Marché de Fontenay-le-Comte
Every Saturday morning the Place Viète and surrounding streets fill with stalls piled high with Vendée ham, Mogette beans, fresh goat's cheeses and seasonal produce grown in the bocage countryside just minutes away. This is not a tourist market — it is where locals actually shop, which makes it all the more rewarding to wander.
What to Look For
Seek out the stalls selling Jambon de Vendée, the region's dry-cured ham rubbed with sea salt and aromatic herbs — vendors will often slice you a taste on the spot.
Mogette de Vendée, the small white haricot bean with IGP status, appears in jars, dried and sometimes even cooked, and makes one of the most authentic edible souvenirs you can pack home.
Eating on the Spot
Several stalls sell hot galettes and crêpes, and a couple of rotisserie stands send the smell of roasting poulet de Vendée drifting across the whole square by 10am.
Pull up to one of the café terraces on the square with a café au lait and watch the rhythm of a genuinely local French market morning unfold around you.
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