© E. Tresmontant / ViaMichelin

Over the past 20 years, the fashion for Mediterranean cuisine has swept across Europe. Cooking with olive oil and fresh vegetables has taken priority over what is seen as the less healthy butter and cream. But Normandy's chefs are fighting back. To put Norman cuisine centre stage again, chefs such as Yvan Vautier, at Le Pressoir restaurant in Caen, are using a lighter touch. Vautier has studied and learnt from the rest of the world, and gives classic regional dishes new zip. Just imagine the difference that spices and sweet and sour flavours make to traditional sole à la normande, tripe à la mode de Caen or duck à la rouennaise. Normandy is still 'buttered by the gods', but like a grand old mansion, it is under threat from the modernists. That mansion, with its treasure trove of recipes, is a heritage that 37-year-old Vautier wants to preserve. "As you travel along the coast or go inland, you see that small producers are slowly dying out. We have to protect them and their way of life by encouraging the next generation to carry on, because haute cuisine cannot survive without high quality produce." Here are his thoughts on the best producers in Normandy.

Oysters from Utah Beach, 35km (20 miles) from Caen, which grow at the mouth of a river that is completely pollution-free. Connoisseurs reckon that the fresh water gives them a distinct flavour: slightly hazelnut, slightly sweet.
In contrast, oysters from Asnelles are cultivated in the sea, so they are meatier, with more iodine and salt. Delicious served warm, with an oyster sorbet!
Further north, in the English Channel, are oysters from Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, among the most sought after in France. At Jullouville, not far from Mont Saint-Michel, they produce ormeaux (ormers), an unusual but delicious mollusc.
And don't forget that Normandy is France's main source of that most Norman of all shellfish: coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops). Larger than the bretonne of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany, Norman scallops come from the Cotentin coast, stretching between Barfleur and Cherbourg, and from Carteret to Granville where they are harvested on a daily basis, according to strict quotas.

With cows cropping grass in Normandy's rich green meadows, it would be hard not to produce wonderful cheese! The most outstanding area is Pays d'Auge, birthplace of three world-famous cheeses: Camembert, Livarot and Pont-l'Evêque. "But even here," says Yvan Vautier, "farmhouse cheese has almost been eliminated by commercial cheese-making factories. In order to make a first-class cheese, you have to start with Norman cows eating nothing but grass and hay. Then the cheese has to be made from raw, full fat, non-pasteurised milk."
Usually mentioned in the same breath as the baguette and the beret, Camembert is a symbol of France. Helped by a priest from Brie (near Paris) who had fled to Normandy for safe refuge during the French Revolution, legend has it that Camembert was invented by Marie Harel in 1793. "The best Camemberts are made by Gillot at Saint-Hilaire-de-Briouze and by Graindorge in Livarot." Vautier has this tip: "Camembert hates the cold. Take it out of the fridge at least an hour before serving."

Livarot used to be called the 'meat of the poor'. Very smelly, it was never served in 'nice' households until after the war. Nowadays, it is often referred to as the 'Colonel', because of the military stripes of straw that bind it. "You need five litres of raw milk to make one single Livarot cheese. Matured for three months, Livarot cheese from Thébault is fabulous. The grass is not too rich in their fields, just right for Livarot. If the grass is too rich, it is hard to mature the cheese successfully."

Pont-l'Evêque is the oldest cheese in Normandy and was once so valuable that it was used as currency. Originally round and flat, it is thick and square these days. "I recommend tasting Pont-l'Evêque made by Maison Martin at Pont-L'Évêque. The milk is top quality as the cows are fed on hay in winter."

	© E. Tresmontant / ViaMichelin Apples from Normandy

Contrary to popular legend, cider was not invented by the Normans. The Arabs brought the drink with them when they occupied Spain. It was called sicera, the drink that makes you drunk. Cider first appeared in the 12th century in Brittany and Normandy, where the soil was ideal for apple trees. In 1550, after the great famine, cider supplanted beer and wine - King François I even rated cider higher than wine! In Brittany, the apples are crushed and macerated; in Normandy, they are pressed. Strangely, cider was never considered as a 'serious' drink. Today however, a few small producers make wonderful ciders, so good that they are served in the best restaurants in Normandy. "One example is François David, near Deauville. He only uses high-quality apples from low yield trees: 8 tonnes per hectare compared with 40 tonnes from the high yield trees. His apples are hand-picked, sorted and allowed to dry out for a few weeks in a barn. With a heady scent, his cider is 100% natural, unfiltered and has no artificial carbonation. "There's nothing better with a nice piece of Livarot!" Not surprisingly, you can only buy cider from François David at his farm.

Although not popular with British taste buds, andouille from Vire is one of Normandy's most famous products and its origins go back centuries. The andouille is still made entirely by hand, using pig entrails that have been cleaned, cut into strips, salted with Guérande salt and marinated for several days. They are then stuffed into a casing, tied with string and smoked gently over a wood fire. Finally, they are cooked for three hours in stock. "At Charles Amand, they make them the old-fashioned way, smoking them over apple wood."