Le Castel

Eating

Food is something that your hosts take very seriously. Fresh, local produce is used to create nightly 5-course feasts around a grand walnut table. Being so close to the coast, the seafood (scallops, oysters and skate) is particularly good. A typical menu might start with garlic scallops pan-fried in parsley butter and served with king prawns, followed by duck breast with poached plums in a red wine and cassis sauce. Local cheeses (take your pick between Coutances, Camembert or Pont l’Eveque to name just a few) precede a soft dark chocolate pudding with a white chocolate sauce. If you fancy something more casual, Jon will knock up a kitchen supper at a reasonable rate, and kids' meals are on offer at 5pm. Children over 14 can join the main dining table if they wish. Parents with babies can use the microwave to heat up meals and sterilise bottles, and the Roi and Emperor Suites both have kitchenettes.

Breakfast is served in the dining room or on the terrace. Start your day with a freshly squeezed orange juice, local apple juice or even carrot juice, followed by a choice of cereals, yoghurt, fruit, freshly baked croissants and pastries, and local jams - try the wonderful rhubarb and fig version.

If you can tear yourself away, there’s a good range of restaurants within a 45-minute drive, to suit all budgets. The nearest gastronomic option is La Verte Campagne, in the hamlet of Trelly, which is run by English couple Lynne and André. Great effort is made to source produce locally, including seafood and agneau pré-salé (saltmarsh-reared lamb) for which the Cotentin is famous. Lynne trained at Cordon Bleu in London and, much to the disbelief of locals, produces extremely fine meals at sensible prices. Lunch, served on Thursdays to Saturdays, is a bargain.

For something simpler, head for Blainville-sur-Mer and look for La Cale, an unlikely-looking hut that produces the best ever moules-frites (mussels and chips). Alternatively, Le Jules Gommès, a crêperie and restaurant at Regneville-sur-Mer also has excellent seafood at reasonable prices.