The famous shortbread has been made since 1904 with the same recipe: good Normandy PDO butter from Isigny, free-range eggs, flour and sugar. But be careful… the recipe and the know-how are kept secret !
The Asnelles shortbread: a Norman institution
Go to Asnelles, 9km by car from Courseulles-sur-Mer, in the heart of the D-Day landing beaches. At 17 rue de Southampton, it is impossible to resist the tempting smell of hot shortbread ! Come in ! This is where the delicious sablé d’Asnelles, one of the jewels of Norman gastronomy, has been made with traditional know-how (and a lot of love) for over 110 years.
Created by Charles Bansard, the biscuit factory has seen several owners take over the management, but the recipe has remained the same for all these years and is jealously guarded ! Today, Mr. Otter and his wife have taken over the reins of this beautiful artisanal business. They have opened a tea room to enjoy the sweet treats that are carefully prepared for their team.
An authentic recipe
If we speak of a true Norman culinary heritage, it is partly due to the origin and quality of the raw materials used in the making of the shortbread : fresh Isigny PDO butter, free-range eggs, handmade caramel… in short, everything is local and without GMOs or preservatives.
The ancestral know-how is just as important ! Assembly of ingredients, moulding, precise and controlled baking… everything is calculated so that the biscuit comes out neither too soft, nor too hard, just sanded and browned as it should be to melt in the mouth. Hm… the good taste of yesteryear !
A wider range of gourmet products
Although the Asnelles biscuit is traditionally made with sweet butter, the range has been extended over the years with a version made with semi-salted butter, and with Isigny salted butter caramel chips.
We love the eco-responsible approach : here we limit waste! Broken biscuits or those that are a little too golden are offered in a “bulk” range at a reduced price. They are also reused to make crumbles and tart bases sold in the tea room.
The gourmet shop and the cosy tea room
After the production, a diversion to the tea room, a hundred metres away, on Place Stanier. Opened in 2020, with its careful decoration, we find the “so british” atmosphere of the tea rooms. You feel good, the room is bathed in light and the welcome is warm.
You want to sit down and taste each speciality prepared by the passionate pastry chefs : Normandy strawberry tarts, chocolate ganache tarts…
The shop is also well stocked. The shortbread is offered in various packaging: vintage metal boxes bearing the effigy of the seaside resort, wooden packaging, etc. There is something for everyone.
More traditionally, regional specialities are available for sale : Norman rice pudding, milk jam, caramel chips, local cider… the sweet products emblematic of our Norman gastronomy are gathered here.
