Meeting with Alain, artisan confectioner

There is little written record of the history of this sweet; it is thought to have been first made sometime after the Apparitions, around the 1860s. There used to be two sweet-makers in Lourdes, and the recipe is passed down in secret from one confectioner to the next. I shall do the same when I pass on the torch.

There are also several names for this sweet: you might hear them called ‘cailloux de Lourdes’, but you may also sometimes see ‘cailloux du Gave’, which is a registered trademark. Mine do indeed have ‘made in Lourdes’ printed on the packet!

They belong to the ‘dragées’ family: these are sweets for which you must first make the centre, the ‘heart’, before ‘gumming’ it and then ‘coating’ it. The production process takes around three days. After the cooking, gumming and coating stages comes the glazing.

It is this ‘glazing’ that gives it its final colour, and it is from this that it takes its name, as it really does resemble a pebble, a small stone! The colours used are natural ingredients and are my own creations: all these shades are unique to my confectionery. The artisan’s signature touch.

La Confiserie des Gaves is, of course, open to visitors! I’d recommend coming to see me in the morning or giving me a ring. I can show you the different stages of the process, including the moulds and the turbines, and give you an insight into the confectioner’s trade.