We had the Marché des Producteurs, closing part of the main boulevard and filling it with trestle tables and chairs, last night. It was great. The idea was that all the local producers had stalls and you bought what you wanted and sat and ate it. Oysters, rillettes, cheese, sausages, flans, chips, brochettes, fruit, …
It seemed all the men in our group had a folding knife. So, of course, I realised I need one. They mentioned Laguiole, with which I was already familiar, and Opinel, who made Madame’s gardening knife.
Laguiole are ruinously expensive, though it looks like there’s more work involved in making them (and I like the bee), but not to justify their being 10-100x the price of Opinels.
I think there are “Laguioles” and “Laguioles” - there seem to be lots of different cutlery firms in and around the town who all use the name, of varying quality and price.
In 2017 I bought a Laguiole corkscrew by mail order from a company called “Laguiole Attitude” - it was a clearance item at £14 plus shipping, which perhaps ought to have triggered alarm bells but I reckoned it was worth a punt.
The corkscrew shipped the next day and as far as I can tell (not being an expert) is of decent quality, and it’s served me well ever since. It is stamped “Laguiole ®” and has the bee on it. So I think in this case I got a bargain!
However the reviews for that firm on line are pretty dire and they don’t seem to be in business any more. Apparently they took orders and then subcontracted the manufacture to local artisans, so “in stock” on their website came with the qualification “normalement”.
I was obviously lucky, but you pays yer money and takes yer choice.
I also have an Opinel butter knife which I bought in the UK and is similarly VG quality.
For the last 20 years I have always carried an Opinel in my left hand pocket and would be lost without it. I opt for a carbon steel blade which is much easier to keep sharp. I use it for everything from cleaning my nails after gardening to cutting steaks in classy restaurants.
On a recent flight from Toulouse to Manchester, I was just getting ready to go through security when I remembered my Opinel was still in my pocket. I tossed it into a nearby decorative flower pot to save embarrassment. A month later when I returned it was still there!
In a restaurant I used to frequent, there was a cabinet with many small drawers. When I asked the owner what it was for, he opened some drawers to show me. Each contained a single well honed Laguiole knife. He explained that his regular customers liked to keep a personal knife to use on their visits (much like the British used to keep their own beer mugs hanging behind the bar).
We live just down the Lot from Laguiole but have only got one of their beautiful cheese knives, which is much larger, yet less expensive than the pocket knives.
(edit: How could I forget that I also use their 18cm santoku knife every day?
Instead for pique-niques and marches nocturnes, I’ve got a Spanish knife (below) that’s a similar size and style to a classic Laguiole, but only cost €8 on Figeac market. I’ve had it about ten years and it’s been excellent - takes a very good edge. Also very good for de-veining prawns.
I bought an identical cork screw about ten years ago and found it well made, apart from not sitting very well on the lip of the bottle. It would often slip off because the notch was cut too square, so I re-shaped it with a round profile needle file - made a big difference.
However, I do prefer to use the one on the knife above.
The ‘real’ Laguioles have the bee on them. If it doesn’t have the bee, it isn’t Laguioles.
I was bought one very close to this one over 20 years ago
I had no idea just how expensive they were until many years later. You can see the bee on the third photo. It gets lots of use ()and is as good as the day it was bought. Even the leather case hasn’t cracked or discoloured.
What’s the legality of carrying a pocket knife in France? I did a quick research last year and my understanding was that even a small folding knife could only be carried without it potentially being considered a weapon if a reasonable need was established.
I’m a fan of Opinels, myself. Always carried a No7 with me on the ranch back in Colorado.
Opinels are good knives and a cork screw’s sometimes the most essential part, but that one’s very short indeed and personally, I’d opt for a knife with a longer, more effective tire bouchon.
I would never use one of these knives to eat with. Saw one chap at the annual dinner open his out. Encrusted with old food and maybe “other” things. I doubt they can be cleaned properly like a proper table knife.
I’ve got some Cantal cheese that I bought at the local market. They said it was from Laguoile and was very good. It is very good. I also have a set of Laguoile table knives and although the person who gave me those said they weren’t the real thing but they’re still pretty useful. My pocket knife came from an unknown artisan I’m Saint Cirque Lapopie, it has proved useful on numerous occasions. I have never had any problem keeping it clean.
Bit confused, did you buy Laguiole or Cantal cheese?
It’s quite complicated because Laguiole village is in the Aveyron, but the eponymous cheese is made in the Aubrac which straddles the Aveyron and the Cantal .
Laguiole cheese looks similar to Cantal, but it’s always lait cru and aged, whereas Cantal can be either cru or pasteurisé and there’s several different types - jeune, entre-deux and vielle. Around here they always display the Cantal cheeses next to the Laguiole and the other Cantal cheese, Salers.
Because Laguiole comes from Spring pastures and then aged, it’s at best in the summer.
)and is as good as the day it was bought. Even the leather case hasn’t cracked or discoloured.
