Le For’Hom, 66720 Tautavel

Tautavel is a busy village  about 35 kms. from Perpignan ,famous for its Archeological Museum showcasing the skull of a prehistoric man, known as Homo Erectus, who lived there approximately 300,000 years ago. Wine-making is the other attraction and there are numerous wine cellars  to be visiited in the area.  The surrounding scenery of towering jagged mountains and steep vineyards is most impressive and the main street has managed to  maintain its original character despite the many tourists.

Right next to the Cave Cooperative is the restaurant Le For’Hom which specialises in dishes cooked on the grill – la planxa- and tapas.  The tables are set in an interior shaded courtyard around a large bar – it is in fact a glorified cafe – and the atmosphere is casual and relaxed.

The main attraction is the Tapas menu – which is varied and well presented.  It included gambas, pan tomate,  Serrano ham,  spiced lamb turnover, herb chicken pate, anchovies and grilled boudin. There is fixed price menu of 4 tapas for Euros 12.50  and if you are still hungry, which is unllikely,  you can have additional ones at Euros 4.50 each.    The ice-creams,  which count as a dessert tapas, are  made locally and  come in at least 12 very exotic flavours.  The wine is from the area and served by the pichet, but I also noticed a very tempting list of home-made natural fruit juices.

A good place to go for a reasonably priced meal – with  a strong touch of not so distant Spain.