Reviewed by
Evelyn
La Gourmet Box is a wonderful treat for French artisan food and drink lovers. It takes you on a gastronomical journey to a different region of France each month, where you can sample the very best of what that area has to offer. The team behind La Gourmet Box are wholly passionate about what they do, and they directly source all of the products that they include in the boxes straight from the local producers. The contents of each month’s box are a surprise, but you can rest assure that everything selected will be of a high quality standard and completely authentic.
This month, La Gourmet Box take us to the beautiful south-west region of Lot with a focus on its capital, Cahors. I’ve wanted to visit Cahors for quite some time now after I read about it in a magazine a few years ago, so I was really excited to see what La Gourmet Box had planned.
The large box is shipped via courier to the UK and it arrived in perfect condition. Inside, it was packed to the brim with eight exciting products:-
Château Lamagdelaine Noire – Malbec 2014 Cahors AOC
Cahors is famed for having some of the oldest wineries in Europe, with some of its vineyards dating back to Roman times. I’ve tasted a few bottles of wine from Cahors before so I had a feeling that I was going to like this Malbec and I did! Malbec is Cahors’ most iconic grape and its wine delivers a rich, dark, full-bodied flavour. This one has woody accents and strong, fresh, red berry tones. Delicious!
Le Moulin du Val Artisanal Pasta with Quercy-Périgord Mushrooms
Pasta isn’t something that I often link with France, but this bag of artisanal pasta has definitely helped to change my mind. A classic Fusili pasta, it comes with dried mushrooms from the Quercy area of Périgord which are rich and earthy. I’ve enjoyed this as a main vegetarian dish combined with a touch of sour cream for a filling and comforting evening meal. Goes very well with the wine above I should add!
Biscuiterie de Rocamadour Homemade Walnut Cake
I was very excited to see a homemade walnut cake in this month’s box, which comes from the picture- perfect area of Rocamadour in Quercy. This soft cake has a light texture and is packed full of ground walnuts (25%), with whole walnuts on the top. It’s not overly sweet, and pairs well with a nice cup of tea or coffee for an indulgent afternoon treat.
Le Moulin de Val Artisanal Quercy-Périgord Mushroom Omelette Mix
For something savoury, we return to those famous Quercy-Périgord mushrooms, which are this time featured in a special omelette mix that sees them combined with a range of herbs and shallots. This combination is something that I never would have tried before, but it works perfectly well and provides a different and delicious take on the traditional savoury omelette. 
Ferme de Larcher Homemade Duck Stew with Cahors Wine
I passed this large tin of homemade duck stew to my sister to try out, and even though she’s not a huge fan of duck, she said she enjoyed this. The meat was tender and that famous Cahors wine provided just the right amount of rich sauce to bring out the flavour of the duck without overpowering it. This generous size provided about three individual meals!
Maison Sauveterre Artisanal Crème Brûlée with Duck Foie-Gras
Another product that my sister tried for me as I’m a vegetarian was this unusual Crème Brûlée with Duck Foie-Gras. However, whilst we enjoyed everything else in this month’s box, this was the only product that didn’t go down too well. The sweet and savoury combination of this spread was just too much and unfortunately, my sister couldn’t eat more than a small amount of it as it was so rich.
Louis Roque Traditional Walnut Mustard
Mustard is something that I always have in the cupboard and I was interested to try one that has walnut in it, as I’ve not seen anything like this available here in the UK. This mustard has ground walnuts which add an interesting flavour (nutty obviously, but with an earthniess to it). I’ve tried it mixed with a little mayonnaise for an interesting twist to a sandwich and my housemates have been enjoying it with their Sunday roasts.
Louis Roque Traditional Plum Brandy Mini Babas
The last product this month is another treat from Louis Roque, and this product features his families’ tradition of producing fine spirits. These are his Traditional Mini Babas (a traditional French sweet like a sponge cake but slightly denser) accompanied by a rich Plum Brandy. I am partial to a spot of Brandy and these little cakes were like small morsels of heaven! Perfect served with some vanilla ice-cream for a decadent French dessert.
