The Diabolo-Fraise, in Nabirat, is the genuine article. A village restaurant serving well-prepared fresh local produce.

One piece of advice though, make sure you book! We had, and arrived just after noon, the first through the door. Within minutes other tables started to stream in, farm workers, families, locals, holidaymakers — soon 40 or so were seated. There’s no menu, you just take your seat and wait.

Icy water, a carafe of very drinkable chilled red wine and crusty bread soon appeared. Then a tureen of steaming vegetable soup — broth with beans, carrots, courgettes and garden herbs, tasty but not too filling.

Next a slice of jambon in parsley aspic with melon which was followed by the hearty main course – a platter of roast beef, thick slices, perfectly pink with oven-cooked sliced vegetables and jus. We left nothing.

Nabirat is famed for its strawberries and these featured in the dessert, a rich strawberry syrup with ice cream, whipped cream and palmier pastry biscuit. And then an excellent coffee to finish. Our hostess looked after the tables single-handedly, cheerfully delivering food, clearing plates away, replenishing bread and water and greeting customer’s dogs (we had two well-behaved greyhounds near us).

And all for 14 euros per person (no cards).

Nabirat is 20 to 25 minutes from Mercadiol taking back roads via Grolejac, or 30 minutes if you go via Gourdon.

Le Diabolo-Fraise, Nabirat, 05 53 59 36 83.

Note: closed Saturday and Sunday lunch. Themed meals Saturday evening. Evening menu 24 euros.

Fromagerie Lahore is about 3 km south of Payrac, tucked away on a back road – follow the goat signs. It’s about a five minute drive from the main road and once you arrive you’ll likely come across a full car park of interested visitors. Milking time is 6pm to 8pm, when the farm is the open for free daily tours and sales. You can watch the goats being  rounded up and penned for milking, and can actually walk among them.

Fear not – they seem remarkably docile. We did not stay for the entire tour this time, but we watched as eager children were shown how to milk a goat and allowed to have a go. Best of all, you can buy your cheese from the cool room next to the milking yard. It’s very reasonably priced, from day old to week old, and quite delicious – you’ll have a task on your hands trying to find better cabecou in the region!

Fromagerie Lahore

Tel: 0565327051

Address: Mas de Géral, Toulas. 46350 Payrac

Email: ferme.lahore@hotmail.fr

One of the walks you can do from La Vieille Grange is along the road up the hill to Chateau Fenelon, past the Auberge du Cantou (the duck restaurant and retail outlet for preserved duck products and fresh eggs). Continue past the chateau gates and follow the wall back down the hill, through woods, to Mercadiol. Once the track leaves the walls, keep taking the left fork! About 50 minutes.

The Little House garden …