Review
Le Doyenné is a restaurant, guest house and working farm just an hour from Paris, set in the former stables of the historic Château de Saint-Vrain. The estate has a remarkable artistic past: in the 1970s, Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely worked here on some of their monumental sculptures.
Chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly, together with the Mortemart family, took over the château barns in 2017 and restored them over several years. At the centre of Le Doyenné is its large potager, farmed using regenerative methods and planted with heirloom varieties of vegetables and fruit.
Much of what arrives in the kitchen is harvested from the garden each morning, with the menu changing throughout the year. In summer, it can be largely vegetable-led; autumn brings wild mushrooms and game, while winter puts greater emphasis on seafood. Poultry, dairy and other ingredients are sourced from carefully selected French producers.
The wine list follows a similar approach, focusing on growers who work without herbicides and pesticides and favour minimal intervention in the cellar.