Cherries from Bessenay, just outside Lyon
Cherries bring back childhood memories of mouth-watering desserts, like cherry pie and custard. Who can resist these delicious little stone fruits honestly?
Four years ago, in the heart of the Monts du Lyonnais, forty kilometres or so from Lyon city centre, a group of passionate producers created the brand ‘Eh Cherry, Cerise de Bessenay’.
In their orchards, surprisingly located on sandy, north-facing slopes at an altitude of 400 to 600 metres, they grow cherries that are remarkable for their firmness, sweet flavour and late ripening.
Among them, Dominique and Régine cultivate a 12-hectare plot in Saint-Romain-de-Popey. As socially engaged farmers who have handed down their know-how over three generations, they introduce new, environmentally-friendly techniques to produce this exquisite red fruit.
With more than thirty poetically and exotically-named varieties produced under the 'Eh Cherry, Cerise de Bessenay' brand, the only difficulty is choosing which one. You may recognise the Burlat variety, but the subtle differences between the others may be hard to detect.
What’s more, the cherry season is relatively short, lasting from mid-May to early August. That leaves just enough time to try a handful (see on the opposite page for our food waste prevention tips) and maybe even have a go at the Bessenay chocolate-cherry soufflé tart recipe, created by the ambassador of this “red gem”: Michelin-starred chef
Régis Marcon.
Where can you find them?
You can spot them easily with the ‘Eh Cherry’ packaging on supermarket shelves in Lyon and the surrounding area.
If you fancy trying Régis Marcon’s recipe, head to : lacerisedebessenay.com.
Read the magazine