Monday, Nov. 15, 2004
Forget the magnificent red wine. Visitors to the Abbaye du Val des Choues, a 12th century Cistercian monastery in Burgundy, may come away with a real souvenir—"les honneurs," the foot of a wild boar. But only if they catch the beast first. Since 1999 Inès Monot, co-owner of Val des Choues, has been opening her home and her hunt in the lush forests to adventurous Europeans. With a ban on fox hunting looming in England and Wales she is seeing a growing number of visitors from across the channel. So far this season (which runs from mid-October to March) 70 British hunters have stayed at the abbey, more than ever before. Abbey regular Robin Bramley from Norfolk says: "It's wonderful to take a short trip abroad to a country where there are over 400 hunts."
Monot prepares a weekly posthunt feast at the abbey, with traditional French dishes such as venison in (what else?) hunter's sauce, salmon terrine and chocolate gateau. A five-day stay costs around $1,000 for a single rider, and includes two wild-boar hunts, horse hire, accommodation, an optional visit to a winery or champagne producer, and most meals. For more information call Inès or Michel Monot, tel: (33-3) 80 81 01 91.
- Lillian Kennett
- Avid British hunters cross the channel to track wild boar in Burgundy
