Weekend in THE WALLS

We met up with Corinne Le Lerre, an English woman who offers tours of her adopted home. We strolled around the ramparts and she explained her passion for all things French and that explorers, buccaneers and pirates have all used the area as a base over the centuries.

The next stop on our itinerary was the Yacht Club Le Saint Malo, situated on the marina just outside the city walls.

David Thomas and Leray Martin who own the club’s restaurant, offered us a beer and an insight into their style of cooking.

We were invited to watch Leray prepare sashimi, as David explained the process his fellow chef was following. In between bites of the most delicious homemade pâté, I listened as David explained his food philosophy.

He is incredibly passionate about using local produce and everything the kitchen uses is certified organically – with some even grown in his own garden to ensure quality.

We washed it all down with a glass of organic wine then moved on to les Comptoirs de Saint Malo for even more decadent consumption.

The store sells homemade jams and delectable caramels infused with fruit flavours, but it also houses a secret wine cellar below the shop floor.

Benoit Auffray, one of the store’s founders, led us into the cellar to taste an array of French wines.

The white and red wines were all easy to drink and after loading up on caramels and biscuits from the shop, we hopped into a taxi back to our hotel and a lovely little restaurant for dinner.

The next day, we were booked on the boat, Chateaubriand, for a cruise along the Rance River, towards Dinan.

The idea was to sit back, relax and take in the beautiful landscape while enjoying a lavish four-course meal. Three hours passed by in a blur of scenery, gourmet food and wine.

Later, we grabbed a taxi back to St Malo, where everyone had the same idea for a sunny Sunday afternoon – wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere.

I decided to take advantage of the different retail options and put in a few solid hours of shopping, picking up a coat, scarf and handbag before catching the ferry back to Jersey.

The trip turned out to be busy but relaxing and a great little weekend getaway.

© Jersey Evening Post