Dinner at the Thénardiers’ Inn: recipes inspired by Les Misérables

YOU ARE MOST WELCOME

Au Sergent
de Waterloo

MONTFERMEIL · THE THÉNARDIERS’ INN

The hospitality is questionable.
In your kitchen, you’re in charge.

Hugo gives the inn’s sign as Au Sergent de Waterloo. I.IV.I ↗

DINNER, WITH A FOOTNOTE

Pull up a chair.
Keep an eye on the bill.

Welcome to the Thénardiers’ inn. Pull up a chair, save room for dessert and check the bill carefully. Tonight: four dishes inspired by foods mentioned in Les Misérables, plus an optional contemporary tahini-walnut loaf.

FROM THE BOOK TO THE TABLE

Modern adaptations of foods from different scenes in the novel, brought together for one meal. Ratings appear alongside the original recipes.

Keep each dish’s character: ordinary bread in the soup, Brie without pastry, uncoated fish and a small dessert. The optional tahini loaf uses no flour or added sugar.

Source recipes are free to read, not openly licensed. The instructions and illustrations here were created for this guide.

Before the oven goes on

There is no need to make everything. Soup, Brie or fish also suits a shorter evening.
Prepare the tahini loaf and apple turnovers ahead, allowing for cooling.
The basic soup uses ordinary bread. Its recipe includes an experimental one-bowl option with tahini-bread cubes. Add a green salad to round out the table.

Timings are estimates covering the preparation and baking described; thawing time is noted separately.

Tick ingredients and steps as you go. Checks last for this visit, including language changes; reloading resets them. They are not saved for future visits or sent anywhere.

01 / A small opening bowl

The bishop’s bread soup, in our kitchen

Our version: bread-and-olive-oil soup, with optional gentle seasoning

4 small starter bowlsAbout 20 minutes total10 minutes active

THE NOVEL CONNECTION, ON THE TABLE

In the novel: water, oil, bread and salt at the bishop’s supper

At the bishop’s supper, the soup contains water, oil, bread and salt.

Hugo · I.II.III ↗Part · book · chapter. Full-text links may reveal plot.

What you need

120 g day-old country bread, torn
750 ml water
30 ml olive oil
¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 sliced garlic cloves, optional
1 tbsp chopped parsley, optional

Ordinary country bread is enough; no stock or blender needed.

What to do

Warm half the oil in a saucepan. If using garlic, soften it for about a minute without browning.
Add water and salt; simmer 5 minutes. Add bread and simmer 6–8 minutes until softened.
Crush lightly with a spoon; adjust salt. Divide between bowls, finishing with remaining oil and optional parsley.

OUR ADAPTATION

The foundation follows Hugo’s ingredient list. Quantities, olive oil, seasoning and method are a contemporary interpretation.

THE LITERARY SOURCEProject Gutenberg · Les Misérables, I.II.III ↗Inspired by Hugo’s description of the soup.

Allergens: Gluten; check the bread label too. The tahini option adds sesame, eggs and walnuts.

Cooking: 12–15 minutes

Literary source: Victor Hugo.

02 / A starter to share

A warm Brie welcome

Our version: baked Brie with figs and a little rye toast

4 starter portionsAbout 35 minutes total10 minutes active

THE NOVEL CONNECTION, ON THE TABLE

In the novel: Brie at Corinthe

Grantaire smells Brie at Corinthe, a different tavern. Figs and rye appear at the bishop’s supper. Baking is a modern choice.

Hugo · IV.XII.II; I.II.III ↗Also at the bishop’s supper ↗Part · book · chapter. Full-text links may reveal plot.

What you need

250 g wheel pasteurised Brie
2 figs, quartered
60 g rye toast
1 tsp honey
1 small thyme sprig

Regular Brie works; triple-cream Brie is not required.

What to do

Heat oven to 175°C. Set the Brie, rind intact, in a small ovenproof dish.
Bake 18–20 minutes, until soft and molten inside. Rest 5 minutes.
Add honey and thyme leaves. Serve in its dish with figs and toast; warn guests that the dish is hot.

OUR ADAPTATION

Less honey, a small amount of toast, and figs instead of a large cracker-and-fruit spread. When figs are unavailable, use half a sliced pear.

ORIGINAL RECIPE RATING5 / 5 56 votes · checked 10 Oct 2026Feel Good Foodie · Baked Brie ↗Reader rating on the source website.

Allergens: Milk and gluten; check the bread label.

Baking: 18–20 minutes · Resting/cooling: 5 minutes

Original recipe by Yumna Jawad.

03 / The main course

One-dish lemon-cream fish

Our version: fish fillets with lemon and cream

Serves 4About 25 minutes total10 minutes active

THE NOVEL CONNECTION, ON THE TABLE

In the novel: stuffed carp at Corinthe

Corinthe served stuffed carp. Its recipe died with its cook; these sauced fillets are a contemporary nod to that fish dish.

Hugo · IV.XII.I ↗Part · book · chapter. Full-text links may reveal plot.

ORIGINAL RECIPE RATING4.97 / 5 645 votes · checked 10 Oct 2026RecipeTin Eats · Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce ↗Reader rating on the source website.

Allergens: Fish, milk and mustard.

Baking: 10–15 minutes

Safe cooking temperatures · FoodSafety.gov ↗

Original recipe by Nagi Maehashi.

04 / An optional dessert

A little something from the pastry window

Our version: half a turnover for dessert, without icing

4 turnovers; 8 small half-portionsAbout 70 minutes total25 minutes active

Includes cooling; thaw pastry beforehand as directed on its pack.

THE NOVEL CONNECTION, ON THE TABLE

In the novel: the apple turnover Gavroche cannot afford

Gavroche wants to buy an apple turnover but has no money. The pastry is explicitly in the book; in this scene, it remains out of reach.

Hugo · IV.XI.I ↗Part · book · chapter. Full-text links may reveal plot.

What to do

Cook apples in butter 5 minutes; add sugar, cinnamon, salt. Cook 3 minutes; cool completely.
Heat oven: 200°C. Roll pastry: 28 cm square; quarter. Fill, leaving 1.5 cm borders; egg-wash, fold, crimp.
Space on lined tray; vent, egg-wash. Bake 20–25 minutes until golden. Cool 10 minutes; serve half.

OUR ADAPTATION

No icing; half a pastry per portion.

ORIGINAL RECIPE RATING5 / 5 366 votes · checked 10 Oct 2026Natasha’s Kitchen · Apple Turnover Recipe ↗Reader rating on the source website.

Allergens: Gluten, milk and egg; check the pastry label.

Baking: 20–25 minutes · Resting/cooling: 20–30 minutes

Original recipe by Natasha Kravchuk.

05 / An optional extra loaf

Tahini-walnut bread for the table

Our version: a flourless tahini-walnut loaf

1 loaf, 10 slicesAbout 115 minutes total10 minutes active

THE NOVEL CONNECTION, ON THE TABLE

In the novel: the loaf Jean Valjean steals

In Jean Valjean’s backstory, he steals a loaf after his sister’s family runs out of food. Hugo does not specify its ingredients; tahini and walnuts are modern additions.

Hugo · I.II.VI ↗Part · book · chapter. Full-text links may reveal plot.

Equipment: 23×13 cm loaf tin and baking paper

What to do

Heat oven to 175°C. Line a 23×13 cm loaf tin.
Mix everything thoroughly; transfer to the tin.
Bake 40–45 minutes until set and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely, about 45–60 minutes, before slicing.

OUR ADAPTATION

Walnuts replace seeds; less salt, no sugar.

ORIGINAL RECIPE RATING4.63 / 5 153 votes · checked 10 Oct 2026MOON and spoon and yum · Flourless Magic Tahini Seed Bread ↗Reader rating on the source website.

Allergens: Sesame, eggs and walnuts. Flourless; check ingredient labels if avoiding gluten.

Baking: 40–45 minutes · Resting/cooling: 45–60 minutes

Do not taste raw egg batter. If using a thermometer, the centre must reach at least 71°C and meet the recipe’s baking cues. Safety source ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Original recipe by Kristen Wood.

THE BILL, PLEASE

The story cost us a few tears.
The washing-up is between you.

Visit Montfermeil beyond the kitchen →

Dinner at the Thénardiers’ Inn

Au Sergentde Waterloo

Pull up a chair.Keep an eye on the bill.

Before the oven goes on

The bishop’s bread soup, in our kitchen

In the novel: water, oil, bread and salt at the bishop’s supper

What you need

What to do

A warm Brie welcome

In the novel: Brie at Corinthe

What you need

What to do

One-dish lemon-cream fish

In the novel: stuffed carp at Corinthe

What you need

What to do

A little something from the pastry window

In the novel: the apple turnover Gavroche cannot afford

What you need

What to do

Tahini-walnut bread for the table

In the novel: the loaf Jean Valjean steals

What you need

What to do

The story cost us a few tears.The washing-up is between you.

Remember for next time?

Au Sergent
de Waterloo

Pull up a chair.
Keep an eye on the bill.

The story cost us a few tears.
The washing-up is between you.