Tony and Stellio Lestienne get into the Christmas spirit and make gingerbread!
More than 100 years later, her great, great, great grandson Tony Lestienne is equally famous for his Michelin starred kitchen and hotel, La Matelote, the perfect weekend bolthole, which he runs with son Stellio. It’s just a stone’s throw from the market where Clémence once plied her trade.
La Matelote means the “fisherman’s wife” and the restaurant excels in its fish dishes. Chef Lestienne opened it in 1979, winning a star in 1982 - which he’s held ever since. The restaurant has a plush but cosy, intimate interior and offers an excellent menu of fresh fish and mouth-watering desserts at an outstanding price (lunchtime 2-course menu at €28) making it an institution in the north of France for foodies. With fishing boats unloading their daily catch virtually at the restaurant's door, you'll be hard-pressed to find a fresher selection of fruits de mer anywhere in France.
“In a way” Chef Lestienne says “losing the ferry port allowed us to become more French again.”
And in a way, La Matelote represents the updated Boulogne-sur-Mer – delectable, unpretentious, honouring its past and comfortable in its own skin.
In honour of his illustrious ancestor, Chef Lestienne has created an exclusive gingerbread loaf recipe for The Good Life France – see next page…