At the Château de Beaulieu, Christophe Dufossé, a starred chef who cultivates his sacred garden – Liberation

At the Château de Beaulieu, in the Pas-de-Calais, the chef has created an agricultural and farming world that sets its own pace and inspires the menus of his restaurants.

Christophe Dufosse is a nice guy. This can be seen in the way he approaches his goats to stroke their snouts saying “Hi, little goat!” This can also be seen in his way of talking about cooking, simply, by making ample gestures: “You have to bring sweetness to the dish. The cook must be generous, loving. I like to cook the fish in honey, so that it is not attacked. To tell us this, the chef takes his time. He takes us on a tour of the 5 hectares of the Château de Beaulieu, shows us the spa under construction, then the five bedrooms, the two restaurants (one gourmet, the other bistronomic) and the 3 hectares of his farmhouse. Born in Calais 53 years ago, he worked a good part of his life in Metz and Alsace, where his family is from. Returning to the north of France is a life project: “I see myself staying here for at least fifteen years. They are cycles. And then, we have a very beautiful land in the North. It’s not just raining!” he says, presenting the first rows of his gigantic vegetable garden where cabbage, spinach, bok choi, turnips and lettuce grow.

For the two restaurants, the garden provides 30% of daily produce (about fifty vegetables and condiments such as garlic, onions, shallots from Busnes and soon a citrus preserve). The chief hopes, within five years, to reach an autonomy of 70%. There are also beehives and an orchard, already endowed with adult apple trees, which