Champagne day

27th October, it’s Champagne Day!

I’m not sure we ever need an excuse, but what a great day to visit a local champagne producer to buy some champers. Today they were disgorging – removing the settled yeasts from the bottles – so had plenty of corks ready to plug the bottles after.

Good news that there are new bottles coming through, as we brought a few of the previous vintage home!

Happy champagne day everyone 🥂.

Chablis wine festival

On Sunday morning we headed to Chablis, a small town about an hour from us. We arrived in time for their rather splendid market, a popular destination for locals on a Sunday morning.

Our real reason to be here though, was for the Chablis wine festival. This was held along a road that ran parallel to the market, and had 46 producers offering tastings. Our tasting glass for the event was just 6 euros, so excellent value for money, as each producer probably had 6 or more wines to taste.

Much was learned that will help steer our future Chablis purchases, and a lot of fun was had by all. It’s definitely an event we shall be returning to.

A beautiful location

We had been out for the day to Bar-sur-Seine and Celles-sur-Ource, and we were almost all ready to head back home, but I had seen that there was an autumn fair at Chateau de Taisne in les Riceys, and I thought it might be worth a visit. So I suggested we go and take a look before heading home.

As we arrived, a group of costumed horn players welcomed us in with a bracing ceremonial ditty. Inside the marquee were a few stalls selling local produce, a recreated wildlife scene with animal recordings and a beautiful exhibition of handmade quilts. There was also a table set up to carve pumpkins, very popular amongst the children and some adults.

After a bit of a look around inside we went for a walk around the Chateau and its gardens. Whatever fair or exposition that is going on at the Chateau, it’s the building and its surrounding land that really steal the show. It’s such a beautiful location, and has a very fine example of an historic pigeonnier.

Quelle surprise

After a trip to Bar-sur-Seine, and a relaxing morning coffee in the café, we came home for a spot of lunch before heading out to Andre Fays et fils, a wonderful little producer in the nearby village of Celles-sur-Ource. What my friend Sara didn’t know, was that her husband Chris had arranged for some other friends to join us for the rest of the weekend. It was a great surprise and a lovely little reunion.

Lots of chatter, and a welcome glass of bubbly, we were soon all ready for a light lunch before heading off to our tasting.

We were greeted at Andre Faye et fils by Marie, who took us into their cellars to see their maturing stock and to discuss their production methods. Marie is a great guide, and her descriptions of the process are very enlightening. We learn something new every time we visit.

The visit ends with a tasting of several of their Champagnes, made on site, which are all delicious. It is all so well done, the only difficult thing is, what should we buy? Suffice to say, the boot of the car was quite full by the time we had all made our purchases.

Minted

I needed some mint for a lamb dish we were cooking for some friends arriving from the UK, so I nipped into the garden to pick plenty before they arrived for a dish I’ve been making for them.

They were staying a few nights and we had planned a few things to help celebrate one of their birthdays. Tonight the four of us were heading out to the little restaurant in Essoyes, called ‘L’Union’. The menu changes daily depending on what is available, and always has some interesting dishes. The apéro and entrés make for good sharing plates, a convivial way to start your meal.

The wine menu offers some interesting choices as well. One of the young owners though is very knowledgeable on his wines and great to ask for a recommendation.

It’s fast becoming a favourite of ours.

What are you doing in there?

We received an email from Everblue, the company that opens and closes our pool. They wanted to know what the temperature of the water was, to see if it was ready to be closed for winter. So Brian popped up to the pool and rolled back the cover to put the thermometer in. Whilst he was waiting, he started to clean out the skimmers. That’s when he bumped into this little fella.

It obviously liked the water, but with the chlorine, and getting trapped in the skimmer, he would have had a difficult time, so Brian took him out and dropped him in a damp part of the garden.

The temperature showed the pool was almost down to 12°, the magic number for wintering. We contacted the company back and they arranged to come to us on Friday.

Hoorah! The pool is closed again, and safe for another winter.

Cold and creamy

I wanted to make a quick and simple tart for our dessert tonight. I had a circle of flaky pastry, that you buy already laying on the baking paper, so it was just a case of unrolling it into a baking sheet and filling it with some of the apples I’d recently cut up and frozen.

I asked Brian to do that, as he arranged them far neater than me. First though we sprinkled on some chopped noisettes, (hazelnuts), as this helps soak up any juice, and you avoid a soggy bottom. Then I gave him some blackberry jam, and some plum and apple jam to spread over the top, I was using up the jar ends. He then just rolled the sides over to hold in all the juicy fruit.

A quick egg wash, then ready to be cooked for about 30-35 minutes. A delicious simple dessert served with a full-fat, cold and creamy creme fraiche.

Autumn has arrived

Autumn feels well and truly established now in our little corner of France. The markets and shops are selling all types and sizes of pumpkins and squash. I just love having the choice, seeing their gorgeous autumnal colours and feeling inspired to try some new fresh seasonal recipes.

It was a wonderful day yesterday as my friend Dominique popped by for a chat, she had brought me some rhubarb from her garden, so I’m also looking forward to making some roasted rhubarb compote, to enjoy with some cold crème fraîche.

It was such a beautiful day, the three of us took a stroll up to the point de vue, chatting with her in French, enjoying her correcting us as we went, and teaching us some new phrases and words.

On the way down we were comparing onomatopoeic words in French and English, swapping descriptions of words for animal sounds like coin–coin (pronounced quoin–quoin) versus quack–quack, and all three of us couldn’t resist bursting into a rendition of ‘old MacDonald had a farm’ at the end.

Day trip to Troyes

It’s due to be the last day of the canicule (heatwave) today, so we decided to take a day trip into Troyes. We set off around 9 am.

It’s always a joy when passing through Saint Plaignes Les Vaudes to see the novice nuns in their crisp white habits, all eager to get on with their day. They were all carrying their ‘box of books’, a little light reading for the day I presume.

We arrived in troyes just before 10am, time for a coffee then a bit of shopping before a relaxed lunch at the Trois Brasseurs.

A delightful day out, and we managed to get lots of errands completed.

Third coat

I think it’s day 3 on the gate, it’s been quite hard work work. I think the fact that sometimes we are up a ladder, sanding or painting in a precarious and tense position is why our muscles are feeling the strain.

However, we’ve sanded the first coat where there are a few blemishes and I’m painting on the second coat.

A few hours later and the third and final coat is now going on, we are both really pleased with the result. We just need to finish the fiddly top bars, then it will be done.

It really does look so much better.

Non stick coating

Whilst Brian re-sanded a few areas of paint that had become loose overnight, due to the change in temperature, I was able to start painting the front of the gate.

We’d bought a Teflon roller to use, a great decision, as it gave an excellent finish on the metal. It also proved really easy to clean inbetween coats. We enjoyed the day getting our first coat on both sides of the gates, and getting our first glimpse of what it would look like with its new colour.

Loving the tone of grey against the vivid blue sky.

Sandy place

The first stage of gate preparation was complete, and I just needed to wipe a few last bits down, before painting on some rust remover, to help minimise any rust coming through on the new paint work. We then got started on sanding the gate.

It’s a noisy, dusty job. The vibrations from the sanders makes the whole metal gate work like an enormous gong, so we tried not to take too long over it. With the two of us doing it though it was much faster, and we were soon seeing a difference.

The vibration of the sanders goes right through you, so regular breaks were key.

Wood it, or wood it not

Crikey is that the time!

Yesterday I had a telephone conversation with the man who is delivering our wood, I believe he said that he would be delivering it to us at 8am. Brian woke early and headed downstairs, but I must have nodded off again.

Just as Brian had been fearing, it was being delivered in a rather large tractor and trailer setup. The issue of course for us is our gate, the opening is not that wide, and the capping stones on the pillars stick out a deceivingly long way for taller vehicles. So large vehicles are always a concern for Brian.

‘Hoorah!’ I called out from the first floor window, trying to lighten the mood before I went out to join in the fun, ‘how good is that’ I exclaimed, not really sure I convinced Brian. The Woodman got out of the tractor and came over to say good morning, and shook our hands, a very normal greeting in France. He eyed up the yard, and the gate, and asked where we were putting it? I showed him our wood store in the far barn. ‘D’accord’, he said brightly. So off he went and jumped back into his tractor. Not sure what else he could do, and maybe to get as far out of the way as possible, Brian ran upstairs for a better view.

With inches to spare he seamlessly manoeuvred the tractor and trailer backwards through the gate, adjusting it slightly, so that he could drop the wood right where we were going to stack it. As we always find with these chaps his manoeuvring skills were unsurpassable.

With the vehicle comfortably in place he opened up the back and started to tilt the trailer.

Brian jumped out of the way, and I decided to watch from afar, just hoping that it wouldn’t land on my little box tree. Minutes later we had a very healthy pile of excellent firewood, and were having a wonderful little chat with the woodman, before he headed off. It’s lovely how they always have time for a friendly chat, and don’t just speed away.

As it was so early, and not be rushed into things, we had a quick coffee and a slice of toast, before we started the job of stacking the wood.

We sorted the wood as we went, into small, medium, and large pieces. Some would need splitting, but that can be done over the winter.

Good, honest, hard work, and a great start to the day.

Xmas bonanza

We took an alternative route home the other day, which found us at the back of the little village of Polisy. As we drove through the woods, we realised that this part of the forest was full of pine trees, and they were being grown for Christmas!

Polisy is the little village where we go to to buy our Christmas tree every year, and it’s always an exciting day. I love the fact that we now know that they were grown literally just up the road.

Seeing red

There’s a small village called Loches-sur-Ource about 7-8 minutes from us. It is a Champagne producing village, with a number of good producers that offer tastings. Some you can just drop by and enquire if they are available for tastings, others you need to organise a rendezvous.

Today though, we were just passing through. As we drove over the old stone bridge where you leave Loches-sur-Ource, we couldn’t help but be impressed by the red climbers creeping their way up the trees that lined the river. The colours against the bright blue sky were spectacular.

On the other bank, where there is a small picnic area, the vivid green of the lush grass stood out from the fading trees. So pretty.

Apple jelly

I wanted to use up the last of the apples I’d been given, and I thought an apple jelly would be a good alternative to jam, or chutney.

I need a couple of days to make it, and finally I found the time. I started off by cutting up the apples, but leaving the skins on. In fact you can also leave the cores in. The skins can hold quite a bit of pectin, so I wanted this included. I then placed the chunks into a large saucepan, I had about 2kg of apples, then I added 1.25 litres of water, gradually bringing to the boil. As they cooked, I started mashing them, just using a potato masher. Once they were all mushy, I set them up to strain through some muslin. It takes a few hours to strain properly, so I left them in the muslin, covered, to do their thing overnight.

In the morning, I threw away the dry pulp and poured the juice into a thick bottomed saucepan. I added a couple of tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and 600 grams of sugar, I also added a couple of stems of rosemary, to give it a savoury taste.

I then brought it steadily up to a jam boil, about 105°c. I used the usual setting test, of placing a spoonful on a saucer that has been in the freezer. If it sets, it’s done.

This quantity makes about 3 jars. Great to serve with pork, or cheese, or to glaze the top of a tart, or of course on toast. I’m looking forward to trying it with some roast pork.

Gate prep

We have a few days gap before guests, and as the forecast is beautiful blue skies we decided we would focus on getting the main gate painted. I last did it about 7 years ago, so it is starting to peel quite heavily.

First job was to clean it. As we are still in a hosepipe ban good old soap and water in a bowl was the way to go. Not ideal, but it would get the job done.

It was slow progress on my own, but Brian soon came with the ladder to help out, especially on the higher section.

It’s only when you start the job you realise what a huge task it is, but the glorious autumn day made it so much easier.

We then needed to start to clean up the areas of flaky paint, and where some rust is forming, so we’ve used wire brushes on those, and tomorrow we will paint on some rust remover.

Raise your hand

Sitting, waiting in the dentist always fills me with anxiety. I once read that pain is increased if you are tense, so if I can relax then the pain endured reduces. I’m not even certain why I think I’m going to experience pain, as I’m just having a check up and maybe a clean. But it’s an association I’ve always had since a young age, that going to the dentist means a painful experience. I think it’s because my dad, and his dad, both hated the dentist and seemed to have a bad time of it.

For now though I’m just waiting, whilst Brian has gone in for his clean and check up, and to tell the dentist he has recently broken a tooth, and he has started experiencing some sensitivity. Me, I just need to stay calm and have happy thoughts.

Brian calls out to me, ‘Jo can you help me with the translation’. That’s the other thing that adds to the anxiety of the situation, do we actually understand what is being said? I go to help, wondering what’s happened. Relief, Brian looks happy, and not like he’s just been through an horrendously painful experience. He says ‘I’m missing some of the words, do you understand?’. I listened to the dentist repeat what he was saying. ‘He’s going to give you a prescription for a mouth wash, twice a day for a week’ . ‘Excellent’ he replies. He explains it’s for the sensitivity in his gum. ‘But what about the broken tooth, do we need to come back?’ I ask tentatively. ‘No it’s all done!’ ‘Blimey, that was easy’. Brian gave me a huge smile, ‘look’. I couldn’t even tell which tooth had been repaired, it all seemed so simple.

My anxiety started to lessen as I settled into the chair and started to think about sunny places to help relax me for my simple check up and clean. The dentist asks if I’ve got any issues or is it just a clean. We establish just a clean. He’s very gentle as he whirrs round inside my mouth with the little cleaning tool. Its all a bit uncomfortable, but nothing else. He then says, in perfect English ‘If you need a break, just raise your hand’. What had I been worried about?

First light

I have an array of beautiful tall, yellow daisies that are flowering just behind the wooden garden bench. They light up the garden, popping their heads up over the large box tree, trimmed into a ball shape. I get to see the yellow daisies as I walk across the courtyard to take the laundry over to the laundry room and it brightens the moment. They’re very late flowering, and are quite unexpected, especially as this morning there was a definite cool chill in the air. It feels like autumn has arrived.

We have some friends coming for dinner tonight, and I’m going to cook a chicken and mushroom pie, something hearty. Brian is outside preparing some wood for the fire. It’s the first time we’ve lit it this year, so it will be nice to have the warmth and the smell of a wood fire in the house this evening. We only have a little bit of wood left, mostly oversized bits. We’ve ordered some though, and are just waiting to find out when it will be delivered.

One down, but a few more to go.

Hot and steamy

Beep beep, beep beep!

I was expecting a parcel delivery today, so was super excited when I heard the familiar horn of a delivery driver dropping off a parcel. It’s a great way to let you know they are coming, admittedly the whole street knows you are having a parcel delivered, but they would never guess what I’m so excited about!

I fetched the scissors from the kitchen and we cut the box open. It was quite heavy, I believe about 12 kg. We slid the box off, keeping the wrapping until we’d checked it all over.

Brian then carried it upstairs for me. I wanted to set it up in the spare room near the window, so I have some good light and, if it all gets a bit hot and steamy, I can open the window.

My new iron press!

I’d noticed a friend had one a few weeks ago and asked her about it. She told me how good it was, and that it saved her a lot of time. I had wanted one when we first moved here, but for one reason or another had not got around to getting one.

After speaking with Suzanne I knew more about what I needed to look for, and it made it far easier to make a choice. I have to say ‘I’m loving it already’.