First edition of ‘Enjoy the Pleasure’ held in Namur province

Eight chefs left their restaurants last Saturday and Sunday to cook at the first ‘Enjoy the Pleasure’ event that took place at the Ferme d’Achêne, a farm built in 1641 in the area of Ciney, province of Namur and which is listed as part of Belgium’s national heritage.

This was the first such event organised by Roland Swinnen. The chefs that took part in the event were Régis Alexandre (Le Comptoir du Goût, Ciney),  Olivier Bruckner (L’Olivier, Dave), Gregorio Clavello (Au Gré des Saisons, Achet), Simon Denis/Gregory Gillain (Le Gare d’Hamois) , Ludovic Vanackere (L’Atelier de Bossimé, Loyers) and Carl Gillain (L’Agathopède, Namur) and Frederic Rolland (Rolland-Warnon, Hamois).

Despite the weather which forced the event organisers to move everything to indoors, the event turned out to be a very enjoyable evening.

Together, the chefs created a series of dishes which balanced each other out and which created a perfect showcase of the produce that the region has to offer.

Among my favourite dishes of the evening were a carpaccio of langoustines from Brittany and a poached egg cooked at a very low temperature and served with a cream of asparagus and small shrimps (crevette grises).

To showcase the region, many of the chefs used local produce such as chef Gregorio Clavello who presented a ravioli stuffed with a Condroz chicken, Ludovic Vanackere with Belgian quinoa (which I didn’t know it even existed) and trout as well as Carl Gillain with a very interesting pork dish.

The dishes were paired with a different wine each time. Before the dessert, people at the event could savour the cheese from Fromagerie de Samson which won the title of best Belgian cheesemaker in 2011.