Abbey days

"Would Mr Ducasse sign this for me?" asks an American lady at L'Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de La Celle, brandishing the chef's latest book. "I am sorry, madam, but Mr Ducasse is somewhere between New York and London," apologises Jerôme Dimarino, assistant manager at seven-Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse's latest Provençal venture in the Var, an hour's drive west of Nice.

While Ducasse may not be there all the time, he has put one of his longest-serving chefs, Benoit Witz, in charge of the kitchen. And there is always his old friend Bruno Clément on hand to help out. Clément and Ducasse are equal partners in the new country inn, which opened last December just outside Brignoles, in the heart of the Coteaux Varois vineyards. The 18th-century building nuzzles a 12th-century Benedictine abbey, which is currently being restored. The hotel uses the abbey's refectory for functions, adding another 200 to the head count in the 70-seat restaurant. There's room for another 80 on the terrace.

Witz and his 12-strong brigade, all former Ducasse students, prepare two set menus and an à la carte. "We offer simple cooking based on meals served in the hotel many moons ago," says Witz. Dishes such as truffled pullet (young chicken) "stuffed in the old-fashioned way", with chanterelles, new potatoes and grelot onions, or pea soup served with garlic-flavoured bread fingers.

Menus change every day. Witz lets the market - and the kitchen garden - dictate what's on them. Favourite ingredients currently include asparagus, artichokes and crayfish - "any Mediterranean fish, in fact," says Witz. The former appears with a foie gras custard, the artichokes in a ravioli with a quail's egg lightly poached on top, while the crayfish star in a basil-scented tomato confit (Ffr95/£9.50). The first dish appears on the five-course menu gastronomique, at Ffr280 (£28), the artichokes on the four-course menu touristique, at Ffr215 (£21.50). Average spend on the à la carte is about Ffr300 (£30), excluding wine.

The wine list has ensured that the restaurant is a big hit with locals - many of them in the wine business - who make up a fair portion of the clientele, alongside the visiting Americans. "We have deliberately set out to concentrate on Coteaux Varois wines," says Dimarino, who doubles up as food and beverage manager. The list showcases 70 Varois wines from each commune. Best sellers include the 1998 Château Miraval Blanc (Ffr190/£19) and the Domaine des Chaberts Cuvée Prestige Rosé 1999 (Ffr160/£16). n

L'Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de la Celle, Place du Général de Gaulle, 83170 La Celle, France. Tel: 00 33 4 98 05 14 14