By Stéphanie, on 30 Jun 2025

Reading time: 8 min.

Did you know that Gascony producers grow vegetables, prepare meat, make cheese and yoghurt, apple juice, flour and oil, harvest honey, and that Gascony craftsmen create soaps and jewellery?

Here are a few good addresses!

The vegetable garden at your fingertips

It’s in Vesancy, a small village not far from Gex, a little way up on a hill, that Mr Robez grows lentils and makes his apple juice. You can regularly find him at the Ferney-Voltaire market on Saturday mornings. You can also buy blond or green lentils at the Clos Brillon farm in Ferney-Voltaire from the self-service crates.

The aquaponics farm in Versonnex offers seasonal vegetables and trout-based products (smoked trout, fresh trout, trout mousses and rillettes).

Finally, there’s Collonges and the Jardin des Fées, a GAEC that produces its own seasonal vegetables, which are also on sale in the “3 petits fermiers” shop in Farges and Grilly and at the Grange du Pays de Gex in Prévessin-Moëns. In the case of the “3 petits fermiers” shop, local farmers have got together to sell their produce in a short circuit. They take it in turns to run the shop.

Cheese lovers beware!

You’ll love Bleu de Gex PDO, made in the last remaining Pays de Gex cheese dairy, located in Chézery-Forens. When you’re in this village in the Valserine Valley, make a diversion to the Menthières farm and the Noirecombe goat dairy to buy your goat’s cheese. Different varieties are available from local producers. You can also buy good goat’s cheese from the chèvrerie de capucine in Echenevex and vals’biques in Mijoux.

You can also find this delicious blue-veined cheese in good cheese dairies in the plains: the Bouchet cheese dairy in Saint-Genis-Pouilly or the Michelin cheese dairy , which has no fewer than 3 shops in Ferney-Voltaire, Ségny and Grilly. And don’t forget that Bleu de Gex is often found at local markets in Thoiry and Ferney-Voltaire, for example.

After cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses, here come ewe’s milk cheeses! The Rouph family have been making their cheeses and famous caramel custards at the Baisenaz farm in Thoiry for over twenty years. You can also sample their products at their farm inn, which hosts theatre evenings.

Quality meats

Of course, you’ll find quality meat in traditional butchers’ shops, such as Au bon saucisson in Lélex, where you can buy the traditional atriaux, which are very popular in winter, and sausages. As for charcuterie, head to the market in Ferney-Voltaire to try the pâté croûte of Daniel Gobet, based in Divonne-les-Bains, world pâté croûte champion in 2018!

But did you know that you could buy your meat directly from the farmers? Start with Ferme des Peureuses, where poultry and pigs are reared in the open air in Crozet. This farm offers chickens (including roast chickens at weekends), guinea fowl, duck, home-made charcuterie and jars, as well as eggs.

Also at the foot of the mountain, Adrien’s farm in Thoiry offers direct sales of beef and milk-fed veal, in 2.5 and 8 kilo boxes (as indicated on their website). And don’t forget that you can find this Gers meat in Aurore’s travelling grocery shop, which mainly travels in the south of the Pays de Gex.

To your health

I’ve already told you about Vesancy apple juice.

You’ll also find apples in Péron, at the tiocan orchard. The association is organising an apple festival at the beginning of October, a unique opportunity to visit this beautiful orchard of old varieties and buy the traditional apple juice (beware, there won’t be enough for everyone’).

There were many vines in the 18th century. Today, there is still one winegrower in Challex who makes his biodynamic wines with love and expertise: white, red and sparkling wines that will delight your guests. Sales at the cellar are preferably by appointment, between 6pm and 7pm and on Saturday mornings.

When it comes to beers, Pays de Gex is not to be outdone, with three breweries.

The Brasserie Gessienne is located in Ornex. In her vats, Stéphanie ferments the organic hops that give rise to the dark, blonde and amber beers bearing the “bière gessienne” label.

Bière Yourself offers workshops where you can create your own beer in the land of Voltaire – a unique experience! And last but not least, the Grilly brewery offers a friendly place for you to meet, chat, enjoy the music and explore locally brewed craft beers.

La Gessienne, a 100% artisanal company, has opened its preparation workshop in Collonges. It makes plant and fruit liqueurs prepared with a famous Savoyard mineral water. La Brasserie Gessienne offers 4 BG’in potions. Their spirits are made exclusively from our beer brandies and ingredients carefully selected for their proximity.

Alcoholic beverages should of course be consumed in moderation.

Would you like a slice?

Are you familiar with the famous papette, a flan tart delicately layered on a brioche pastry scented with orange blossom? A few good bakeries still prepare this traditional dessert. It’s said that you’ll find the best papettes in Saint-Jean-de-Gonville and Gex.

And to accompany your tea (which you can buy from the Léman roastery in Gex) or your coffee (preferably from the Truite roastery in Ferney-Voltaire), there’s nothing like good chocolate prepared in the Pays de Gex by Sébastien Brocard, chocolatier-patissier and gold medallist in the French dessert championship. Personally, I have a slight preference for the croc télé or the remonte-pente… If chocolate isn’t your cup of tea, Péron’s biscuits will give you a delicate touch of sweetness: plain, lemon, raisin or honey-almond, the choice is yours!

For herbal tea lovers, the Lélex craft shop can concoct a variety of “potions”.

Memories of Gessen

Are you on holiday in the Pays de Gex or looking for a local gift? Here are a few ideas!

Emmanuelle makes handmade soaps in her workshop in Chézery Forens (a small village, but a very productive one!). Everything is well thought out, from the ingredients, most of which come from organic farming, to the eco-friendly packaging and the string used to dry the soap between uses. Or Kaly Flore in Gex! Jessica makes her soaps and cosmetics from her goats’ milk and her bees’ honey, and harvests sap from her birch trees and aromatic plants from her garden.

Forty-five minutes away is the Trabbia-Vuillermoz jeweller’s, in the heart of Mijoux. From costume jewellery to gold jewellery, there’s something to suit every taste and every budget.

And why not offer some honey? One is prepared in the mountains at Lélex, the other on the plains at the Château de Voltaire. I don’t know about you, but I prefer the creamy spring honey 🙂 Le jardin des reines in Ornex offers a wide variety of honeys, fresh royal jelly, as well as honey, nougat, honey and hazelnut sweets. And it’s all organic!

And to cook all these great products, I’ve put together a gourmet menu that’s 100% Gessian!