Domaine de Gentilly

For nearly 30 years, Arnaud and Cécilia Viel have been running their modern establishment with a strong personality in perfect harmony with the chef's cuisine. Here in Argentan, homage is paid to Normandy through exceptional hand-picked ingredients: local butter and unpasteurised farmhouse cream, scallops from Port-en-Bessin, lobster from Carteret, foie gras from the Pays d'Auge, sand carrots from Créances, sometimes combined with premium items such as caviar or black winter truffles. The food impresses with flawless execution and harmonious flavours. The excellent wine list is curated by Céci

Le Grand Monarque, which is home to Le Georges, has withstood the test of time – the hotel’s first mention in the Michelin Guide dates back to 1900! This elegantly appointed establishment is ideally located between Paris and the Loire at a crossroads between the regions of western France. Thomas Parnaud has steadfastly remained true to his mission of shining the spotlight on local producers who respect the environment as he deploys a top-to-tail ethos. Examples include Perche pike with Eure-et-Loir mushrooms and house-made fish garum, or Racan chicken, seasonal endive and kumquat. It would be

A gorgeous country house smothered in Virginia Creeper, a waterside terrace shaded by birch trees and an historic mill, whose cogwheels are still intact: we fell in love with this Instagram-perfect picture of the French countryside outside Bernay. Such is the perfect foil for chef Cédric Auger’s cuisine that stars fresh, premium, seasonal produce. Book a room and stay overnight.

On the edge of Rambouillet Forest, chef Cybèle, who formerly ran the Table de Cybèle in Boulogne Billancourt, fell in love with this estate dating from 1850 and where she now grows practically everything she cooks according to permaculture methods… Fresh greens thus play a pivotal role, flanked by fermentation techniques and produce from local growers, in deceptively simple, signature cuisine rich in aromatic legible flavours. The bread, butter and yoghurt are all homemade and the wine list is packed in biodynamic and natural vintages. A Scandinavian slant depicts the venue, which also offers

In the old town, at the foot of the Porte St Julien, this restaurant in a pretty 16C building serves cuisine for the modern palate. The chefs incorporate a smattering of exotic touches, but always have a handful of classics up their sleeve. The chicken supreme with quince, accompanied by mashed potatoes with walnuts and an amaretto-infused carcass jus is a good example. As for dessert, it is a pleasure to find a vacherin, a rum baba or a moelleux – always a failsafe option! Fine selection of wines by the glass.

This restaurant, which immediately draws the eye with its appealing half-timbered façade, is a tried-and-tested favourite with diners. Originally from Normandy, chef Xavier Buzieux has been turning out generous, accomplished home-style cooking for nearly 30 years, attentive to the seasons and local producers. Its success continues unabated, thanks in no small part to its droves of regulars and warm and friendly atmosphere.

A short walk from Claude Monet's house, this half-timbered Anglo-Norman residence dating back to 1912 extends an invitation to relax and enjoy the good things in life. Normandy-born chef David Gallienne, who earned his stripes at the Manoir du Lys, crafts precise, refined cuisine, with inventive and colourful dishes that feature unorthodox marriages of flavours and carefully crafted textures. He uses a network of local suppliers, but allows himself forays further afield, paying particular attention to the selection of ingredients, eg farmhouse butter and mussels from Mont-Saint-Michel. In addi