One of the simple pleasures of a Dordogne holiday at Le Petit Capelier is gathering around the plancha as the sun begins to set over the surrounding countryside.

Whether it’s colourful peppers and onions, rosemary-infused aubergines, courgettes fresh from the local market, mushrooms, or perfectly seared steaks and seafood, cooking on the plancha makes outdoor meals wonderfully easy. Its generous cooking surface means everyone can eat together, while the open-air setting turns dinner into part of the holiday.

From market to plancha

After a morning exploring Issigeac’s famous Sunday market, pick up fresh vegetables, herbs, cheeses and other local produce and bring them home for supper. Bergerac and the surrounding vineyards are also within easy reach, so a bottle of local wine completes the picture rather nicely.

What is a plancha?

Popular throughout France and Spain, a plancha is a large, flat heated cooking surface. Unlike a traditional barbecue, food cooks directly on the hot plate, making it particularly good for vegetables, fish, seafood and steaks — and allowing several different things to be cooked together.

It’s simple, sociable and perfect for long summer evenings when nobody particularly wants to be indoors.

Summer evenings at Le Petit Capelier

Add a glass of Bergerac wine, warm evening air and the peace of the Dordogne countryside and you have one of our favourite ways to spend an evening at the house.

The plancha isn’t simply another barbecue. It becomes somewhere to gather: cooking, talking, sharing food and watching the light disappear across the countryside.

Every meal becomes another memory made at Le Petit Capelier.