What to bring back from the Pyrenees?

Are you looking for some gift ideas ? Souvenirs from your stay in the Pyrenees to spoil your loved ones? Local products are an opportunity to showcase the creativity and know-how of artists, artisans, and producers and to offer unique, surprising, and ethical gifts. Here is a quick overview of original gift ideas, handmade in the Pyrenees. Gifts that have meaning and that you won't be able to find anywhere else!

Ethical gifts made in the Pyrenees

The essential “ La Carde” slippers in Pyrenean wool

Winter is coming, the cold is here. It's time to warm up by a fireplace and hibernate under a sofa blanket.

A symbol of "Home Sweet Home", slippers are a must-have for the season, a real fashion accessory to pamper your feet! So, there's nothing like a pair of slippers made from Pyrenean sheep's wool to choose a local, artisanal creation that respects the environment and know-how.

In Esquièze-Sère, a stone's throw from Luz-Saint-Sauveur in the Hautes-Pyrénées, five generations have succeeded each other since 1891 in the family workshops La Carde de la Maison Lafond to make articles in Pyrenean wool: blankets, throws, coats, sweaters, hats and the famous 100% natural wool slippers. You're sure to fall in love with these fur-lined ankle boots revisited in a rustic blend of warmth, lightness and casual style... Guaranteed to spend the winter warm!

The superb creations of the Carde in Pyrenees wool

The delicious bag of Cauterets berlingots!

Here's a gift that always delights the taste buds of gourmets: the traditional bag of Cauterets berlingots ! These small, hard, translucent candies are a must-have specialty of the small spa town in the heart of the Pyrenees National Park. This multicolored, pyramid-shaped candy is also the very first sugar confectionery in Europe !

Some shops, like Confiserie Marinette, still make them by hand, made with 100% natural ingredients and no artificial colors. There are more than thirty different flavors of berlingots!

Step through the door of the shop to see the master confectioner at work: he works with long cords of sugar and reveals his manufacturing secrets during demonstrations in front of visitors and the amazed eyes of children.

The unbeatable walking stick!

If there were a functional and typical object of the Pyrenees that best represented the pastoral activity of the shepherds, it would be the famous large wooden staff, called the "shepherd's staff". Usually made of oak or beech, it is a personal, everyday object, adapted to the steep slopes of the mountains.

In the Pyrenees, you will find all kinds of sticks: from "souvenir" sticks in tourist shops to real works of art made from wild medlar wood, carved with personalized designs. The stick here symbolizes a way of living in harmony with unspoiled nature. It can be erected as a decorative object or an object of art depending on the materials used and the meticulous work of the craftsman. In any circumstance, it is a great ally for hikers!

The essential bell of the Pyrenees!

At the Argeles-Gazost market, Dominique Escoulan's stall attracts attention. A proud representative of the 3rd generation of this traveling hardware store, Dominique specializes in hazelnut baskets and Pyrenean cowbells, the old bells worn around the necks of cows in pastures. You'll find them in all sizes and from all origins, including the Daban bells, made in Nay in Béarn. The distinctive features of this beautiful bronze bell are a cross and the very piercing sound it produces. It can keep snakes away and allow the shepherd to locate the flock in the mountains, even in foggy weather.

Here, each cow breeder chooses their new bells based on the sound of the bells they already own to maintain harmony within the herd. Each bell is different for each type of herd.

Used as a rustic doorbell at the entrance to the house or as a decorative object in the house, the bell is definitely an authentic object of Pyrenean heritage to bring back!

Pastries and cakes from the Pyrenees!

Attention all foodies! Think cake. It's a little something that pleases and always delights the recipient.

The region is full of typical and tasty culinary specialties, local delicacies steeped in tradition and made with passion by artisans.

• Specialties from the Pyrenean valleys, the wild blueberry tart and the Pyrenean blueberry pie are sure to melt all gourmets.
• The fruit of a great Pyrenean tradition, the Béarn spit cake reflects the art of living by the fire and the conviviality of the inhabitants. This gigantic golden cake, conical in shape and fitted with "spikes", is unlike any other cake. It delights the palate with its taste of fresh butter with aromas of vanilla and rum.
• Filled with cherries, the Basque cake with its inimitable taste is the authentic pastry par excellence to accompany a coffee or tea, or to treat children at snack time.

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Photos and articles prepared by Lesley Williamson