It is one of those hidden great gastronomic meanders of France. Somewhere between Burgundy and the Champagne country is a quiet place, the Yonne and within one finds the region of Serein and Armance in north-central France bringing together some 29 towns and villages nestled between the forests of Othe and Montigny and traversed by the Burgundy Canal with its walking and cycling trails that let visitors discover this lush and gourmet region. 

The town of Saint-Florentin is known for its church built during the 16th and 17th centuries and artfully combines both Gothic and Renaissance elements, complemented by remarkable statues and the school of Troye stained glass windows that date from the 16th century. Troye is the European capital of stained glass making. Another singular site is the Grand Lavoir de la Poterne in Brienon/Armançon. A lavoir is a public place devoted to washing clothes, a sort of old-style launderette. The lavoir of Brienon/Armançon was built in 1762 during the reign of Louis XV and it offers up a remarkable and unusual oval shape. No longer in service, it has been beautifully decorated with hanging plants and flowers and is clearly worth a visit.

But the real deal here is the food. A little known gastronomic region of France, producing for example the pickles that are served at the presidential palace in Paris, a famous cheese favored by the kings of France and which today has its own IGP, the French acronym for a protected geographical indication, meaning it can only be produced within a certain geographical region, and a rare and endangered variety of a fleshy red bean known as the bean of Chéu. The Soumaintrain cheese (https://www.fromage-soumaintrain.fr/patrimoine.html) is a whole milk cheese made from pasteurized or raw cow’s milk. Unctuous, it is a cheese that has been enjoying a Renaissance since the 1990s and was awarded a coveted IGP in 2016 by the European Union. Two other local cheeses are ultra rich standouts as well: the difficult to find outside of the region Saint-Florentin and the earthy Chaource. You can even take a biking tour to the cheese producers to discover the region’s cheese heritage. The 13-mile (22-kilometer) journey is an easy and basically flat one along the Burgundy Canal from Brienon-sur-Armançon to Flogny-la-Chapelle.

Meanwhile in Chemilly/Yonne at the family-owned establishment Maison Marc (https://www.maisonmarc.fr/) you can find authentic French-made pickles, the same ones served at the Elysées Palace in Paris, home to the French president. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. To organize your visit contact the Serein-Armance Tourism Office in Saint Florentin: Tel: + 33 (0) 3 86 35 11 86. https://serein-armance.fr/