Le Mas Andoli

From a long line of bakers, chef Richard Durand has made C'la Vie a real mecca for food lovers. The food is good and life is good! The daily menu features terrific ingredients (most of them local), the flavours are distinctive, and the focus is firmly on dining pleasure. Enjoy your meal in the pared-back dining area inside, or on the terrace in the shade of a hundred-year-old plane tree. A fine selection of wines that celebrates the Rhône Valley and Languedoc, and rightfully so.

Château de Montcaud's chic bistro serves wholehearted cuisine with Mediterranean overtones as chef Mathieu Hervé shines the spotlight on local, often organic ingredients: Gubernat duck pâté en croûte and foie gras, mustard espuma; tataki of tuna and basil-laced humus; breast of Blaches guinea fowl, spelt risotto, green peas and St George’s mushrooms. A blissful shaded terrace overlooking the grounds, a warm welcome and cordial service add the final touches to this hospitable portrait.

In a picturesque village not far from the Pont-du-Gard, Denis Martin (ex The Marcel) and his wife Joana have set up shop in a handsome limestone building. The chef crafts spot-on, expressive dishes, in which lamb from Les Baux, Mediterranean seabass and the rich Occitan terroir take centre stage – to be savoured on the terrace or in the bright interior. A champion of regional produce, the chef crafts a festival of spot-on, well-balanced dishes. The weekday lunchtime menu is excellent value for money. Why not stay overnight in one of the attractive guestrooms and enjoy the swimming pool? In a n

You are made to feel right at home here at La Maison, once a winegrowers' home, with a magnificent stone interior. Creative cuisine is served in the form of dishes in which a number of different elements are juxtaposed. Ludovic Davouze always makes sure to showcase local producers, and enjoys adding an element of surprise, with original combinations of flavours such as just-seared little tuna marinated with chives, with smoked aubergine and miso sauce. The patio is a joy in fine weather.

In the heart of the village, a spacious terrace shaded by a plane tree welcomes diners in fine weather. The interior boasts a confident neo-retro aesthetic, featuring zellige tiles, classic bistro tables, moleskin bench seating and antique trinkets. The brainchild of Mathieu Desmarest (Pollen, Avignon) and his partner, it proposes a short, seasonal and locally sourced menu, expertly delivered by the chef. Green pea gazpacho verde, brousse cheese and pickles; tuna steak, virgin olive oil, fennel and smoked paprika-infused yoghurt.

In this charming stone farmhouse, set amid vineyards and fields, the chef cooks up flavoursome seasonal Provençal and Mediterranean cuisine – using carefully selected ingredients, it is simple but delicious. When the sun is out, head to the pleasant terrace sheltered by plane trees. But whatever the season, you can expect extremely friendly service. They also have a handful of guestrooms decorated in a contemporary style.

After a long and rewarding career, chef Guy Jullien continues to craft a culinary score that is unabashedly devoted to uplifting, traditional nosh with proper French overtones: foie gras flan and cream of truffle soup, fattened Bresse hen with truffles, roast rack of lamb in thyme, vanilla-raspberry ice cream vacherin… without forgetting a lineup of head-spinning truffle menus. As Gallic as La Marseillaise, the flavours are gutsy and big boned, to be savoured on the peaceful terrace in the shade of the trees in fine weather. The wine cellar is a treasure trove of regional gems. Authenticity an