La Mère Poulard
On Gingerguide's self-guided Mont-Saint-Michel audio tour, La Mère Poulard is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Mont-Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel guide
About La Mère Poulard
The inn at the Mont's gate, famous since the late 1800s for a giant soufflé-like omelette whipped by hand and cooked over an open wood fire for weary pilgrims.
La Mère Poulard is a historic inn and restaurant at the entrance of Mont-Saint-Michel, at the start of the Grande Rue. It takes its name from Anne 'Annette' Boutiaut Poulard (1851-1931), a cook and innkeeper who married Victor Poulard in 1873. The house is famous for the omelette de la mère Poulard, a giant, soufflé-like omelette several inches thick, whipped in hand-hammered copper bowls and cooked over an open wood fire. It was reportedly devised to feed travellers quickly, since the tides made arrivals unpredictable.
Today the establishment includes a restaurant, a bar and a hotel, and a related biscuit maker, the Biscuiterie Mère Poulard, sells shortbread under the same name. The omelette is notably expensive, sold by portion, with menu prices commonly quoted in the tens of euros. The restaurant's walls carry the autographs of famous guests, among them Ernest Hemingway and Yves Saint Laurent. Sources give the inn's founding date variously as 1879 or 1888.
Did you know? The 'secret' recipe is mostly marketing. Annette Poulard reportedly explained it plainly: break good eggs, beat them well, add a good piece of butter, throw in the eggs, and keep shaking the pan.
How much time do you need at La Mère Poulard?
Around ~30 min works well for La Mère Poulard — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at La Mère Poulard?
Yes — La Mère Poulard made the cut as one of 11 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Mont-Saint-Michel. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Mont-Saint-Michel
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about La Mère Poulard and read more:
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Hear the story of La Mère Poulard
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