Marché de Nontron — Saturday Morning Market
Every Saturday morning the Place du Champ de Foire and the streets radiating off it fill with producers from across the Périgord Vert, turning Nontron into the most authentic country market for miles. This is not a tourist market — it is where local farmers, cheesemakers and foie-gras producers actually sell to their neighbours.
What to look for and where
Arrive before 9:00 to catch the best of the walnut-oil producers, who press their oil cold in mills along the Bandiat valley and bring unlabelled bottles to sell directly. Look also for Cabécou-style goat cheeses wrapped in chestnut leaves, jars of dark Périgord honey, and seasonal cèpes (porcini) from September through November.
The covered halles at the top of the square shelter the charcuterie stalls — rillettes, duck confit in terracotta jars, and slabs of black-pepper-crusted ventrèche. Prices are noticeably lower than in Périgueux or Sarlat markets, and the vendors are genuinely pleased to let you taste before you buy.
Rhythm of the morning
By 10:30 the square is at its liveliest, with the café-tabac on the corner doing a brisk trade in espressos and glasses of Bergerac rosé for market-goers who have already filled their baskets. Pull up a wicker chair outside and watch the whole social theatre of a French country Saturday unfold.
Stalls begin to pack away around noon, so plan your visit for the 8:30–11:30 window to get the full experience and the pick of the produce. The market runs year-round, rain or shine.
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