A gourmet visit to the orchards of the cherry house in Paulhe

200 ans de tradition fruitière et de savoir faire aveyronnais à 10 minutes de Millau. Midi Libre – Noélie Lemaire

À seulement une dizaine de minutes en voiture de Millau, dans le village de Paulhe, la maison de la cerise propose une visite de vergers.

The Cherry House is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Achille Fabre, honorary president and former mayor of Paulhe, looks back on the history of this place. “At the time, this space was completely in ruins. It was even called the ghost street.” In a desire to rehabilitate the space, he offered to buy it from the owner. The owner refused. The project seemed to fall through, but three days later, the mayor received a letter. The owner agrees to transfer his property on condition that it be redeveloped to serve a communal project.

Each tree is named after a child from the village…

After some discussions with the Region and the communities of communes, work on the cherry house began. The square was inaugurated in 1996, and the building bearing the image of the fruit in 1999. “There have been nine themed spaces like this one. Today, all that remains is the truffle, chestnut and cherry house.”

In 2002, a new initiative was launched, that of the conservatory orchard. The aim is to preserve the old species of cherries. “We have three trees of 21 varieties each time,” explains Gérard Gezes, co-president of the cherry house association.To raise awareness among young people, each tree bears the name of a child from the village. Here, it's my granddaughter's first name."

During orchard visits “snacks are recommended”. Midi Libre – Noélie Lemaire

Gourmet visit to the orchards on Thursday evenings

"It was in francs when we started." AToday, entry to the house and the tour are free. Visitors with a sweet tooth can go to the shop where around twenty cherry-derived products are offered, such as jam, lollipops, nectar, syrup, beer, soap, jelly, mustard, etc. A production almost exclusively from Aveyron (the nectar, the only product not produced in the area).

In addition to the shop, there is also a museum area. For the little ones, there is a huge game of snakes and ladders in the courtyard, a great way to learn while having fun. The visit does not stop at the premises of the house. Indeed, just a few minutes walk away, it is possible to go to the orchards alone or accompanied by a guide in order to discover the trees and taste the fruit on the branches, in the right season. Every Thursday evening, a guide offers an excursion to the fruit trees; a visit, explanations and above all tasting, enough to delight the taste buds of cherry lovers.

La maison de la cerise 3 rue de l’escaras in Paulhe, from May to September, open every day, from 10am to 12pm and from 2:30pm to 6pm. More information on the website. Booking for the hike in the orchards on 05 65 59 00 98, price 5 euros, free for children under 15.