Hotel Restaurant Le Rider

This restaurant occupies a converted mill built out of black volcanic stone with a slate roof. Set just outside a village, it overlooks a pretty lake, beside which the terrace is laid in fine weather. The interior is the epitome of snug with a stone fireplace, a bar and mismatched furniture. The chef signs recipes tailored to modern tastes using local produce (even the coffee and cocoa is roasted locally) to which he adds a well-travelled spin: trout jazzed up with a chimichurri sauce or veal that resembles couscous… Beautiful plating and talented craftsmanship. Platter of regional cheeses.

In the picture postcard village of Tournemire, a renovated barn, whose bare stone walls and timber rafters have been preserved, is now the scene of an airy restaurant with a modern extension overlooking the Doire Valley. Managed by the same team as the Puy Tilleul, down the hill in the village, the menu highlights home-grown Cantal produce: locally sourced ingredients, tableware by local artisans and coffee roasted in Aurillac. Concise, polished menu dotted with nods to tradition, like truffade. Panoramic views from the picture windows and big-boned fare served with heartwarming sincerity.

Nothing remains of the ruined château, except its founding spirit, which has been given a new lease of life thanks to the vision of two local childhood friends. It is now home to guestrooms, a bar and a restaurant housed in the tasteful timber extension. The Colombian chef crafts authentic cuisine packed in flavour and scattered with South American notes (ceviche of fish of the day, flame-licked cooking). In line with their eco-responsible ethos, priority is given to local producers, and some of their vegetables, herbs and even fish also come from their own aquaponics greenhouse, hence the one

Not far from Le Mont-Dore, authenticity is guaranteed in this inn, where the dining area was originally a cowshed! Fresh ingredients and copious portions of tasty traditional cuisine, such as tender pork cheeks, home-made potato purÉe and Saint-PourÇain white wine sauce… even if the chef allows himself a few incursions into more contemporary territory, with dishes such as salmon gravlax.

This restaurant in Égletons, between Tulle and Ussel, was opened by a young couple from the Basque Country, who are winning diners over with their commitment and unpretentious cuisine. On weekday lunchtimes, the food is deliberately simpler, with a good-value set menu that attracts regulars. In the evening, the menu pushes the envelope: grilled Basque blood sausage with potato patty and golden apples; crab mayonnaise enhanced with a carrot and curry cream, blini made with walnut flour.

Beds of aromatic herbs, Japanese enclosure, rose garden etc. These gardens created by a famous cosmetics brand celebrate both the poetic nature of the site and the virtues of nature. In the restaurant with its beautifully restored old timber frame, the chef elevates the Corrèze terroir by using spices encountered during the years he spent in Asia and the West Indies – the resulting dishes are as fragrant as they are confidently prepared.

This restaurant in a lush green setting is a champion of local produce, as illustrated by the chef's network of carefully selected farms. In a pared-back modern interior (in which the furniture and tableware are the work of local artisans), tuck into seasonal dishes, which you can wash down with wine courtesy of the sommelier's expert tips.