Sunday in the country
Yesterday was ‘dimanche à campagne’. It is where local producers open their doors to display and demonstrate what they have to offer, and it only happens once a year. Some also invite smaller artisans to set up stalls and sell their wears.
Our first stop off was in the small, historical village of Villemorien at a farm called La Ferme des blés d’or. It is very much a family affair, and was a truly delightful experience.
They had invited a jeweller, who made all her own beads which she then made into bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces. Her work was exquisite, so colourful and bright, we both loved what she was doing. There was also a ceramicist, from La facotorie in Troyes. We have bought some of her work before, as it’s really quirky, again which we both love. We couldn’t resist, and came away with a chicken and a couple of coffee cups.
The biscuits I’d bought to have with coffee this morning got eaten before we got home, but the girl who bakes them is really local to us, so we will definitely be buying more.
Our little haul
La Ferme des blés d’or produce a range of bio oils, flour and lentils.
I was especially interested in their oils. The first one we tried was chia. They had made their chia oil into a home made mayonnaise, which was superb. The chia seeds were grown, and the oil pressed, all on the farm, it was absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to pour the chia oil onto some local mozzarella, with fresh local tomatoes.
We then tried their flour, again grown and milled on the farm. They had made this into a crusty bread with a soft centre and also, to demonstrate its versatility, made some home made sweet crunchy biscuits – again delicious. It didn’t stop there, as we were also able to try their chanvre, colza and tournesol oils. All extremely well made, superb tasting and so fresh. The colza (rapeseed) oil, was an especially bright, golden yellow, so reminiscent of the plant we see in the fields.
We chatted with the owner, Dominique, who knows all the recipes off by heart, and she agreed to share them with me, so I will call her next week to learn some of her secrets.
Before leaving we got to meet two of Dominique’s sister-in-laws, and learnt more about how the family works together and helps and supports each other across their various businesses, as the family is also involved in viticulture.
It was a lovely morning, and a great way for us to learn more about our local area, and understand what local produce is available for us to use, and serve, for our Table d’hôte guests.