S'porean baker is a draw in a beautiful French village

"Stunning, traditional, authentic" — that is how some visitors describe the bread at Le Fournil de Saint-Robert, a small bakery in a south-western French village.

- Vihanya Rakshika

Local residents and travellers alike are reportedly drawn to the bakery, whose aroma of wood-fired sourdough wafts into the cobbled streets and whose products and services have garnered it an average of 4.7 stars over 67 reviews on Google.

The man behind it all is 51-year-old Singaporean Ewan Irwan.

He worked in the engineering sector before meeting Sophie, a Frenchwoman, in Singapore and they got married later.

In 2003, they moved to France, hoping to build a life together. Engineering jobs proved elusive, but a new calling soon emerged: breadmaking.

"Baking here is on another level. Most bakers are so dedicated to their craft," he told The Straits Times on Sept 5.

Determined to master the art, Mr Ewan enrolled in a one-year diploma course in Lyon and spent two years in professional bakeries, learning the traditions and techniques of French baking.

Yet the hustle and bustle of city life never suited him.

It was during a surfing trip along France's west coast that he discovered Saint-Robert, a mediaeval village recognised as one of France's most beautiful.

It is located in the Correze region of south-west France, about 470km south of Paris.