Take Faverges. It’s a small town with a wonderful Wednesday morning street market, shops and restaurants. It’s been put on the global map by a local butchers shop, run by two brothers who make a speciality sausage known as Pormontier – said to be the best in France. In the Haut-Savoie, these boiled sausages are a legend, every family will have their own recipe and it includes spinach or cabbage or chard. The sausages are eaten with potatoes – a hearty meal for the mountain people. I popped into the shop and asked Monsieur Le Butcher if I could see his famous sausages, the ones that were filmed the day before by a film crew for a Japanese TV programme. He might make good bangers but he didn’t have much of a sense of humour and gave me a stern look and asked his assistant to help me. But still – they are very tasty!
There are wonderful places to walk and even a grotto hidden in a forest to explore. Take a guided tour of the Grotte de Seythenex and wear sensible shoes for your trip as this natural hole in the ground has a steep descent. Enjoy the beautiful riverside walk and views over the steep ravine with its waterfall and if you’re feeling adventurous – take on the giant zipline! A visit here makes for a great day out twinned with a trip to nearby La Sambuy.
If you’re there when the “Cabin Festival” takes place (15 May – 8 July 2017) you’re in for a treat. In a woodland and watery setting, architects and designers create cabins from natural materials that will make you smile.
Find out more about the local area and what's on: www.sources-lac-annecy.com
Thones is a chocolate box pretty place and home to Reblochon cheese makers, the piquant cows milk cheese that’s delicious and perfect for the mountain dish tartiflette. (Click here to read about my visit to a grandmother/granddaughter cheese making outfit and a tartiflette recipe).
Head to the nearby Montremont fish farm where there’s a restaurant that specialises in trout dishes. Looking like something out of the land of the Hobbits, in summer the garden twinkles under tiny lights, and it’s incredibly pretty and very laid back.