Les Loges du Jardin d'Aymeric

The story

Les Loges du Jardin d'Aymeric – Bib Gourmand Restaurant in Prades, France

A Chef-Driven Destination in the Conflent Valley

Just outside Prades, in the quiet village of Clara-Villerach, Les Loges du Jardin d'Aymeric is a restaurant with rooms run by chef Gilles Bascou. The establishment holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand – a recognition of its good-quality, good-value cooking – and has earned a reputation for honest, flavour-driven food rooted in the local terroir.

Chef Gilles Bascou: A Lifetime in the Kitchen

Bascou knew his path from age eight, peeling vegetables and making sauces. He trained at the hotel school in Perpignan and began his career at the two-Michelin-starred Château de Riell in Molitg-les-Bains, later working at Giraud in Narbonne. After stints in several Relais & Châteaux properties, he returned to his native Pyrénées-Orientales and opened his first restaurant, Le Jardin d’Aymeric in Prades, which also earned a Bib Gourmand. In 2004 he moved to the current location, a green haven where he could grow his own produce.

Market-Fresh Menus with a Catalan Accent

The kitchen works with whatever is in season, drawing from Bascou’s own two vegetable gardens. Bread is baked daily in a wood-fired oven. The menus change regularly; the Menu Clara (€26) offers a starter, main and dessert that shift with arrivals. The Menu Gourmand (€42) adds an amuse-bouche and more elaborate dishes. A Menu Dégustation (€65) showcases the chef’s full range.

Sample dishes from the current menus include a crumble parmesan et lin with fresh goat’s cheese and confit vegetables, a terrine of poultry and foie gras with courgette guacamole, and a bouillabaisse catalane with market fish, poached potato and aïoli. The échine de cochon Tiretap’s – steamed and glazed pork neck with a Byrrh sauce and ravioli – is a signature. Desserts like caramelised clafoutis with seasonal fruit or a tiramisu of apricot and coffee round off the meal.

A Calm Setting with Guest Rooms

The restaurant is set in a peaceful, leafy property that also offers bed-and-breakfast accommodation. The half-board rate (€151 per night for two, including breakfast) makes it easy to turn a meal into a short stay. Whether you come for lunch, dinner or an overnight escape, the emphasis is on simplicity, quality and the flavours of the Catalan countryside.