With pans of various shapes and sizes bubbling on the burners, Neil Churchill was making magic in the galley. Delicious aromas wafted towards the dining table and the anticipation for our first dining experience on board the Grand Cru barge mounted by the minute.
We were travelling in style for one April week along the very pretty Canal de Bourgogne, heading towards Plombières les Dijon, our final destination.
Spring Pea and Leek Vichyssoise sounds OK, doesn’t it? A typically French dish to start the week. But add Burgundy truffle, crème fraiche and a hazelnit crumble and our group was wowed – meat-eaters (4), pescatarians (2) and vegetarians (2) alike. Its presentation was as delightful as its flavours, earning exclamations of pleasure, and setting the bar extremely high for the rest of the week. And Neil continued to excel; our appreciation and knowledge of superb cuisine increasing with every mouthful.
Neil has been honing his culinary skills for many years aboard various top star barges in France, including the LVMH barges (previously Orient Express) that cruise the waterways in France.
“I simply love cooking,” Neil says, “Creating new flavours and dishes for guests on board is a real treat for me. Being able to choose my ingredients from local farmers and suppliers that I’ve come to know means that we have a real connection with what’s in season – asparagus right now – and it’s a delight to take guests to one of the most famous markets, at Dijon.”
As part of the excellent Grand Cru team, Neil is able plan menus in advance of the trip, according to the guests’ preferences. Everything for the week is stored in the small galley and you’ll be amazed at the way 24 delicious dishes, and more, are served by the team at each meal from such a small kitchen.
Breakfast is a buffet on board Grand Cru barge. You can lie in a little, or go for a morning stroll or bike ride, as you wish, and return to help yourself to fresh breads and pastries collected daily from the nearest village boulangerie, freshly squeezed fruit juices, hams, cheeses and yoghurts. But Neil is also on hand in the galley to make your eggs over-easy, or scrambled with smoked salmon, or indeed any way your tastebuds desire.
After a morning cruise, we gathered daily at around 12:30 to lunch on the sundeck, or indoors if a chilly April-morning breeze prevailed; a ‘simple’ lunch of asparagus and truffle quiche, tomato salads, quinoa and cold meats was one of my personal favourites of the week, exquisite flavours bursting forth with each forkful.
Blending is Neil’s top secret, perfected over many years of selecting the best of France’s local produce and creating dishes and sauces that just simply work. If I tell you that Neil’s recipes and presentation exceeded the mid-week evening dining experience at the Michelin-starred Abbey de la Bussière, you should not be surprised.
Neil is also very happy to cater for those with dietary restrictions and enjoys the challenges and adventures it brings. “Traditional die-hard meat-eaters frequently envy the dishes I prepare for vegetarians and vegans, and I’m always delighted that my veggie Bourgogne sauce is so well-received. Eating less meat is a trend, a healthier option, and my menus are bound to reflect this more in the future. But my local Charolais beef dish will always be served, and all the more appreciated for that.”
Sample menus
All meals are usually paired with local Burgundian wines – reds and whites, Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Village and Regional.
Vandenesse en Auxois | Day 1
Spring pea and leek Vichyssoise
Burgundy truffle, crème fraiche and hazelnut crumble
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Hicory glazed corn-fed poulet de Bourgogne
Popcorn crumb, Morelles mushrooms
Sweetcorn, chervil
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Crème brulée a la flambé
Tahini & tonka bean
White wine Red Wine
Saint Aubin 1er Cru 2020 Beaune 1er Cru 2018
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At La Bussière – Day 3
Pastis flambéd king prawns
Provençale tomato, nduja, piquiio pepper
Ragout, parsley, lemon and capers
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Slow braised belly of porc of Franche-Comté
Wild-flower honey and misograze, pak choi, nori, ginger, purée mousseline
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Gariguette strawberry pavlova
Yuzu curd, crème Chantilly de Bresse, finger lime
White Wine Red Wine
Saint Romain Louis Jadot 2020 Nuits St Georges 1er Cru 2017
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The Captain’s Dinner at Plombières – Day 6
Seared diver caught scallops
Watercress velouté, brown shrimps, anchovy, yuzu and dill
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Dried aged Charolais beef sirloin
Jerusalem artichoke, cep purée, sauce bordelaise ‘Grand Cru’
Lemon verbena and gratin Dauphinoise
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Passionfruit souffle
Organic Ghanaian chocolate, crème de Bresse & coconut
White Wine Red Wine
Chablis Grand Cru 2020 Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru 2019
Cheese please
Served every day at lunch and before dinner with a full and knowledgable presentation of two or three scrummy cheeses, subsequently served in small portions to taste and then heartily devour, was a looked-forward-to highlight of the culinary experience.
During the week we sampled over 30 cheeses (out of literally hundreds produced in France). We learned to compare and contrast, and to discern between some rather similar types. In addition to cheese choices for breakfast as well, we were treated to an excursion to the Gaugry Fromagerie where, along with brown bread, we were introduced to 6 of their cheeses, from the sweetest, Brillat-Savarin, to the strongest, Epoisses, which never fails to please.
More about French cheese.
Route des Grand Crus
In April, with barely a leaf on the serried ranks of gnarled stumps, the vineyards are a hive of activity, with each producer applying their own methods, perhaps with only a few rows of vines each, in order to produce the best wine they can with the terroir that they have. The pruning has already been done, and now the tasks are re-wiring where necessary, or setting up stakes, and weeding – so much weeding this month – either by horse and plough or high-wheeled tractors, that turn the soil between the rows.
Each vine plant can produce one bottle so even one row of vines is worth spending a deal of love and attention on at the start of the growing season. The famed Corton hillside is clearly visible, and the many Clos, the stone-walled enclosures, grace the lower slopes.
More about the Route des Grands Crus
Up to 8 guests can sample Neil’s delicious cuisine aboard Grand Cru hotel barge. Get your party together – she is booked by charter parties only – and contact us by email or with our UK, USA or Australian phone numbers to secure your vacation of a lifetime.
