Ardent

Ardent is the restaurant of Loire Valley Lodges, a creative dining experience set in a private 300-hectare forest near Tours. The kitchen practises a nature-inspired approach described on-site as a melody played with the living notes of the forest, flame and estate produce. Presented as luxury-local, wild cuisine, Ardent is selected in the Michelin Guide and stands within the lodges complex. Dining is available indoors and on a terrace that opens onto a landscaped garden, pool area and surrounding forest. Contemporary lodge interiors blend with a relaxed, nature-immersed vibe. Seating is arranged on the terrace and inside the property's gallery and bar-lounge. The cuisine is creative, contemporary and strongly seasonal, directly inspired by the forest and the estate's harvests. Dishes prioritise produce from the surrounding woods, the hotel potager, the on-site organic farm and local suppliers, balancing rustic authenticity with refined, inventive presentation. Chef Thomas Besnault leads the kitchen and declares his ambition to provoke emotion and surprise while working joyfully with his team. Specialties include forest-inspired dishes using wild and foraged ingredients, vegetables and herbs from the on-site potager and products from the estate's organic farm. House sorbets flavoured with thyme and rosemary and seasonal menus reflecting recent harvests complete the repertoire.