Jean-Baptiste Girard is something of a prophet in his native Bazois. Not only is he known for his peaceful herd of Charolais cattle, he’s also known for championing little-known local products, from the rare saffron grown in Biches to the flour from Le Moulin d’Aron – which he uses to make his bread. Keeping an eye on the vegetable patch and the homemade sweets is Maïko, his pastry chef of a wife who also welcomes guests into their little raftered home or their summer garden, depending on the time of year. Haute couture cuisine is to be expected therefore, starting with this devastatingly good amuse-bouche of melon sorbet with thin melon slices and a tangy elderflower granita; then, since it was summer, a pressé of grilled eggplant, Julie’s goat cheese and a roasted red pepper mousse; before a trout brought back alive from the Morvan, pan-fried and paired very simply with a shellfish cream and a gang of buttery vegetables from the garden – artichokes, carrots, pearl onions and haricots verts. And then a perfect dessert: a thin tartlet topped with peaches poached in syrup, served with a garden-grown linden sorbet. If you’ve got room after all that, try some of Maïko’s cannelés, which can also be taken to go (€2 for six). // G.D.
FEELING THIRSTY? A short selection served by the glass (€6.50), including a lovely Chablis from Gautherin and a rugged Rhone Syrah from Montez. For everything else: a Pouilly-Fumé from the Domaine André Dezat (€34 a bottle), Sous la Velle, a Saint-Romain white from the Buissons (€45) and a Crozes-Hermitage from the Domaine Combier (€60).
PRICE: Menu €41.
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