Discover the “Specialties” and “Local Products”...

The Lambs from the salt meadows of the Bay of Somme are a true gastronomic specialty of the region, renowned for their tender, tasty and high-quality meat. These lambs are raised in a unique environment, in the salt meadows of the Bay of Somme, an area where the sea meets the land. Here is a description of this exceptional meat:

The salt meadow lambs graze freely in pastures subject to the influence of the tides. These meadows, flooded by sea water at each tide, offer a particular flora that feeds on salt, giving the herbs and plants a specific flavor. The lambs mainly consume these salty herbs, which gives them a particularly tasty and delicate meat.

The meat of salt meadow lambs is recognizable by its fine texture and tenderness. The taste is mild, slightly salty, with a subtle note of iodine, reminiscent of the tides and the marine environment. It is a meat that is particularly appreciated for its richness in natural flavors, without requiring much preparation to be highlighted.

This lamb benefits from a specific appellation, and its breeding is subject to strict rules to guarantee the quality and authenticity of the product. It is often prepared in a simple way to allow all the finesse of its flavor to express itself: roasted, as a leg, or as chops. Salt meadow lamb is a sought-after dish, perfect for festive meals or for those who wish to discover an exceptional local product.

Salt meadow lamb is an integral part of the Baie de Somme's gastronomic heritage. It is often accompanied by local vegetables, such as regional potatoes, or served with light sauces that do not mask its delicate taste.

In short, lamb from the salt meadows of the Baie de Somme is a refined meat, which captures the essence of the region, between sea and land. A real delight for lovers of authentic and high-quality products.

Gâteau battu is one of those identity dishes, inseparable from our culinary and gastronomic history.

Why ""beaten""?

Because the dough is beaten by hand. It is this long beating that gives this airy, supple and light dough.

It is a type of brioche, rich in butter and eggs, whose dough is airier and softer than traditional brioche.

Its cooking in a high, cylindrical fluted mold gives it this very particular shape of a chef's hat. Only the one cooked in this special mold is considered a "real" beaten cake.

Strawberries produced in the Bay of Somme including several varieties:

The amandine has a large flower located at the level of the foliage. It is a strawberry of regular shape, well balanced and with firm flesh allowing good conservation.

The Annabelle is medium sized, its very bright orange-red color makes it stand out.
It is a very sweet, soft and juicy strawberry, it is very popular with those who do not like acidity.

The Charlotte is a heart-shaped (cordiform) strawberry, blood red in color, firm and shiny. It has a sweet, slightly acidic and fruity taste.

The Favori is a strawberry with a beautiful clear and shiny appearance that remains after storage. It has a very good taste thanks to its excellent acidity/sugar balance.

The Mariguette is an elongated orange-red strawberry with a beautiful shine. It has an excellent level of firmness and can even be crunchy. It is a very sweet strawberry with a good aroma.

Murano is a conical shaped strawberry. It is bright red in color with a good taste. Murano remains of good quality even during high temperatures.

The Samphire of the Bay of Somme:

As early as spring, we see the fishermen going out to pick Glasswort in salt marshes. A type of sea vegetable, a small plant that hides in salty areas and delights gourmets!

A small sea vegetable that looks like a plant, samphire is a delight for shore fishermen in the Bay of Somme. This region is the primary production area for this strangely curved plant.

Fishermen on foot with an official license allowing them to pick this green plant. When spring comes, we see them leaving to pick early in the morning. With a small knife, accompanied by the traditional landing net basket, he cuts the samphire at ground level. The harvest focuses on the young shoots of samphire, easier to cut because its branches are not yet hardened by time and especially better to eat.

Sea aster or pig's ear: In the Bay of Somme, it is called pig's ears because of its leaf which almost resembles the animal's ears. Sea aster is a plant 20 to 60 cm high, regularly submerged by the tide. These small, thick, flat leaves are eaten raw or cooked. The flavor is similar to spinach.

The ficelle picarde The creation of the real ficelle picarde dates back to 1955 in Amiens, by the cook Marcel Lefèvre, Head Chef of the Hôtel du Commerce in Amiens. On the occasion of the Hotoie Exhibition Fair in Amiens, a meal was served to the personalities and notables of the department. For this event, the restaurateurs with a storefront on the Place d'Amiens were invited to participate in the development of the menu. Each had to demonstrate new ideas and know-how to stand out from the other participants. It was on this occasion that the ficelle picarde was born... To try to understand the origins of this recipe, which is ultimately "only" 70 years old, we must go back to the 17th century. At the time of Louis XIV, the king's cousin, the Marquis d'Uxelles, had a cook named François Pierre (de) La Varenne, born in 1618 in Dijon where he died in 1678. The man who was also the creator of Béchamel, one day had the idea of an unusual dish: very finely chopped mushrooms with chopped shallots, bound with breadcrumbs and rolled in a slice of bread called "Pannequet". The good man named this recipe "Mushroom Duxelles", in memory of the Marquis D'Uxelles whom he had served for a long time. The cook Marcel Lefèvre therefore used this historic recipe of French gastronomy to stuff his dish.

In conclusion, ficelle may not be a Picardy grandmother's recipe, but it is now part of the regional culinary identity, and its success is such that international guides now invite tourists to discover it.