The battle to save the dying heart of rural France: the village bistro

Once central to rural life, cafe-bistros are closing in the face of depopulation and falling alcohol consumption, but campaigners are seeking new ways forwardIt is just past noon on a midweek day, and already every table at Au Bon Acceuil cafe-bistro in the northern Burgundy village of Saint-Martin-sur-Ouanne is taken.The three-course lunch menu today – including a choice of a hefty chunk of steak with chips or a me…