La Belle Minervoise

If you are looking for the “real France”, this charming B&B, is located just 20 minutes from Carcassonne in the wine producing village of St Frichoux. Run by Parisians Sophie and her pastry-chef husband Jean-Claude - it is a true rural retreat. The house and bedrooms are bright and airy with classic furnishings, freshly painted bathrooms and views over the meadows of the Languedoc. As well as the sunny dining room and lounge, there is a private garden with a spa-pool to cool off or warm up after a hard days’ touring. As in all small villages, parking is tight but Jean-Claude manages this really well. I have to say that the highlight for us was the convivial dining on the long garden table. We enjoyed breakfast with a family of five from Brittany and so enjoyed practising our French while eating Jean-Claude’s home-made brioche slathered with a choice of several jams and home-made “nutella”. He varies the menu every day with different pastries and other treats. His talents are not restricted to breakfast! We love French Table d’hôtes and the enjoyment of not having to drag out to second rate restaurants for dinner. Belle Minervoise offers a delicious 3 course menu for a very reasonable price, along with wines from the village. We all sat outside in the warm evening enjoying tiny slices of quiche which were served with the apero – a lime zesty mojhito! We were then served a very unique meal with a selection of starters, local melon and ham, a mini-cassoulet (Jean-claude's), gazpacho and brandade stuffed peppers, followed by duck breast and a violet flavoured crème brulee. Jean-Claude is a Master of the Order of Cassoulet, which you can buy in those lovely old fashioned jars to take home. I really think you would struggle to top this in most local restaurants. Jean-Claude and Sophie always join their guests for dinner and so you get a real insight into local life. We can’t wait to come back!

This was our third stay with Sophie and Jean-Claude over the past four years; Covid having prevented us from travelling last summer. At La Belle Minervoise we again enjoyed warm hospitality and excellent cuisine in the heart of the French countryside. Sophie and Jean-Claude speak excellent English (along with several other languages) but they were happy to let me hone my rusty French! On arrival, we were greeted like long lost friends and instantly felt at home. Prior to dinner we were treated to sparkling wine accompanied by delicious home made cheese puffs. Duck was the main course for the evening and as a special treat, my partner had unbeknown to me, asked Jean-Claude to bake me a birthday cake. This, of course, was excellent and a wonderful surprise. The meals on the subsequent days were equally delicious as indeed were the breakfasts where homemade croissants and brioche were the order of the day; a real treat! There are a lot of interesting villages and châteaux in the area in addition to the many vineyards and Sophie is always happy to make recommendations. We look forward to returning La Belle Minervoise next year. Merci et à bientôt