France prides itself on its seafood - and a Plateau des Fruits de Mer is a visual as well as a gastronomic tour-de-force. Moules Frites - or mussels and chips - is a more common feature on many menus - there is even a fast food chain "Leon de Bruxelles" which majors on Mussels!
A recent trip to the Baie de la Somme just west of Abbeville (80 Somme, Picardie) seems to offer the most extraordinary range of choice for your mussels - beyond the usual Moules Marinieres and Moules a la Creme.
The Hotel Les Pilotes at St Valery-sur-Somme offers an extraordinary selection of more than 40 different recipes - from Moules Anadalousie (from Andalucia); Moules au Champagne (in Champagne);Mussels in Ginger and Moules Lucifer to name but a few.
Personally I go for the Mariniere - poached in a light broth, which you eat messily with the fingers, dunking the french bread in the juices and served with a crisp dry white such as a Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc.
St Valery-sur-Somme is a pretty little port on the southern side of the Bay, more tidal riverside than seaside. On first acquaintance the view can seem just a muddy expanse when the tide is out, but it is a haven for birds and can afford some wonderful vistas and sunsets. There is a long broad boardwalk along the riverside for some gentle excercise, people- and bird- watching.
For the seaside you need to head a little further east to Cayeux-sur-Mer on the Opal coast - but whilst it has a spectacular shingle beach, the town lacks the charm of St Valery-sur-Somme. One option is to take the le Chemin de Fer de la Baie de la Somme steam train which runs round the Bay,from Cayeux to Le Crotoy on the northern banks of the Bay via St Valery-sur-Somme.
The Hotel Les Pilotes offers great views from some bedrooms and from the Restaurant where you can sample from the 40+ mussel dishes (and other seafood). It is a Logis de France, and is comfortable enough for a short stay,but neither the hotel nor restaurant could be regarded as "special" except for those views.
For more on St Valery-sur-Somme and the Baie de la Somme see www.saint-valery-sur-somme.fr" and www.somme-tourisme.com
