The origins of the Sablé date back to the 18^th century in Normandy, when it was defined as ‘a much sought after type of confectionary which crumbles like a biscuit when eaten’. Towards 1870, Littré included the word ‘sablé’ in his dictionary, where he defined it as ‘the name of a kind of cake from Normandy’. This Normandy speciality owes a large part of its success to the Parisians, who visited the beaches of Normandy, and greatly enjoyed the biscuits. As a result, many bakers, throughout Normandy, created their own versions of this biscuit

Georges Lautour, a baker in Lonlay l’Abbaye (61), was forced to move away during the Second World War, and upon his return, he decided that he too would start making his own Sablé to bring back the customers he’d lost during his prolonged absence. His wife, Hélène, added it to the recipe books….and the Abbey Sablé was born.

Word of the Abbey Sablé spread quickly throughout the region (from Fleurs to Bagnoles) and the bakery had already begun sending off batches to Paris. Yet the small bakery in Lonlay l’Abbaye couldn’t keep Georges in work, as well as his son and son-in-law, also bakers. Michel Lautour and Michel Lebaudy therefore decided to join forces and start a biscuit factory, to develop the production of the Normandy biscuits. It was 1964 and the Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye began its story in Lonlay l’Abbaye.

In 1964, the Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye received a blue ribbon (recognition of the quality and originality of a product) for the Abbey Sablé. This prize for the best biscuit, shown at an international convention in Paris, showed the company really beginning to take off. This quality, this crafted character, has been the driving force behind development, and other Normandy specialities have come to join the Abbey Sablé over the years; the Normandy Gallette, the traditional Sablé, the buckwheat Gallette, the ‘Trouvillais’, etc…
All the products use the best of Normandy produce, primarily Isigny AOC butter.
What’s more, the biscuit factory has developed a range of gourmet biscuits (Chocoladises, Delices d’Arthour), and has used their expertise to enter into different areas, such as dietetics and organics.
Today, run by the children of Georges Lautour, the biscuit factory remains 100% a family business. The biscuits are still made by bakers and confectioners, despite the growth of the company, which has brought many new developments to the factory.
 
The Biscuiterie de l’Abbaye, family firm founded in a bakery and located in a small village in the Normandy countryside, has announced its dedication towards lasting development. To this end, the company was recognised in 2005 as the most socially minded company in Normandy.