The farmhouse is self-catering and is really well equipped for cooking and eating, both inside and out. Thankfully Créon, our local town, has become a magnet for artisanal food shops of late. We now have several big bakeries, a top butcher and excellent fishmonger, two fresh fruit and veg stores, a super deli and a tasty cheese shop all within a five minute drive. The traditional food market every Wednesday morning in Créon, within walking distance, is as popular as ever.
Here is a map of Créon with places of note.
The essential places to know about are:
The supermarket - Carrefour (A) - and fuel
Tout le Monde s'y retrouve (B) - meat, fish, fruit & veg
Le Fournil de Créon (D) - boulangerie
Les Halles (H) next door - deli, fruit & veg, bar
More details on these below the map.
As well as food shopping (to go with our wine) other notable places are (I) Chez Titut restaurant, (Q) the 407 bus stop to the centre of Bordeaux and back, every hour on the hour, 7am-10pm Monday to Friday, and (P) the bicycle hire shop, next to the 50km cycle track. See 'Things to do' for that.
Supermarket
Carrefour is close by and is open 9am to 8pm from Monday to Saturday and on Sunday mornings from 9am to 12pm only. They do not give out free carrier bags so take one from the house or buy new ones there.
Turn right at the roundabout at the end of our road (Rue Bauduc) and go 800m to the next roundabout. You can't miss the big Carrefour down on your left. We buy all the usual stuff here; note that the fresh milk has blue tops for semi-skinned and red for full cream milk (unlike the UK). The Reflets de France house brand is very good. Good cheese selection, tasty ’en pleine air’ free range chicken and magret de canard on the shelves, and a good meat counter for steak haché ’en vrac’ (minced beef) plus good lamb, beef, pork, chicken and sausages.
Butcher, fishmonger, fruit and veg, cheese
Tout le Monde s'y retrouve. Open 9am-12.30pm, 2.30pm-7.30pm. 9am-12pm Sunday. Closed Monday.
Fabulous fish and delicious meat, along with a very good selection of fruit and vegetables. At the butcher’s counter, ask for the entrecôte ’façon Quinney/Bauduc’ from the older chap in the cap (he's the owner) and you should be cut a delicious, neatly trimmed steak about 5-6 cms thick.
The fish counter is superb, with a huge choice of fish and shellfish. We always ask for the fish to be prepared, as they are expert at it and life is too short to peel the skins off Dover sole or remove the membrane from monkish tails, or to fillet a hake. The sauces in the packs, like beurre blanc, are good too. They will also prepare a platter of Fruits de Mer of your choice, as well as a tray of opened oysters, all served on ice.
Go to the end of our road, turn right at the roundabout and it's 800m to the Carrefour roundabout. Turn right (opposite the turning to Carrefour), direction Cadillac and Haux. 150m along, after several small entrances, take the left turn into the area with an Allianz sign on the first building. Go down there and turn left at La Poste depot, and the parking at Tout le Monde is on your right.
Bakeries - boulangeries
Le Fournil de Créon. Open 7am till 8pm, 7 days a week (Sundays 7pm).
Turn right at the roundabout at the end of our road, and it's 100m up on the right. The baguettes, croissants and so on are really good and there's a huge choice. Plus delicious desserts, such as the apple tarts.
Next door and under the same ownership is the fine new emporium called Les Halles (pronounced 'lay al'). Les Halles sells fresh fruit and veg, has a large deli and there's a wine shop and bar. The bar gets busy in the evenings and there's sometimes live music on fridays.
Maison Catarino. Also open 7am till 8pm, days a week, 7am till 12pm Sundays. Excellent bread and much more. It's in Créon on the 'ring road', direction Bordeaux and Libourne. Turn left at the end of our road, then right after 50m at the Gendarmerie roundabout and it's up on the right after about 250m. There is also a bakery in the town square which is quite good.
Cheese
L’Atrappe Souris. The lady owner has a great choice of lovely cheese, on a corner in the central square of Créon. Usually open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-12pm, 4-7pm.
Pizza
Pizza Aroma. The incredibly hardworking owner makes the best takeaway pizzas in his wood-fired oven. You have to call well in advance to book a time slot to collect that evening, they're that good.
Créon market on Wednesday morning
Open 8am - 12.30pm. It has been held every Wednesday since 1315, allegedly, and is worth a visit. It's one of the best markets in the region. The parking around the town gets very bunged up so if you go by car, one option is to park half on the pavement at the end of or road.
We often go to the large fish stall on the far side of the square, called Diego.
In general, the best stuff is seasonal, often sold direct by the growers themselves. Do take care with buying some things, like cheeses and cured meats, as they can be priced on the high side.
Oysters on Sunday morning
There are lots of producers who come from the Atlantic coast to sell their oysters on a weekend, and we've been going to the same couple for many years. Madame usually has a setup opposite the town hall in the square, near the butcher. Monsieur has a stall by the huge Cave Cooperative des Vins on the other side of town, where there is plenty of parking. This friendly couple with dodgy English will open them for €1.50 a dozen if required – so take a large plate and leave it with them for a 15 minutes.
Oysters can be a bit ‘milky’ or 'gras' in the summer months, so they're even better from September to June in our opinion, depending on your taste. Serve them cold with freshly squeezed lemon, or echalotte vinegar and finely cut shallots. Or try them with a small piece of Roquefort, and grilled under a hot grill for two minutes.
Excellent oysters are also available from Tout le Monde (see above), and opened if required with an hour or so's notice. They serve them, ready for collection, on ice. Good to combine with other fruits de mers too.