The idyllic French town just outside Paris that is much more affordable – with cheap trains and cream masterclasses
WHEN in Rome, do as the Romans. And when in France, drink wine.
That’s been my motto for as long as I’ve been drinking, thanks to my French grandmother.
But it’s not just wine that the French do best, I recently learned. It’s also whipped cream.
And there’s buckets of it in Chantilly — only here it’s called Chantilly cream.
This quaint town, which sits less than a 30-minute train ride from Paris, has oodles of charm.
Cream is seen as a dessert in its own right in its cobbled streets, and L’Atelier de la Chantilly, which makes it best, serves huge dollops of the stuff topped with praline, nuts, chocolate and all manner of fruits and sauces.
“You need a minimum of 30 per cent fat to be truly Chantilly, although we use 35 per cent,” says owner Bertrand, one of three men that make up the Brotherhood of Whipping Knights in Chantilly — I kid you not.
He’s talking about the cream, not the people.
Although if I lived here, I imagine my body would easily exceed that fat percentage.
Bertrand runs several whipped cream courses in his shop and, it turns out, you don’t need to be an expert chef to master this art.
With a cream-filled bowl in one hand, I use the other to whisk backwards and forwards.
Slowly at first, to ensure I’m getting enough air into the mixture, continuing until the bowl can be tipped upside down over my head with no spills — a tense moment when I try it.
It’s so simple that even young kids can get stuck into making it.
They’ll probably prefer eating it though, and you’ll find it on many menus here.
Le Vertugadin is your best bet for dinner and an authentically French experience.
As well as Chantilly cream, this cosy restaurant serves local favourites such as steak tartare and crepes suzette flambéed with orange liqueur at your table.
The restaurant’s loveable owner — also part of the Brotherhood of Whipping Knights — wanders between diners cracking jokes and topping up wine glasses with a casual French charm.
Then there’s Le Hameau, a thatched cottage-turned-restaurant in the grounds of Chantilly’s historic chateau, which sheds some light on the story behind Chantilly’s cream.
A leisurely stroll through the vast parkland surrounding Le Hameau is a good way of dragging your body out of its cream coma.
Peaceful forests
Although, art fans may prefer what’s inside the castle, with the building home to the second largest collection of antique paintings in France, after the Louvre.
Even if you’re not into the works of Italian Renaissance painter Raphael, the ornate rooms are fascinating.
The chateau’s stables, the largest in Europe, are worth a visit too
In them, detailed gold trims frame cream double doors, and delicate pink armchairs sit under chandeliers dripping in diamonds.
It felt as if I’d walked straight on to the set of Kirsten Dunst’s Marie Antoinette movie.
The chateau’s stables, the largest in Europe, are worth a visit too.
Horses are still trained there and you can watch daily demonstrations.
We caught a better glimpse of them in action during a cycle ride, though.
After hiring bikes from Bobebike, we pedalled our way on a very easy route through peaceful forests to the edge of the chateau grounds, pausing to watch a herd of horses-in-training gallop through sandy mud. It was our own private show.
Being so close to Paris means you can easily do both the capital and Chantilly in one hit.
It also makes the town a quiet and more affordable alternative for those visiting Paris for the upcoming Olympics.
The Eurostar takes you from London direct to the heart of Paris in just over two hours and you can simply hop a few platforms over and catch another train straight to Chantilly.
To ensure we could tick off Paris’s main attractions, we decided to spend one night there ahead of our trip to Chantilly — and the 25Hours Hotel couldn’t have been more convenient, only a few paces from Gare du Nord station.
Being so close to Paris means you can easily do both the capital and Chantilly in one hit
It’s not your typical train station hotel where rooms are basic and food is an afterthought.
Its quirky rooms are designed for explorers and feature epic views of the stone station, with its vast curved windows.
There is also a decent cocktail bar serving tipples that are as quirky as the rooms.
I’ll stick to wine for now, though. Perhaps with a side serving of Chantilly cream?
GO: Chantilly
GETTING THERE: Eurostar offers fares from London to Paris from £78 return.
See eurostar.com.
Tickets from Paris to Chantilly cost €9 (£7.70) each way and can be bought at the Gare du Nord.
STAYING THERE: One night’s B&B at the 3* Hotel Le Chantilly is from £125.
One night’s B&B at the 4* 25Hours Hotel Paris is from £202.
See 25hours-hotels.com.
OUT & ABOUT: A one-day ticket to the Chateau de Chantilly costs €18, including access to the main buildings, the grounds and stables.