Strawberry Celebration in the Limousin

Nothing says summer like strawberries. And nothing says strawberries like the sweetest food festival of them all – the Fête de la Fraise in Limousin.

Held every year since 1989 in the pretty medieval village of Beaulieu- sur-Dordogne, this fruity festival takes place on the second Sunday of May – May 12 this year – to celebrate the much-loved, locally-grown Gariguette strawberry.

Market stalls take over the centre of this riverside town (which also happens to be a popular fishing spot for locals!) to offer strawberry-based delights, while live music and other forms of street entertainment add to the party atmosphere. Meanwhile, local chefs create strawberry-themed delicacies, both sweet and savoury, all guaranteed to make your mouth water.

But the highlight has to be the giant strawberry tart, measuring 8m wide. It won the festival a place in the Guinness Book of Records, but that’s not its only claim to fame, for the Fête de la Fraise has a second entry in the record book for the longest strawberry plant in the world at an impressive 32m.

www.vallee-dordogne.com

From France Today Magazine