I very rarely do this drive on my own, but that day I was heading solo from Marseille to Brussels, firmly determined not to starve along the way. Not really my thing.

Driving up the A7, around Valence, I spot this auberge on Raisin. It has a pretty good reputation and only requires the tiniest detour. The road is lovely, the view is beautiful and the welcome very friendly… this is already shaping up to be a good stop. Exactly what I need.

I’m seated on the terrace — like everyone else, apparently —, the garden is beautiful, laid out on different levels, and a light breeze combined with the shade of the tall trees makes it the perfect place on this hot late-August day.

The menu feels made for a group of friends… slightly less so for a solo food lover. So I go for the set menu, which starts with a refreshing tomato and peach salad with pesto and hazelnuts.

The waitress tells me they installed the summer kitchen, which sits right in the middle of the tables, four years ago, and that they cook there throughout the warmer months. Barbecue, rotisserie… brilliant and wonderfully convivial.

What comes from it next is a proper butcher’s sausage, with real bite and generous pieces, perfectly grilled over a wood fire.

Not especially tempted by the wines by the glass, I dig into the “Rouges des beaux jours” section of the list and pick a generous 100% Grolleau bottle, which I’ll finish later that evening at my overnight stop.

Before getting back on the road, I’m brought a slightly less convincing but still very enjoyable baba au rhum and an excellent little coffee.

If I ever pass through the area again, I hope it’ll be around mealtime and, above all, that I won’t be alone… This is pretty much the ideal place for a big table of friends ready to feast, share the many cuts of grilled meat and let the wines we love flow freely, available in magnums and even jeroboams.

Auberge de Crussol