Working up an appetite

The île d'Oléron and bassin de Marennes area really is a wonderful place to live. On top of its beautiful – and diverse - landscapes, there’s a rich culinary heritage replete with delicious natural ingredients and flavours just waiting to be discovered.

Our restaurants will cook up a raft of new specialties for you. Tantalize your taste buds with our regional specialities – served alongside a glass of local wine (vin de pays oléronais), of course*. Why not try some chilled pineau* on a café terrace or make the most of an impromptu lunch facing the sea?

In terms of high-end food, Marennes-Oléron oysters have to be the most famous local product, but lots of other shellfish and crustaceans are also available. Rope-grown and long-line culture mussels from Marennes-Oléron are very much sought after. They are particularly good in the local recipe, ‘l'églade’, which is both very easy to prepare and delicious.

The local seafood is incredible. At the port of La Cotinière, Charente-Maritime’s biggest fishing port, you’ll find a wide variety of top-of-the-range sea fish and quality seafood: wedge sole, sole, scampi, turbot and sea bass...

To finish whetting your appetite, take a stroll through the many markets in the Pays Marennes-Oléron region. These are the best places to fill up your shopping baskets. You may come across members of the ‘Marennes Oléron Produits Saveurs’ not-for-profit which promotes local produce. Wine-makers, market gardeners, oyster farmers and salt-makers – they all strive to showcase the best of Marennes-Oléron produce and to offer you top-quality products.

* The excessive consumption of alcohol is dangerous for your health. Please drink responsibly.