Charroux MustardA legacy

Charroux MustardA legacy to relishCharroux lies in the rolling countrysideof Allier in the Auvergne region, centralFrance. Visitors flock to admire itsauthentic charm and wonderfullypreserved architecture, but its mostfamous export may surprise you –Jeremy Flint investigates Charroux’smustard heritage.The perched town of Charroux has apopulation of some 340 people, but it lures200,000 visitors every year. Wander throughpickled-in-the-past flower-festooned streetsand you’ll see why this Plus Beaux Village(officially one of the prettiest villages ofFrance) is so popular. There are marvellousmonuments galore - the beautiful 12th centurySaint Jean the Baptist church with a loppedoff steeple (no one knows why!), remarkablypreserved 14th century half-timbered houses,stone carved facades from the 15th - 18thcenturies, an ancient clock tower and morethan 300 ancient wells scattered throughoutthe cobblestone streets (the locals joke thereis one for every inhabitant!). The ‘belvedere’and ‘Chaume du Vent’ viewpoints provideviews of the Bourbonnaise plain and theAuvergne volcano chain on clear days. Themagnificent medieval ‘Porte d’Orient’ standsproud, once used to enter the protectedfortified enclosure.But perhaps Charroux’s greatest appealcomes from the multitude of artisans whopractice traditional crafts and trades - fromcandle makers to potters, glassworkers,saffron producers, sweets, soaps and oils.Each August, the village transforms into anopen-air workshop for “Artist and ArtisansDay.” And it’s here too that a revered mustardis produced.Charroux mustard makers thrived from thelate 1700s to the early 20 th century, whenthe local vineyards were decimated by aninsect known as phylloxera. The effect on themustard makers was catastrophic since winewas a key ingredient. For almost a century,Charroux mustard was off the menu – butin 1989, a local family decided to revive theCharroux mustards © Jeremy FlintFranck, Annabel and Olivier of Charroux Moutarde © Jeremy Flint66 © Jeremy | The Flint Good Life France The Good Life France | 67