Like every year around the same time, the famous Paris International Agricultural Show transforms the Versailles exhibition center into a giant farm.

This year, the event will be held starting this weekend, from Saturday, February 27 to Sunday, March 6, 2016.

As usual, I will definitely be heading over there, and after combing through the program, I’ve put together my own selection of top tips to take advantage of if you’re visiting this Parisian show.

Melle Bon Plan’s mini-selection:

• AOP Ossau-Iraty cheeses (Hall 1 booth #68, aisle F in the “Sud Ouest France” area alongside the Pyrenees Milk-Fed Lamb, among others)

Like every year, AOP Ossau-Iraty, originating from Béarn and the Basque Country—the only ewe’s milk cheese from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region with AOP status and produced in the pure tradition of the shepherds of these regions—is participating in the Paris International Agricultural Show.

The goal is to introduce this regional product to as many people as possible while highlighting the wide variety of their cheese range:

• The fairly mild dairy Ossau-Iraty
• The Basque and Béarn farm-produced Ossau-Iraty
• The summer pasture Ossau-Iraty

The booth will feature a tasting area where visitors can (re)discover the richness and diversity of Ossau-Iraty flavors.

Top tip: great contests on the AOP Facebook page where tickets for the show are up for grabs.

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• The Vercors (Pavilion 1 – Aisle L – Booth 054)

On the program: discover the local Villarde cow breed, taste local products, and meet those who create the richness of this territory, a true reservoir of know-how located in the heart of a Natural Park.

– Tuesday, March 1st and Wednesday, March 2nd: making of Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage at the Vercors booth

– Thursday, March 4th: meeting with organic producers with product tasting

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• La Ferme De Viltain (Hall 1 – M 053)

I already told you about the Ferme de Viltain, which I discovered during the previous edition of Goûts d’Yvelines.

On the program: fun activities for children on themes centered around discovering the life of a cow and nature.

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• The Lidl brand (Hall 1 and Hall 7)

This year, Lidl will have a double presence at the show with La Ferme Lidl, 100% made in France (Hall 1 – Aisle E – Booth 092) and with a pop-up restaurant, La Mangeoire Lidl (Hall 7 – Aisle L – Booth 038).

With menus developed exclusively using Lidl products, the brand will offer a menu consisting of a starter, a main course, and a dessert of your choice for €14.99. At this booth, the brand is also partnering with Restos du Cœur and is committed to donating €2 per menu to the charity. And for those in a hurry, Lidl has designed a Food truck offering their snack selection from their Chef Select to Go range.

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• New Caledonia Tourism (Booth L17)

In a setting inspired by a traditional Kanak hut, New Caledonia will showcase its regional products to professionals and the general public.

Top tip: every day, visitors will be invited to taste grilled venison fillet at the booth. They will also be able to enjoy occasional traditional Kanak dance performances to immerse themselves in Caledonian culture.

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• Béarn, via the Pyrénées-Atlantiques booth (booth 38, Hall 3)

To allow show visitors—young and old alike—to discover the communal spirit and polyphonic singing of a “cantéra”, Accents du Sud has invited Béarnais people to come and sing, as well as anyone else who would like to join in, on Saturday, March 5 at 5 PM in front of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques booth.

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International Agricultural Show 2015

Porte de Versailles

From February 27 to March 6, 2016

Every day from 9 AM to 7 PM and Wednesday and Thursday until 8 PM

Price: full price ticket: €13 / reduced: €6

Express GIVEAWAY:

Like last year, the AOP Ossau-Iraty has offered me the chance to help you win 2 tickets for the Agricultural Show via my blog.

To participate, simply leave a comment below this article answering the following question: What do you like/find most interesting about the Agricultural Show?

A random draw will choose the 2 winners (1 ticket per winner) from among those who answered the question. Good luck to everyone and enjoy the Agricultural Show!

Rules:

– Giveaway limited to Metropolitan France

– +1 chance if you are a fan of the blog’s Facebook page; +1 chance if you follow the blog’s Twitter page; +1 chance if you follow the blog’s Hellocoton page; +1 chance if you follow the blog’s Instagram page; +1 chance for every share of the article (don’t forget to leave your usernames in your comment if you want to benefit from extra chances)

– 1 entry per IP address

– Transport to the event venue is not included in the prize

– Contest start date: Monday, February 22, 2016 – deadline for participation: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 and results the following day on the blog in an edit of this article

EDIT of February 25, 2016:

Following the random draw, I am announcing that the winners of the tickets to the Agricultural Show (1 ticket each) are Juliette9 and Willaime Romain.

Congratulations to you, I will contact you via email shortly so you can give me your details. Thank you all for your entries!