Floating appetites

Explore European Waterways Gourmand barge cruises.

17 March 2024

In August 2024, the promise of an exclusive culinary adventure twinkles on the horizon like a Michelin-star in the dim twilight.

European Waterways has put out a clarion call to the epicureans, the gourmands, and the simply peckish to embark on a gustatory odyssey through France’s serpentine canals aboard a floating palace of epicurean delight.

“Seasonal, locally produced ingredients,” chant the culinary wizards behind European Waterways, a mantra elevating their voyages to the realms of legend among those who worship at the altars of flavour and terroir.

These week-long crusades are meticulously crafted for the disciples of Dionysus and Demeter, blending sybaritic relaxation with gastronomic pilgrimages, vistas that seduce the lens, and a plunge into the marrow of local lore and culture.

For the solitary gourmand or the duo bent on unravelling the mysteries of Southern France’s palate, the Enchanté — a hotel barge with the capacity to embrace eight guests — is setting sail on the Canal du Midi come 11 August 2024.

Enchanté will cruise the Canal du Midi offering guests delectable cuisine from the regions of France.

The experience includes the barge chef taking guests to the local market.

Stopping along the way to do a spot of truffle hunting with trained truffle hounds in Mas d’Antonin.

The gourmet delights of L'Oulibo olive oil factory.

L’Oulibo's revered products.

Champagne and canapes throughout Burgundy.

Accommodation is boutique.

Enchanté is a magnificent barge with capacity for up to eight guests.

Enchanté is cruising the Canal du Midi from August.

This six-night escapade, previously the preserve of private charters, now unfurls its sails to cabin bookings, heralding a rare chance to feast upon the culinary jewels of the region.

Charting a course along the Canal du Midi, the journey promises encounters with the elusive truffle in Mas d’Antonin, an odyssey to the revered L’Oulibo for an olive oil press pilgrimage, a cheese odyssey at Combebelle goat farm, a foray into Narbonne’s bustling food market, and a vinous voyage in Minervois.

A French cooking class with a contemporary spin on classic fare and a narrative-rich tour of Carcassonne’s fortified citadel bookend this culinary conquest, climaxing with a captain’s farewell dinner that promises to be the stuff of legend.

This week-long immersion into the art of French cuisine, against a backdrop of picturesque landscapes, offers a sanctuary for the connoisseur to revel in the Canal du Midi’s gastronomic treasures.

A berth on Enchanté’s 11 August departure commands a tribute of €6,450 per epicurean, based on a duo sharing the journey.

For a congregation of twelve foodie friends or kin, L’Impressionniste stands ready to chart a course through Southern Burgundy’s culinary cosmos on two select weeks in the summer – 28 July and 4 August 2024.

This vessel’s itinerary is a mosaic of culinary expeditions – a perambulation through Dijon, a communion with the market’s bounty, a pilgrimage to Domaine Chanson in Beaune for a wine tasting and gourmet repast, a mustering at the Edward Fallot Moutarderie to pay homage to Dijon mustard, and a benediction of Burgundian cheese at Gaugry Fromagerie, all while the barge whispers through the waters of the Burgundy Canal. For a crew of twelve, this journey into Burgundy’s heart starts at €63,000.

European Waterways’ Culinary Cruises are not merely voyages; they are a tapestry of immersive food-centric excursions, hands-on French cooking revelations, and onboard cooking demonstrations that are nothing short of a culinary crusade.

europeanwaterways.com
www.firstclassmagazine.co

Previous article

Echo record

Next article

Energy ambassador