St Angélique de Niort Liqueur

In the heart of Niort, the capital of Deux-Sèvres, passionate Pierre Thonnard has been delighting locals since the 1970s with his liqueurs and confections made from local angelica, renowned for its indescribable taste.

When Pierre Thonnard speaks of his angelica, it's like poetry! For those unfamiliar with the Niort region, angelica is a plant whose ends form small umbels of greenish flowers and can grow up to 2 meters tall. Also known as the "root of the Holy Spirit," it thrives in damp places such as gardens, ditch banks, and ponds, making it perfectly suited to our region.

Locally cultivated for fifty years, Pierre Thonnard grows angelica on the Île de la Roussille, three kilometers from his workshop on Avenue de Sevreau in Niort. This passion has been nurtured since the 1970s when his father, a wine merchant in Niort, sent him to study in Paris. Instead of idling away like his peers, Pierre dedicated himself to studying natural sciences and the cultivation of angelica. His persistence paid off, and in 1979, he launched his candied angelica using an ancient technique inspired by a former Niort producer.

Regarding its taste, Pierre insists that angelica is simply indescribable—you have to taste it! You can visit his shop on Avenue de Sevreau in Niort or local outlets like Mogettes et Cie in Niort or La Maison du Marais Poitevin in the heart of the marshes. There, you'll find his creams, jams, and candied angelica, as well as liqueurs, aperitifs, syrups, and even dried seeds or roots known for their health benefits.

If you visit his shop, Pierre, who is enthusiastic about his product, can share numerous anecdotes, such as how in 1603, people in Niort used angelica to protect themselves from the plague.