Menu planning

I love taking time to peruse recipes and find new ideas for dishes to cook. I was inspired this week at the market by the fresh leeks and fennel bulbs all coming into season, so was interested when I saw this recipe for a fennel and cheese bake. To make it more regional for me I shall try it using a Chaource cheese. It will make a great side dish or vegetarian option.

I also find inspiration from friends and eating out. L’Union restaurant in Essoyes, just 10 minutes from us, is one of those places that always brings something new. We love the ambience there, like a relaxed Parisien bistro. Its casual and familiar setting providing a comfortable, easy space to enjoy food with friends and family, and their style of cooking, which is both rustic and sophisticated in equal measure, is a delight.

Last night we enjoyed a starter of fresh white asparagus, followed by spiced lamb (which was cooked to perfection) and roasted carrots, with a delicious well seasoned jus. The wine, which was recommended by Antoine, was ‘Romorantique’ from Cheverny in the Loire valley.

Strawberry roulade

I can remember making a Swiss roll many, many years ago when I was at school, and although the method I used this time was similar, it certainly did not come out looking this spongey.

Maybe it was because at school I didn’t use 6 eggs!

I saw this recipe in the latest edition of ‘the good life France’ and thought it looked like a tasty seasonal dessert to serve our guests.

I think now I’ve made it once, and with my knowledge of my previous Swiss roll creations whilst at school, I’d change a couple of things. The batter was quite stable, so I think it could work better if spread over a slightly bigger tin. This would mean it would be thinner, and provide more area to roll. This would mean I could add a bit more filling — always a good thing. Although I hate waste I would also cut the edges off after rolling, this would give a much better finish, and I’m sure they wouldn’t be wasted.

It didn’t come out bad though, a real indulgence.

When in Champagne

The pipe that connects the external tap to the water supply at the pool has come loose. The pipe continues on up to the cistern for the toilet, so it needs to be mended. Brian said that he wanted to try and fix it himself, however he doesn’t really know much about plumbing, so it was always going to be a bit of a steep learning curve.

The reason he believes it worked loose is that it was never a very tight fit in the hole in the wall, so repeated slight wobbling must have worked it free. It’s actually a tap we use quite a lot so we do need it fixing.

His first solution was to use a leak compound, which he hoped would fill out the joint and seal the outside. He diligently sanded down both pipes to get a clean start, and began trying to bond them. It was a valiant attempt, but as he said, “It’s only really supposed to fix tiny drips” not a disconnected pipe.

The next step was to look at how to do it with a gas torch. He looked online, and realised it was not too different to soldering, but apparently quite difficult to get right. We actually didn’t have the tools for either option and we had guests arriving imminently, so we needed a solution. That’s when I had an idea, “Why not use a cork! After all, we have enough of them”. I wasn’t certain the suggestion was a valid one, but Brian seemed excited by it, and headed back up the slope with a cork in his hand.

Voila ! When in Champagne 🍾 use a Champagne cork to fix your plumbing!

He will still try and solder it, but for now we have a flushing loo again, and we will manage without the outside tap for now.

Flower garden

It was a bit drizzly today, but it didn’t stop us heading to Buxieres-Sue-Arce for a little plant sale. There was a lot of people all nattering at the entrance, but I managed to wiggle my way into the barn where the plants had all been carefully laid out. A lady came and chatted to me and helped me out on what was good for shade and which were good for sun. I had no idea how much my little haul was going to be, but Brian suggested he’d wait outside whilst I went to pay.

I found another lady who looked like she was helping out and asked if I could pay ‘gratuit’ she exclaimed. ‘Gratuit’ I exclaimed back!

I was really happy with my selection, which I will get planted tomorrow. I just couldn’t believe they were giving them all away. What a fantastic way of sharing plants and helping everyone to have flowers in their gardens.

Pool cleaner

Today I wanted to get the pool area ready for summer. I needed to finish painting the pool room doors, and then clean the window panes.

They looked so much better with their new colour and final coat of paint. Louise our Workaway had done a great job on preparing them, and getting the first coat on.

I then got on with cleaning the inside of the pool house and its little summer kitchen, and then mopping the floor.

Brian was on pool cleaning duty. The pool guy had shocked it and rebalanced things, but Brian needed to remove a lot of leaves and bugs. He scooped the worst out with his long net, but the smaller material he needed help with.

We’d bought a new pool robot this year, so he was keen to see how it performed. It’s so much lighter than the last one, far easier to pop in and out and to clean afterwards. It did a very good job of getting all the winter muck up, so we were very pleased with it. A few more days of cleaning and it should be ready for a dip.

Definitely looking forward to having my first swim now.

Ever blue

It was our guest’s last full day, and after enjoying their breakfast in the garden, they headed off to the beautiful historic city of Troyes for the day.

Just as they were heading out, the Ever Blue man arrived to open the pool. He’d managed to drive up and around the back of our garden, which was really good, because he has a lot of equipment that he otherwise has to carry up the slope, and it was warming up to be another beautiful hot day. We helped him set up and then left him to his work.

Meanwhile, we decided we’d try and get a few jobs completed in the garden.

I did a bit of weeding, and planted an Acer I’d bought last year. I finally decided it would look nice in front of the wisteria, which was now in bloom and smelling absolutely gorgeous around the walled garden — so sweet and floral.

Brian wanted to re-render the wall near the library door, it was a really tricky job, as it was underneath a very prickly rose bush. He took it carefully though, and soon had it completed.

Now that’s done I can look for a couple of new plants to go in front of it.

Sabering

Our table d’hôte dinners are very convivial evenings. In the warmer weather, it’s wonderful being able to enjoy the pre-dinner drinks outside, which we serve with canapés.

This week Brian prepared a bottle of Champagne to be sabred by one of our guests.

It’s not something you often get the opportunity to do, so when we can, we like to be able to offer it to our guests as an experience.

Brian talks them through what they need to do, and we all stand back ready to capture a picture or two, and hopefully be rewarded with a glass of Champagne.

It’s still a bit cool outside to have the full dinner served in the garden, so I set the table in the salle à manger. I’d prepared boeuf bourguignon, with potato purée and buttered cabbage with fennel.

It was followed by apple tarte with vanilla crème fraîche.

A delicious evening.

A Kayaking adventure

We woke to another gorgeous day — blue skies and 28°C.

The plan today was for all of us to head over to the lake for a kayak adventure. I’d arranged for us to meet Maximilien Maire, a nature guide, to explore the ‘Bayou’, an area where the trees are submerged at this time of year.

We started with Maximilien giving us a short presentation on the history of the man-made lakes.

Now, educated about where we were headed, we went to collect our life jackets. After a bit of getting used to getting into the kayaks, we got comfy, and were ready for our expedition.

Although we’ve spent many a day by the lakes, I have to say the splendour of being on them, close to the water and paddling through the trees, was truly delightful, and a really special experience.

Occasionally, during our trip, Maximilien stopped and chatted to us, sharing his knowledge of, and passion for, the nature we were surrounded by.

As we came to the end of the ‘bayou’ we paddled into the open water and settled quietly, to enjoy the stillness of the lake, and, of course, a glass of Champagne.

What a beautiful way to end our kayaking trip.

Our little adventure had been absolutely fabulous. We all had such a fantastic morning, getting to learn more about the secrets of the lake, understanding its ecosystem, and learning more about the importance of the lake, and how it is used throughout the year. Simply a very well thought out experience.

We will definitely be back to do more of Maximilien’s adventures.

Walk, ride, sip

Our guests that arrived on Sunday had asked if we could suggest some activities for them to do whilst they were here. My first thought was the cycle tours that Richardot, one of our local Champagne houses, offer. They were all up for the experience, so I booked them in.

Richardot provide a guided excursion through the vineyards on electric bikes, followed by a tour of the cellar, then a tasting in the purpose-built tasting room. I’d suggested they may want to walk over to Richardot from ours, then I’d come and collect them after the tasting.

The walk takes about 45 minutes, and goes up through the vineyards on the opposite side of our valley, along a track cutting through the fields, which then opens out to spectacular views across the Ource valley. It’s then an easy walk down into Loches-sur-Ource. Richardot winery is just on the left as you enter the village of Loches.

It was fabulous seeing the photos they had taken on their trip, and they had been luckily enough to see a horse ploughing a vineyard, quite a rare practice nowadays.

They were full of praise for Augustin, their guide, who had lead the way on the bikes and then went on to explain the process of how Champagne is made, finishing up with a tasting of their Champagnes.

A perfect little adventure to start their holiday with.

Tickled

When we visited Jérôme Cothias’s during dimanche à la campagne we met Laurent Bessot, an artist who uses red wine and beer to colour the drawings he creates. We had seen one displayed on his stall, that was rather amusing. It tickled me that there was someone making Champagne jokes, and I certainly never thought I’d get them. Brian and I both agreed it would be a fun piece of art to have in the house.

We asked Laurent if he would be able to personalise it for us. He happily agreed and set about it straight away.

He has a lovely style, and the finished piece was exactly what we wanted. When he had packed it for us he stood to give us the painting and shake our hands. It was then that Brian noticed his shoes and laughed, saying “Can I take a picture of your shoes?”.

“You should see my car”, he said.

We love the finished result, and can’t wait to find a home for it.

Dimanche à la Campagne

On Sunday we found a couple of hours, in quite a busy day, to nip out for Dimanche à la Campagne, or ‘Sunday in the Country’.

We love this event, which is on every year around the end of April. It’s where local producers of all sorts of produce, including cheeses, Champagne, pottery, plants, jewellery, mushrooms, honey and so much more, open their doors and welcome you in to sample their creations.

We headed to the fromagerie at Champs sur Barse, a favourite of mine, it’s where we buy our breakfast yoghurts. Today though I bought not only yogurts, but also a selection of their cheeses. Whilst we were there we enjoyed a plate of sausage and chips for lunch, which was very yummy. Then we headed over to the village of Meurville, for a bit of country dancing and Champagne with Jérôme Cothias.

What a fabulous way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Running rampant

We put some finishing touches to the new, little walled border this morning.

Brian brushed the chaux back — brushing it helps smooth the finish. He also tidied the edge with a bit of extra gravel…

…whilst I popped in a few extra little plants I had, which I’m hoping will ‘run rampant’ — at least that’s what it says on the tag.

Rock Wall

We had a corner of our courtyard that was not looking its best. The little rock wall was not really doing its job, and there was a lot of course grass and weeds growing amongst the plants. It was definitely time to look at it.

We’d already collected some rocks together, which we’d found around the garden, ready for our little project. The plan was to remove some of the plants that may get damaged, place the rocks ready to be cemented, back fill the wall we were planning to create, then replant the plants — and plant a few more.

It wasn’t long before we were making a difference.

The weeding was probably the hardest of the jobs as the ground had a real tough grass growing in it.

We finally made the decision we’d weeded enough, so we needed to mix up the chaux and start on the wall.

What a great result!

Tomorrow we’ll brush it down and try and backfill with some compost or earth, and then plant some plants.

Cheesy start

We were up early this morning, as we wanted to head into Bar-sur-Seine to visit the boulangerie and order some loaves for next week. The Friday market was quite busy, but we made time for a coffee and croissant before buying my fruit and veg, and of course cheese.

Our first guests of the weekend were due to arrive around 2pm today, but they contacted us to say they had not been as organised as they had hoped, so would not be with us until around 6pm. That was no problem for us, we took our time over lunch before putting the finishing touches to their room.

They had planned to share ‘table d’hôte’ dinner with us, so I got started on making some cheese gougères, the first batch of the season.

There will be many more, as they are very moreish to enjoy with a glass of Champagne or two before dinner.

Cheeky

We wanted to head over to the district of Haute-Marne, to one of our preferred wine producers — Muid Montsaugeonais. We love their wines, both red and white, and they are a great addition to our guest offering. It’s about a 90 minute drive for us, through beautiful countryside and stunning little villages.

The dégustation takes place in their boutique, and it’s quite extensive. We enjoyed a really good tasting, and bought some lovely wines, then we nipped next door to a little local restaurant for their ‘plat du jour’. For €17 we had a cold buffet selection for starter, then pasta with blanquette de veau for main. We could also have had a raspberry pana cotta, but we were both full by dessert. Instead we enjoyed a little expresso before setting off.

On the way home I suggested to Brian we make a little detour, to visit a brocante I knew was in the village of Auberive. He’s always up for a trip to a brocante, so he didn’t take much persuading.

They had some beautiful pieces there — some a little out of our normal price range. However, we did take a liking to a few of the paintings they had on display. Brian knows I love paintings of flowers, and spotted a beautiful one of some loosely painted white flowers. Close by was a painting of a rather relaxed nude (she was looking terribly comfortable). Again, we both liked the loose style used. Brian had also noticed a deliciously impressionistic painting of a Chateau, with a couple enjoying the gardens surrounding it. The three were out of our price range, but I wondered whether if we offered a cheeky bid for the three, would she take it? There was no one else in the shop, it was raining, and the road outside was currently being dug up, so it seemed like a good day to try our luck. Brian set the scene to the shopkeeper, making her aware he was going to make an offer before he did. This set her expectations, and with a little bit of haggling, and the odd “Ooh, non, trop cher”, we were soon the proud owners of three delightful paintings.

They really are very different for us. We both love having beautiful art on our walls, of all styles, it’s good for the soul. Now it’s just a decision of where to hang them.

Oops

We have some guests coming this week, and before they arrive Brian wanted to fill a small hole in the door frame which he’d accidentally made whilst working on the doors. Unfortunately though, as he started to clean it up to smooth on the filler, he realised all was not as it seemed!

When I came down to see how he was progressing, and find out when it would be ready to paint, the hole was looking pretty serious. Just when we thought the doors were close to being finished the job goes terribly bad.

After some careful consideration we decided what we needed to do for now, was to cut it back to good wood, tidy it up, get some dry rot treatment on it, then board it up until we have time to do a proper job with it.

For now it has a bit of painted hardboard covering the hole. It’ll be fine until we get a gap between guests to fix it properly.

Hey-ho! At least it’s hidden for now, and there’s no hole to be seen…

A bit brassy

With the crémone now fitted to the door, it was time for Brian to turn his attention to the two plates needed to lock it in place top and bottom. You may remember my post about a strip of brass that he ordered, well that was his starting point. He drew a guide first, then set about drilling some holes with the second hand pillar drill he’d bought.

With the guide holes drilled he now had to use a little saw to cut out the rest.

They looked quite professional when he’d finished them with a bit of wire wool. The next step was to make a block to take the plate at the top. It doesn’t look much yet, but I’m sure it will soon.

Crémone

The door to the library had to come off again. Brian was at the stage where the crémone, an up-and-down lock that runs the full height of the door, had to be put in place. We’d been given the crémone by some friends who’d had a spare one in their box of treasure. First though the bottom of the door needed planing a bit. Having it in place for a few weeks it had expanded slightly, so he needed to take a bit off the bottom.

Once that was done he had to check, double check, and triple check the length of the crémone before he cut it. The steel bar was too long, and he didn’t want to make an error when he edited it.

All went well, and he was soon attaching it to the door. He’ll paint back the screws to disguise them once it’s back up.

A package

Some while ago a friend had shown me a website that had some gorgeous looking dahlia plants, and knowing that my raised bed was being built I put in an early order for some bulbs. You can’t plant them until early April, so they delay sending them out.

Today a slightly larger than normal parcel arrived in our postbox. I was very excited!

Hoorah! It was my bulbs. This is my first time growing dahlias — I want them for my cut flowers in the house. I ordered six different types, so it will be wonderful to see how they come out.

As planned, Chris our Workaway, and Brian, built my raised bed area to plant them. I’m now looking forward to finish preparing it this week, and getting my bulbs planted.

Don’t you just love springtime.

Pink glory

Today was spent in the garden, mowing and strimming the slope and walled garden. I had a few little plants I still need to plant along my new pathway, which I did at the end of the day as it started to cool. It will be interesting to see how they flourish in that part of the garden, as it’s quite a warm area, behind the wall. Time will tell.

My tree peony in the walled garden is out, in all it’s beautiful, fuscia pink glory. I just love this plant.

The irises near the wall have also started to flower. It may however, put a hold on any repointing we are doing. The blue of the flowers looks so gorgeous against the white stone wall. The work we’ve done on the wall so far has definitely improved it, so we’ll get back to it soon.

An apple tree, that had not really been very successful in previous years, has burst into flower, so I’m really hopeful we may get some apples from it this year. Especially if those bees get a wriggle on and start to pollinate it.

I’ve popped irises in all around the garden, so it’s delightful seeing them start to burst into colour. They just thrive in the sun.

I love it when we are in the garden, and we are able to use our different little seating areas. Every one gives us a unique aspect of the valley and the hillside — each a different talking point, and each a calm little spot to enjoy.