On Friday 27 March, two teams of three cooks were busy behind the stove; one wearing the colours of the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park, the other those of the Ariege Pyrenees Regional Nature Park. Their mission: to prepare a menu representative of the culinary heritage of their region. The competitors had 2.5 hours to prepare a starter, a main course and a dessert based on local and Park-marked products.

A COMPETITION FULL OF COLOUR AND FLAVOUR

Represented by three outstanding chefs, the Ariegean Pyrenees Regional Nature Park has raised the flag of Ariege gastronomy to the highest level. Driven by a common passion and a true team spirit, Alexandrine DOUGNAC(La Gourmandine, Seix), Maryse CORMENIER(Horizon 117, Lorp Sentaraille), and Laurent BUBOLA(L'Auberge d'Antan, Saint-Girons) proposed a fine, colourful and gourmet menu that won over the taste buds of the jury members:

Tarascon trout tartar, Mondély goat's cheese panna cota and saffron cider jelly

Pyrenean Gascon pork chop with old-fashioned vegetables, pork trotters with apple sauce

Ariège mille-feuilles with chestnut and hazelnut mousse, blackberry and verbena sorbet

In order to allow the Ariegeans to discover this menu, the Park is now working on ways to promote the different recipes, in particular by including these dishes on the menus of the three participating restaurants, but also during future events.