The white stones, green shutters, and flagged terrace of Le Prieuré, a hotel and restaurant near the ancient city of Avignon, emanate an easy French charm. To add to the natural look and feel of its exterior, the restaurant has installed six, meter-high planters on its terrace. Here, it grows a range of fresh produce which is varied carefully according to the season.
The list of herbs, vegetables, and fruits cultivated so far, is a long one and includes cabbages, cherries, chives, coriander, pink and white variegated eggplants, lettuces, parsley, miniature sweet peppers, beefsteak tomatoes, and strawberries. The initiative has proved highly successful with diners, especially children, who delight in the chance to inspect plants closely in their raised beds. Guests are invariably keen to tour the planters to see what’s in season and, if the variety’s right, do some impromptu tasting. Le Prieuré’s team feels that, in a small way, the initiative is helping its customers reconnect with the origins of their food.
