Lemy, the cute, curly lagotto romagnolo, gave a little yelp as she snuffled among the fallen oak leaves and started scrabbling in the earth. Wielding a small pickaxe, her owner Serge took over the dig and pulled out a muddy lump. He offered his dog a sniff before holding the golf-ball-sized black truffle aloft for us all to admire. A city to be savoured: Lyon is home to two major rivers (the Rhone and Saone) - and endless good restaurants . Deep in the French countryside, this Italian breed of duck-hunting dog is prized for its fast and accurate work. 'The Ferrari of truffle hounds!' exclaimed Serge. With our lesson on the production of the valuable fungi over, we strolled back to Serge's farmhouse, where his wife Corinne passed around delicious truffle infused canapes and glasses of wine. This excursion was just one of the epicurean treats on the inaugural cruise aboard SS Catherine, christened in April by her namesake, French film star Catherine Deneuve. In the coming days, sailing on the Rhone from Lyon, France's gastronomic capital, our noses and palates would be tickled with tastings ashore and on board of artisanal chocolate, fine wines, regional cheeses and oysters too. And all this between gourmet meals. SS Catherine is the latest lavishly and lovingly decorated vessel in the Uniworld line. Good boy: Serge and his faithful hound Emy search for buried treasure in the French countryside . The ship has a wonderful extravagance about her - original art, including works by Miro and Chagal adorns the walls. She is designed with no expense spared by Beatrice Tollman, who is also the founder and president of The Red Carnation Hotel collection, and her daughter Toni. One of them is the five-star Milestone in Kensington and if you've been there, you'll recognise the eclectic style and focus on tip-top service that guests enjoy on SS Catherine. Green-themed SS Catherine has a most striking lobby, where a specially commissioned, enormous Murano glass chandelier hangs above a large glass horse standing in front of a glass lift. Beside this is a waterfall, flanked by a wrought-iron double staircase. Custom-made green glass latticework has been handcrafted on to the mirrored walls. There is a marble fireplace, in the lounge and in the corner of Bar du Leopard there is a swimming pool with a luscious jungle mural. My cabin had a marble bathroom, three ivory and green embroidered walls and a glass one that retracted at the flick of a switch to create a balcony (with another switch to draw down a fly screen for hot nights). I awoke from a dreamless sleep in my huge bed in the town of Tain l'Hermitage, with twin town Tournon on the opposite bank. Settling in nicely: The SS Catherine offers luxury suites with glorious views of the passing scenery . By half past ten I had nibbled my way round the new, interactive La Cite Du Chocolat museum, and was watching a chef demonstrate two different chocolate mousse recipes. Which we then of course consumed. Hurrying over to Tournon, we were rewarded with generous tastes of Crozes-Hermitage wines on the terrace of a chateau, enjoying views of the vineyards across the river that produced the grapes. As we walked back to the ship across France's oldest suspension bridge, waiters greeted us at intervals, proffering trays of green and white goat's-cheese macaroons. Then it was time for lunch. The lavish buffet included local charcuterie and cheeses and comfort food, such as a clear chicken soup and a creamy rice pudding made to Mrs Tollman's recipes. Teatime, with exquisite sandwiches and pastries in the Bar du Leopard, was followed by a tasting of Rhone Valley wines and Ardeche goat's cheeses in the Van Gogh lounge, before it was time for the most sumptuous dinner of classic French dishes. Next morning, to work up an appetite before a champagne breakfast, I borrowed one of the ship's bicycles for a spin round the pretty village of Viviers, then boarded the coach setting off into the countryside for truffle-hunting. The leisurely afternoon's cruise was punctuated with a master class on Arcachon oysters, flown in from Bordeaux. During my few days on board, I learned that a cruise on SS Catherine is truly a feast, and not only for the eyes. Titan, . in partnership, with Uniworld (www.titantravel.co.uk, 0800 988 5867) offers a seven-night 'Burgundy And Provence' cruise from £2,309 per person . including return flights, full board on SS Catherine, transfers, . excursions with English-speaking guides, unlimited complimentary drinks, . gratuities, wi-fi and Titan's VIP Home Departure Service.
The Rhone-Alpes region of France is a gastronomic haven for travellers .
The River Rhone is a splendid venue for a cruise, running through Lyon .
Lyon pushes itself as the gourmet capital of France (rather than Paris)
Lemy, the cute, curly lagotto romagnolo, gave a little yelp as she snuffled among the fallen oak leaves and started scrabbling in the earth. Wielding a small pickaxe, her owner Serge took over the dig and pulled out a muddy lump. He offered his dog a sniff before holding the golf-ball-sized black truffle aloft for us all to admire. A city to be savoured: Lyon is home to two major rivers (the Rhone and Saone) - and endless good restaurants . Deep in the French countryside, this Italian breed of duck-hunting dog is prized for its fast and accurate work. 'The Ferrari of truffle hounds!' exclaimed Serge. With our lesson on the production of the valuable fungi over, we strolled back to Serge's farmhouse, where his wife Corinne passed around delicious truffle infused canapes and glasses of wine. This excursion was just one of the epicurean treats on the inaugural cruise aboard SS Catherine, christened in April by her namesake, French film star Catherine Deneuve. In the coming days, sailing on the Rhone from Lyon, France's gastronomic capital, our noses and palates would be tickled with tastings ashore and on board of artisanal chocolate, fine wines, regional cheeses and oysters too. And all this between gourmet meals. SS Catherine is the latest lavishly and lovingly decorated vessel in the Uniworld line. Good boy: Serge and his faithful hound Emy search for buried treasure in the French countryside . The ship has a wonderful extravagance about her - original art, including works by Miro and Chagal adorns the walls. She is designed with no expense spared by Beatrice Tollman, who is also the founder and president of The Red Carnation Hotel collection, and her daughter Toni. One of them is the five-star Milestone in Kensington and if you've been there, you'll recognise the eclectic style and focus on tip-top service that guests enjoy on SS Catherine. Green-themed SS Catherine has a most striking lobby, where a specially commissioned, enormous Murano glass chandelier hangs above a large glass horse standing in front of a glass lift. Beside this is a waterfall, flanked by a wrought-iron double staircase. Custom-made green glass latticework has been handcrafted on to the mirrored walls. There is a marble fireplace, in the lounge and in the corner of Bar du Leopard there is a swimming pool with a luscious jungle mural. My cabin had a marble bathroom, three ivory and green embroidered walls and a glass one that retracted at the flick of a switch to create a balcony (with another switch to draw down a fly screen for hot nights). I awoke from a dreamless sleep in my huge bed in the town of Tain l'Hermitage, with twin town Tournon on the opposite bank. Settling in nicely: The SS Catherine offers luxury suites with glorious views of the passing scenery . By half past ten I had nibbled my way round the new, interactive La Cite Du Chocolat museum, and was watching a chef demonstrate two different chocolate mousse recipes. Which we then of course consumed. Hurrying over to Tournon, we were rewarded with generous tastes of Crozes-Hermitage wines on the terrace of a chateau, enjoying views of the vineyards across the river that produced the grapes. As we walked back to the ship across France's oldest suspension bridge, waiters greeted us at intervals, proffering trays of green and white goat's-cheese macaroons. Then it was time for lunch. The lavish buffet included local charcuterie and cheeses and comfort food, such as a clear chicken soup and a creamy rice pudding made to Mrs Tollman's recipes. Teatime, with exquisite sandwiches and pastries in the Bar du Leopard, was followed by a tasting of Rhone Valley wines and Ardeche goat's cheeses in the Van Gogh lounge, before it was time for the most sumptuous dinner of classic French dishes. Next morning, to work up an appetite before a champagne breakfast, I borrowed one of the ship's bicycles for a spin round the pretty village of Viviers, then boarded the coach setting off into the countryside for truffle-hunting. The leisurely afternoon's cruise was punctuated with a master class on Arcachon oysters, flown in from Bordeaux. During my few days on board, I learned that a cruise on SS Catherine is truly a feast, and not only for the eyes. Titan, . in partnership, with Uniworld (www.titantravel.co.uk, 0800 988 5867) offers a seven-night 'Burgundy And Provence' cruise from £2,309 per person . including return flights, full board on SS Catherine, transfers, . excursions with English-speaking guides, unlimited complimentary drinks, . gratuities, wi-fi and Titan's VIP Home Departure Service.
the coming days, sailing on the Rhone from Lyon, France's gastronomic capital, our noses and between gourmet meals. SS Catherine is the latest bicycles for a spin round the pretty village of the countryside for truffle-hunting. The that a cruise on SS Catherine is truly a feast,