead me to Carles Farm… In front of the completely renovated old building, Jacques, the owner of the premises awaits us with open arms!
He welcomes us with an enthusiasm and a smile that are a pleasure to see, and with his accent that smells good of the South, he launches us…
Welcome to Aveyron, here the duck is king! My name is Jacky, you come home, you eat, you drink and you laugh!
Farm visit
And so begins 3 to 4 hours of discovery and enjoyment: first, a visit to the farm . Along a small path, he shows us his farm. He raises more than 3500 Muscovy ducks with red heads each year; we see them wandering in the meadows and quacking as we pass! Raised outdoors and fed on grain, he selects them for force-feeding for 13 days. Jacky explains how much he loves his waterfowl and how he raises them humanely and without torture, with genuine respect for animal welfare, in complete contrast to industrial farming.
Then comes the behind-the-scenes tour: Jacky shows us the processing workshops before we arrive at the copper showroom, which also serves as his shop . At the back of the room, in the large fireplace, we discover the two big copper cauldrons where our meal is simmering in duck fat! Mmm, it smells delicious… I can't wait to taste it! In the meantime, he serves us rillettes on toast with a homemade aperitif —enough to make our mouths water!
In table!
Then, head up one floor to the immense dining room , which can accommodate over 150 guests… On the walls, an exhibition of photos selected by his friend Jean-Marie Périer, the photographer for the magazine "Salut les Copains"—we're transported back to the yé-yé years! We'll be dining opposite Sylvie Vartan, Jacques Dutronc, Françoise Hardy, and the Rolling Stones!
This sacred Jacky, he knows a lot of beautiful people… he counts among his friends the great Pierre Bonte, the food critic Gilles Pudlowski, the host Jean-Luc Petitrenaud or even the late jack-of-all-trades Jean-Pierre Coffe!
The chef goes into the kitchen, and here is the mistress of the place who takes over! Using her microphone, the bubbly Dominique gives us the instructions for the meal...
the wine is available in the “cubi”, just next to the “Château La Pompe”
…We get up and we participate, it's atypical but so nice!
First course, first flavors: the oulado (country soup) is placed on the table in terracotta soup tureens, and everyone helps themselves as they wish! Then come the gizzards salad, stuffed necks and small fries with nuts, always delicious…
Behind the glass, we see the "crazy peasant" (2 Gault and Millau hats all the same) fidgeting, I wonder what's going on, we see him take out a brass instrument, with a small container at the end like a funnel… it is a flambado (or Capuchin)! He puts duck fat in it, then in contact with the embers, the iron turns red, the fat turns into oil and ignites, so the meat takes on a smoked taste!
And here's the main course: duck breast stuffed with foie gras and served with melt-in-your-mouth baby potatoes and oyster mushrooms… Everyone can help themselves! Dominique distributes the dishes to the tables, asking who would like more… it's the kind of rustic cooking we love, the kind that reminds us of Grandma's lovingly prepared dishes, where you go back for seconds, simply because it's so good! To finish off the meal, there are sweet treats to share : homemade apple, fig, watermelon, or plum tarts!
A memorable atypical experience
At that moment, at the same time as the pitchers of coffee are placed on the tables, Dominique, our waitress with a wide smile, takes the microphone!
She draws our attention to this chef, full of good nature, who comes to greet us at our table with a friendly little note in a southern accent that we like to hear, a duck in his hand… no, not the one who poops but a bottle glass filled with small liqueur that he serves us with generosity!
And after well-deserved applause from the whole room under "hip-hip-hip hooray Jacky", Dominique begins to sing! Here we go in an organized cacophony to sing tunes from our childhood (or even that of our parents!)
Ah the little white wine, which we drink under the arbours... On the Champs-Elysées, in the sun, in the rain, at noon or at midnight... lalalalala, lalalala,...
What a good mood: people who didn't know each other 2 hours ago take each other by the shoulders and dance together, just to share a moment of happiness!
This is what "the joy of good living" in the Aveyron region is all about: spending a day in Monteils, this small village hidden in the heart of the Aveyron Gorges , and sharing a moment of simplicity around a good meal prepared by a smiling Jacky, happy to offer us local and authentic cuisine!
| Practical Info |
|---|
| If you want to make the most of your day, you have to arrive around 11 a.m. to do the visit and the meal ends around 14:30/15 p.m. |
| Menus from €25 to €30 per person – €13 children (free for children under 50) – by reservation only |
| On site, a small exhibition of copper cauldrons and above all a beautiful farm produce shop: pâtés, rillettes, blood sausages, foie gras... all made with duck, not forgetting the homemade soup or oyster mushrooms seasoned with Espelette pepper ! Everything to make gift baskets for friends, or for personal pleasure! |
209 route du gabas 12200 Monteils
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