One pot

The evening was a little cooler last night, so out came a cardigan. The season is definitely changing. Our guests however were keen to enjoy their champagne and canapés in the garden, and it was still just warm enough to sit outside.

Brian was serving a Brut by Charles Jolly, and I’d made some cheese gougères which I served with some sliced, locally made sheeps sausage, that I’d bought at the Friday market. It was all rather pleasant.

We moved indoors to the salle à manger for dinner. Brian had cooked us a juicy ‘faux filet’ (sirloin), and I’d made a tomato salad with tomatoes from the garden, and some boulangère potatoes. Obviously we couldn’t serve steak without Dijon mustard on the side.

Unfortunately though there is currently a little problem with Dijon mustard in France, as it is in short supply. Shelves in the shops have become completely empty of it since Canada experienced a severe drought, and war descended on Ukraine. Some 80% of french mustard seeds are grown in Canada, but the drought conditions there have halved the production levels. Seed from the Ukraine would normally fill the gap, but obviously not this year. This leaves just the French mustard seed producers, but they have just not been able to produce enough. When the shops do have supplies it is rationed to one pot per customer, so there’s enough (almost) to go around. It is used most days in french culinary life, so one pot does not last that long. In fact, it is estimated that the average French person consumes around one kilogram of mustard per year. How long does your pot of mustard last?

There is hopefully some good news, as brown mustard seeds from Burgundy should be ready by the end of September and, fingers crossed, Canadian imported seed will begin again in December also. All being well, Dijon mustard will be back on our French shelves as normal next year.

Pierre Pierron

I’ve been excited for about three years now that they were renovating the old Resistance museum in Mussy-sur-Seine. We visited the old building in 2018, with my mum and dad, and were given an amazing tour by a friend of ours, Valérie, and one of the older inhabitants of Mussy, whose family had lived through the period.

I am always captivated by the strength of character that some people demonstrate in the face of adversity, and there are many such stories of heroic actions that took place in this area – in the forests and towns that surround Mussy.

One of those stories is described in the museum, and concerns a man by the name of Pierre Pierron.

Pierre was born in 1903. He moved to Mussy-sur-Seine in 1930, where he found work in a packaging plant under the administration of a local man, Gérard Bernet. In the summer of 1943, whilst parts of France were under Nazi occupation, Gérard Bernet became head of the Air Operations Bureau (B.O.A.) of the Barséquanais (the local region). He was made responsible for the parachute landing sites around Mussy-sur-Seine.

He formed a team of twenty men, of which Pierre Pierron was one. Pierre took part in active undercover operations, and often participated in the recovery of containers parachuted in by France’s allies, an extremely dangerous task as the Nazi’s were watchful of any nighttime activity around the areas they believed this was happening. The air drops were communicated by coded messages, through a nightly freedom broadcast by radio from England called ‘London calling’.

Pierre and his team would be given the decoded location and the approximate time of the drop. Mobilising the units involved required good communications, and this was made possible by the theft of Nazi field telephones and kilometres of cable, that they planted at strategic sites throughout the area.

Their mission was to locate the large metal containers, often loaded with guns and ammunition, remove the contents, and then subsequently hide them for future actions.

Pierre was also involved in the Aube Secret Army, another active unit in the area led by Émile Alagiraude. He engaged in many operations for them both. Unfortunately, his heroic work for the resistance was brought to an abrupt end on 8th November 1943, when he was arrested by the Gestapo.

He was not captured during one of his missions, but instead was arrested on information supplied by local informants collaborating with the Nazis, this was yet another risk that the resistance operatives faced. He was first interrogated, then interned in the rue Hennequin prison in Troyes. He was later deported by convoy on 22nd January 1944, to the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany.

Pierre was registered as number 43 395 and assigned to a Kommando in charge of wood cutting, to supply maintainence materials for the gasifiers. He suffered hard labour, and was deprived of all care and hygiene. He was soon moved to the medical block, suffering with a severe skin infection. Here he stayed, until on 29th April 1945 he was repatriated to France when the camp was liberated by the American army.

Following his terrible treatment at the hands of the Nazis, and what he had seen in the concentration camp, Pierre realised he needed to help others that had suffered the same, or worse, than he had. He became involved in the National Union of Associations of Interned Deportees and Families of the Disappeared (U.N.A.D.I.F.). After years of selfless service in this cause he was recognised by the State for his actions, and received the medal of the Resistance, along with others who he fought alongside. He was also awarded the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit.

Soaking up the view

It was a gorgeous day on Tuesday (30°C), with blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Our guests who had arrived the night before, had mentioned they wanted to use the pool later in the day, but before that they began the day by venturing out on one of our hiking routes from our website, with plenty of water and a cheese baguette sandwich each for a little picnic. Once they had left for their walk we nipped up to the pool to open it up.

After we’d cleaned it, and made it ready for their return, we took a mini tea break and soaked up the view. Half way through our cup of tea a praying mantis came and joined us. He’s a tickly little fella according to Brian.

Our guests returned around 3 o’clock, and didn’t take long to swap from their walking boots to their swimming attire to go and enjoy the pool and read their books.

It’s just what holidays are all about.

Caveman

Brian was back in the cave today. I nipped over to see how he was doing and give him some morale support, although I’m not sure he needed it. It’s a job he is really excited about doing so grabbing every opportunity he can to do a bit in there.

He was fitting and cutting the planks of wood that he is using to make up the ceiling. It’s quite a tough job to be doing, in low light as he has to be extra careful of where he is working. The wood is a hardwood and he is attaching it to old oak beams, so they can all be a bit tough to be screwing through.

He is making slow but steady progress.

Simply gorgeous

Summer is still hanging in there. I’d bought this burst of sunshine from the market on Friday, for 5 euros, simply gorgeous. They make me smile every time I walk past them in the salle à manger.

I have to admit though Brian simply does not like this vase, but I just love the quirkiness of it, and it’s nice having a strongly shaped, chunky vase to hold bold displays.

A plum harvest

There’s something glorious about harvesting your own fruit and veg. Throughout the summer I’ve been enjoying picking my tomatoes, and earlier this week we picked our plums. Unlike last year, when we didn’t have any plums, we have had quite a good crop. I’m hoping I’ll have enough to make some jam, as my plum jam has been going down very well with our guests.

The tomato plants are still doing well, and producing some gorgeously sweet tomatoes. Amazingly we are managing to eat all that I pick. My chilli plant has also borne some fruit, and the chillis are nice and spicy, which we like. I’d also picked a little mint for some courgette and mint soup I was making, we have quite a bit of it spread out over the garden.

Uncovering history

Our closest town, Bar-sur-Seine, has a chequered history. In 1359 the English attacked the town and some 900 mansions were burnt to the ground. The small town also fared badly during the religious wars of the 16th century, with many buildings being destroyed. Later it was occupied by the Nazis.

It seems a miracle then that Bar-sur-Seine has any historical remains at all, but surprisingly it is filled with beautiful half timbered houses, and quaint medieval style alleys and streets.

Now, it seems, they are uncovering more history, as one of the larger buildings in the market square is having its external plaster removed and underneath is quite a magnificent facade. I’m not sure if they’ll keep it that way, but I do hope so.

It’s wonderful seeing old buildings being restored.

Fun in the sun

Our friends that had been visiting us didn’t need to catch the Eurotunnel shuttle until late afternoon, so we all decided to enjoy some time at the pool. Synchronised diving seemed to be the order of the day, before tucking into a delicious lunch of tomato tart, cold meats, lentil salad and new potatoes. We were very sorry to wave goodbye when the time came, but there is always next time.

Off to Devaux

Devaux is a stunning old chateau styled building just outside of Bar-sur-Seine. The building has been renovated and the grounds are a welcoming space to wander around, and you can learn more about the Champagne method in their orangery museum. There is also an old dovecote which makes for an interesting place to store bottles.

On the ground floor they have created a stylish, calm environment to taste some of their fabulous range of Champagnes, of which there are many. We always enjoy going to Devaux, and friends visiting is a great excuse.

And of course we couldn’t resist a purchase.

Harvest 8 - nearly done

We nipped into Bar-sur-Seine this morning, as I wanted to buy some cheese for our guests this evening. They were arriving late, so I was going to prepare them a cheese board, something easy to eat when they arrived.

A few producers had finished harvest earlier in the week, and we had heard the cheers go up as they reached the end of their final row, but there were still a few pushing on to get finished today. It was day 15 for some of them!

We saw a bunch of pickers on our trip into town, and as we got closer we could see they had decorated the tractor in balloons and were serving up some snacks from the back of a van. There was definitely a feeling of celebration in the air.

Thank you ma’am

Like many, yesterday evening we were saddened to read a news flash that our queen, Queen Elizabeth 11, had died.

It left us in a sombre mood. It made me reflect on how things may feel different in my thoughts now. Like so many, I’d only ever known our Queen. Obviously not personally, but I’d known she was always there. It was comforting knowing she always made good, balanced decisions, and she was there as a voice of reason when things were not quite right. She faced adversity head on, calmly and thoughtfully, and really did steady the ship. I’m hopeful for King Charles 111 - it’s very strange to write that at the moment - but I’m hopeful he will continue his mothers sterling work.

This morning, as we woke to a coolness in the air, I started reading the news updates and looking at some of the social media posts. One of my favourite pictures of our Queen is with Prince Phillip, when he played a practical joke on her at Buckingham Palace and dressed as a guard, so I was glad it was the one used by Franceunwrapped on Instagram, it made me smile.

Renoir

In the very pretty little village of Essoyes, which is just a ten minute drive from us, is the charming museum dedicated to the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 - 1919).

In Paris in 1880 Renoir met his future wife Aline Charigot, he had persuaded her to be his model as her natural beauty charmed him. This liaison soon grew into a love affair and Aline, who was from Essoyes, encouraged Renoir to visit the area with her to explore the beautiful countryside. In 1896, he decided to buy a delightful 3 storey house on the outskirts of the village, which was to become their family home.

This house is where his sons, Pierre and Jean, grew up and his youngest son, Claude, was born in 1901.

The house, along with his studio in the garden, has recently been extensively renovated. The rooms are filled with gorgeous old memorabilia from the time when Renoir and his family lived there. You can really feel the presence of the family. The wooden toys laid out on the floor for the children to play with, whilst adults enjoyed a glass of wine, chattering and laughing and recounting their day.

The museum visit, which starts in a modern glass fronted building in the middle of the village, presents a short film about Renoir and his family life in Essoyes. You very much feel that he was a family man. The tour then takes you on a walk through the village, up to his house and studio, and finally onto the cemetery, where the two family graves are laid.

All-in-all the tour will take about two hours, but there are a few restaurants in Essoyes, so the visit could be punctuated by a spot of lunch. It’s a very enjoyable day.

Cruising Champagne

The forecast over the last couple of days has suggested rain, however the weather has been good for our recent guests Rob and Boudewijn, and the sun is out ready for the next part of their little adventure.

Rob came and stayed with us earlier in the year with his wife, and decided to suggest returning with his friend for a boys few days away cruising around the Champagne region in his gorgeous Porsche. It was lovely listening to their tales last night over dinner.

We enjoyed gougères with a glass or two of Champagne, then tarragon chicken, green beans, and pommes purée., followed by some deliciously ripe local cheese. We ended the meal with a homemade nectarine and frangipane tart, served with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Local source

With guests due to arrive I had nipped out to buy some locally produced oils from La Ferme des Blés d’Or, à local producer that I’ve become quite partial to. Thé huile de chanvre that they produce is particularly lovely over my freshly picked tomatoes.

Can’t wait to share it with our guests.

Harvest 7 - Tankers

Most of the year the roads and villages around us are pretty quiet. Even with the summer tourists it is rarely very busy in this beautiful part of Champagne. But during Vendanges it is a very different story! Streets that are sometimes barely wide enough for two cars have to cope with a steady stream of laden tankers, but somehow, with cool heads and a sense of esprit des corps, they calmly overcome any difficulties.

Everywhere you can see tankers full of freshly squeezed grape juice being taken to the wineries, where they will begin the lengthy process of making Champagne.

Harvest 6 - juicy

The cuvée starts to flow, a rich, sweet, juicy, dark liquid. Exciting, and amazing, that this will one day be Champagne.

This flows from around the press, down to an underground cellar and into a storage tank.

We had a special treat here, as we got to try the freshly pressed juice, which was sweet and rich and rather delicious.

From here it is pumped back up to the holding tanks, where it is carefully marked with the date and time of the pressing and wether it is the cuvée or taille.

Harvest 5 - squeaky clean

Harvested grapes are brought to the presses in tough, plastic boxes with air passage holes all over. Between each use, the boxes are thoroughly cleaned by passing them through an automatic washing system.

They are then stacked and made ready to be taken back to the vineyard to be filled again. Every part of the process is done with care, ensuring a high level of quality and cleanliness is maintained throughout.

Harvest 4 - the work goes on

Another beautiful day and plenty more boxes to be filled with grapes. In the valley of Viviers-sur-Artaut they started picking on the south facing slope first, and are now working their way around to the north facing slope.

The grapes are beautifully rich and plump, compared to how small and concentrated they were just a few weeks ago before the rains. It’s amazing how just a little well timed intervention from Mother Nature can have such a massive effect.

L’église

We had been invited out to lunch with some friends that live in the village. They have a gorgeous little house with an absolutely stunning view across the village, showing a very different aspect of our darling little village church and Prieuré.

After a rather scrumptious lunch we decided we would wander over to the little church, as we had never ventured into it before.

Inside the church it is wonderfully bright and airy, with a delightful variety of beautifully carved statues and plaques, all so very precious. You could feel the years of happy celebration, but there were also areas of stillness, for the times of contemplation. It is a peaceful, calm church, that truly welcomes you.

Harvest 3 - Pressed for time

Vendanges - day 6

Once harvest begins there are a constant flow of grapes arriving. It’s important to monitor the quantities, for official purposes, and make sure the presses stay full and keep working.

It can take around 3 hours for one load of grapes to be fully pressed. Each time they refill the press they need to ensure they achieve the maximum weight of grapes for efficiency and consistent pressing. This press, owned by Charles Jolly Champagne, holds 4,000 kgs of grapes, or 80 or more boxes of grapes from the vineyards. Each box is loaded by two people, it’s heavy work.

The first press extracts the ‘cuvée’, whilst the juice from consecutive presses is called the taille. In some circumstances they will press the load up to four times.