This is certainly cocagne country, a land of hilltop villages surrounded by vineyards, orchards and market gardens, home of the famous pink garlic of Lautrec.
 
Such an abundance of good local products makes this ideal self-catering terrain. The Mas de Sudre, near Gaillac, is owned and run by Pippa and George Richmond-Brown who bought the property in a state of impressive dereliction several years ago and who have gradually set about restoring both the main house and the outbuildings. There are B & B options in the house, and several well-appointed self-catering gîtes dotted about the courtyard, not to mention a huge garden, swimming pool and tennis court, all for the use of guests. 

In Gaillac and Albi there are large, lively markets, and a delightfully intimate one on the arcaded square of the little hilltop village of Castelnau-de-Montmiral. On one corner, Christian Léonard plies a compliant public with samples of rillettes and foie gras on slices of rough country bread while across the square, expatriate Scotsman Alan Geddes is offering a taste of some fine red wines from his property, the Château de Mayragues. Others sell tiny goats’ cheeses, brown paper bags full of pullets’ eggs, fat fresh figs and home-made apple tarts. 

Mention Gaillac’s vineyards and you will invariably be told that they are the oldest in France - which as a compliment may fall into the faint praise category. A pleasurable few moments can be profitably spent at the Maison du Vin in Gaillac, which not only houses the wine museum but also sells a selection of local bottles. We bore some back to our gîte and staged an impromptu dégustation in the garden. Gaillac wines have certainly come a long way from the bad old days of the gros rouge. Some (Cave de Técou, Château Donat, Domaine de Gineste) are even quite drinkable.

Albi is famous for at least three reasons: its cathedral (the incomparable Ste Cécile), its heresy (the so-called Albigensian) and its Toulouse-Lautrec museum, housed in a dingily lit rabbit warren of a building, but worth a visit for the portraits alone. Inside the cathedral the arched canopy of richly decorated ceilings bears witness to the town’s woady past, its intense blue never retouched and as vivid now as four centuries ago. 

We glanced nervously at the grandiose Last Judgement depicting gruesome scenes of punishment for gluttons, horribly force-fed with toads, then scuttled off to La Réserve, a Relais-et-Châteaux set in its own grounds on a nonchalant stretch of the River Tarn on the outskirts of town. 

Dinner was being served out on the terrace above the pool, where director Hélène Hijosa-Rieux was pressing into service a series of shawls and cardigans to match diners’ outfits, to keep off any slight chill from the river. A sinfully rich dish involving both foie gras and puff pastry produced a brief twinge of conscience and put us momentarily in mind of eternal damnation, before we moved swiftly on to perfectly cooked lamb and duck, two of the house specialities. 

There’s some very creative stuff going on at La Falaise in Cahuzac-sur-Vère on the road up towards Cordes. Chef Guillaume Salvan describes his cooking as contemporary, with a strong traditional and seasonal emphasis. His clientèle is mostly local and comes from all walks of life; his aim is to offer something to please all pockets and palates. There's a very accessible lunch menu (which changes daily) and other excellent-value menus, some with wines to match.

Our party, which included several reluctant carnivores and an avowed opponent of restaurant meals of any kind, seemed to have little difficulty in finding something to please them. The menu changes all the time but when last heard of , there were tasty tartlets of tomatoes with goats’ cheese and tapenade, summer salads with crunchy vegetables, a gaspacho of giant prawns and a choice of four different fish dishes for the non-carnivores. 

The restaurantophobe in our midst contented himself with a beautifully (and graciously) served plate of local sheeps’ milk cheese and Salers from neighbouring Auvergne. Desserts are largely fruit-based – figs in brik pastry with blackcurrant coulis, warm apple tart – and there’s also a delicate honey parfait and sundry sorbets. 

Address list

Mas de Sudre (Gîtes and Bed & Breakfast), 
81600 Gaillac, Tel. +33 5 63 41 01 32
Christian Léonard (foie gras & regional specialities), 
Les Guys, 81140 Castelnau-de-Montmiral, Tel +33 5 63 33 17 78
Château de Mayragues (Gaillac wines), 
81140 Castelnau-de-Montmiral, 
Tel. +33 5 63 33 94 08
Hotel La Réserve, Route de Cordes, 81000 Albi, Tel. +33 5 63 60 80 80
Restaurant La Falaise, Route de Cordes, Cahuzac-sur-Vère, Tel. +33 5 63 33 96 31