Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie productionAndré and his friends have tested for you the visit of La Sauvagine in Le Massegros. This jam and cookie factory is the ideal place for lovers of local gastronomy and the discovery enthusiasts that we are! We opted for one of the classics, the visit to La Sauvagine.
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Artisanal jam and cookie productionLa Sauvagine, gourmet tour
This morning, my friends and I went to visit the ” La Sauvagine “cookie and confectionery factoryin Le Massegros, and I’d like to take you along with us for a summary of this tasty morning! The tour was scheduled to start at 10.30 a.m., and we arrived at the site five minutes early. The little building is on the side of the road, but has a very large parking lot, so we had no trouble parking outside the front door. A ramp provides access to the store for people with reduced mobility.
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie production
Mr Laurent Deparpe, owner of Confiturerie Biscuiterie La Sauvagine in Le Massegros, takes us on a tour of his workshop.Monday to Friday
8:30am to 12:30pm and 2:15pm to 5:15pm
Group tours of the workshop by appointment.
Guided tours open to all every Thursday at 10:30 am (1h) in July and August.
La Sauvagine
As we entered the store, we were immediately greeted with a warm welcome by Laurent, the artisan and producer of La Sauvagine. A couple of visitors were already on the premises. Laurent began the visit by introducing us to his team: his wife Catherine, and his two employees Chrystelle and Stéphanie. We got straight to the heart of the matter, with a detailed presentation of the whole range of products offered by this artisanal company: jams, aperitif cookies, sweet cookies, syrups… More recently, they have also started selling local products in their boutique.
La Sauvagine products
We were impressed by the variety of jams and cookies on offer. In a nutshell: there are traditional, seeded, local, foreign, light, seasonal and candied jams. All are cooked in a cauldron and stirred with awoodenspatula , then processed entirely by hand. Each piece of fruit is carefully selected with a view to promoting short circuits and local players above all else. A particular feature of ourBlack Cherry jam is that it is made mainly with cherries from La Maison de la Cerise, just outside Millau.
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie production
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Artisanal jam and cookie production
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie production
Handcrafted "La Sauvagine" jams at Le Massegros on the Causse de Sauveterre.La Sauvagine
Laurent explained to us just how important the quality of his products is to him. Each jam scrupulously respects a minimum sugar content (55%) to bring out the fruit’s full flavor. For citrus fruit, for example, they make the jam over 2 days to remove as much acidity as possible from the products, while still retaining the strong taste of the fruit. As for the cookies, Laurent explained that they make both sweet andsavourycookies , always using local produce. Some are made withlocalcheeses(Laguiole, Bleu, Cantal, Lévéjac, Parmesan, Rodez…). These explanations gave us an insight into the production methods used, as well as thefamily atmosphere of this structure.
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie productionLaurent Deparpe showed us his know-how, answering every question with passion and interest, and proved to be a real ambassador for the local products he uses to make his products!
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie production
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie production
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie production
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie productionLa Sauvagine
We continued our visit in the laboratory where the jams are made. Here, Laurent took the time to show us in detail all the machines that can help with the manual work, such as the machine that removes all the seeds from the fruit. The jams handcrafted here are 100% natural, with no colorants, and are carefully controlled to avoid sudden variations in temperature, and regularly tested with a refractometer to adjust their sugar content. We saw Chrystelle and Stéphanie busy stirring a raspberry jam, before quickly filling it into glass jars.
La Sauvagine
Laurent then took us back to reception, where he offered us the chance to tasteall the jams we’d been craving. We took the opportunity to taste the chestnut, raspberry andbitter orangejams. This tasting was highly appreciated, as its pronounced fruitytaste gave concrete expression to the artisanal, quality philosophy we’d been learning about throughout the visit. After making a few purchases, we said “see you soon”… and yes, we do plan to come back regularly to brighten up our breakfasts and aperitifs with good, healthy products!
Photo report at La Sauvagine - Traditional jam and cookie productionWe were astonished to learn that this small, artisanal company produces a minimum of 220 jams a day. What’s more, with the exception of the seeds, all other waste is used. Which means very little household waste every day. Congratulations!
Guided tours by appointment only,
Group tours of the workshop by appointment.
Guided tours open to all every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. (1h) in July and August.
Outside guided tours, the store is open :
Monday to Friday
8:30am to 12:30pm and 2:15pm to 5:15pm
