artisans of the ariege-pyrenees
Feature for The Australian
“For me, making and selling croustade isn’t just a business, it’s about sharing and community; for example, what’s left at the end of the day goes to a homeless shelter,” says Martine Crespo.
I’m standing in the little bakery of the woman who, 39 years ago, revived and commercialised croustade – a sweet or savoury tart made with fine pastry – which was traditionally baked for special occasions in France’s Ariege departement.
She tells me that her shop is like a community centre. On the wall, a noticeboard advertises yoga classes, alternative therapies, Occitan language lessons, folk music concerts and the Pyrene – a local currency (1Py = €1) launched in 2014 to encourage local spending.
Croustade made by Martine Crespo
Martine is one of many artisans in this rural region at the foot of the Pyrenees who are successfully ensuring the continuation of age-old traditions and crafts and breathing life into this economically depressed, sparsely populated area.
She adds: “Just like the hippies who came from Paris after the 1968 riots, lots of people still want to move here looking for peace and tranquillity; many take up farming or crafts.
“This is a desirable area for those looking for an alternative way of life as the ariegeois are very open and welcoming and we even have associations to help newcomers integrate.”
I’m in St Girons, an unremarkable town except for its Saturday-morning market, regarded as one of the best in France, when producers from the 18 surrounding valleys set up their stalls along the riverside. With a range of arts and crafts and accompanying live music, there’s a distinct babacool (hippy) vibe.
From here I head south to visit some of the artisans in the Bethmale valley, one of the prettiest parts of the Couserans (the western third of the Ariege). There’s no public transport so I drive the 11-mile journey, although this area is very popular with cyclists and walkers too as the GR10 path passes through.
Following the River Lez along the valley floor, I pass first through the hamlet of Aubert, home to a small quarry famous for its black and white marble, which has been used in the construction of buildings around the world. A bit further on in Moulis, a couple of paragliders have just landed on a football pitch at the side of the road; this is one of many high-octane outdoor activities in these peaky parts.
The forested mountainsides are dotted with hamlets of wood and stone houses and there are dairy cows in the fields. Most bovines (the grey, native Gascon breed) have yet to come down from the mountains. Every June, 10,000 cows, 10,000 sheep and hundreds of the black Merens horses transhume from this area for the summer.
The village of Engomer is best known for Papeteries Leon-Martin, France’s only maker of tissue paper for packaging, but I’m interested in its foodie hotspots. I call into the Epicerie Associative, a grocery store selling local products and household essentials; it was set up by a group of friends in 2012 (thanks to crowdfunding) to replace a previous shop that had closed. Like Martine Crespo, they accept Pyrenes as payment.
However, I can’t wait to dash across the road to the Moulin Gourmand. This riverside shop-restaurant is the showcase for fromage de Bethmale (a mild, soft, raw cow’s milk cheese with small holes in) made in the old mill on the opposite bank.
Bethmale cheese made with ewe’s milk
The Gimbrede family has been making cheese here since 1978 and I chat to the owner’s son, Clement, over a lunch of homemade preserved-duck lasagne (which you can also buy in the shop).
He tells me: “We are all about quality and keeping traditions alive. We buy our milk from local farmers and it’s not mixed; only milk from one farm goes into one cheese. We do what we can to ensure their survival.”
The shelves are stocked with products from other local producers and I’m introduced to beekeeper and honey maker Francis Girard (Le Rucher de Pouech in Moulis) who has just walked in. We end up discussing a controversial subject.
Francis moves his hives to the top of the mountain in summer so the bees can feast on rhododendrons and chestnut trees. Apart from the changing climate and pesticides being carried on the wind, one problem he encounters is bears trying to break into the hives to eat the bee larvae.
Brown bears were reintroduced to the Pyrenees from 1996 and have been causing havoc and dividing opinion ever since. During my stay, farmers are protesting after flock of sheep was killed in an attack.
I start the ascent up the mountain and stop in the pretty hamlet of Arrien-en-Bethmale. A traditional stone house is the home and workshop of Pascal Justot, one of the few remaining wooden clog makers in France. He was one of the first “outsiders” to move to Bethmale in the 1980s and apprenticed himself to a local craftsman.
Although most of the clogs that Pascal makes are for gardening, he also makes the traditional Bethmale clogs which are instantly recognisable by their long, vertical points and studded black leather uppers. The latter are worn by members of local folk-dancing groups at events and festivals like Autrefois le Couserans, a celebration of the area’s traditional way of life, which takes place in St Girons at the end of July.
Traditional Bethmale clogs
Further up the hill in Samortein-en-Bethmale (750m) is the charming chalet (En Terre d’Abajous) of Anne Larive. Anne also settled in Bethmale in the Eighties and is now renowned for her delicious vegan, organic sorbets and jams made from herbs and flowers. You can try them in her little garden, surrounded by glorious mountain views, from 3pm to 7pm daily in summer, or even stay here in a gypsy caravan.
She tells me: “A lot goes on culturally in this and the other valleys, with folk groups, live music and art and craft exhibitions. It might be fairly remote here, but it’s a vibrant place to live.”
Anne did some WWOOFING when she was younger and now offers a similar opportunity to others in summer. You can pick plants and flowers and help in the shop, then bathe in the river down below in your spare time. Where do I sign up?
View of the valley from Anne Larive’s garden
IN THE KNOW
The nearest major transport hub for the Ariege is Toulouse, which has an international airport (toulouse.aeroport.fr) and a TGV train station (oui.sncf). You can rent cars at both sites from several agencies; it’s a 90-minute drive south to St Girons. Alternatively, catch bus 452 from Toulouse bus station to St Girons (Mon-Fri one daily; autocars-ortet.com), where you can rent bikes from Maxi Sports (16 rue Yvette Garrabe) or Cycle & Vous (12 av Gallieni).
STAY Chateau de Beauregard, a three-star hotel in a turreted 19th-century manor house on the edge of St Girons, has a good restaurant in the converted barn and a cosy spa in the former stables; chateaubeauregard.net. Gite la Maisou above Moulis is a charming two-bedroom stone cottage in a bucolic location overlooking the valley; lesgitesdelajolotte.com.
EAT Auberge de la Core on the D17 in Arrien-en-Bethmale serves excellent regional cuisine accompanied by stunning views.
