A new classic

I bumped into my friend Dominique at the fish stall at Friday’s market. I’d just bought some asparagus and asked her what fish she would serve with it. She suggested a fish terrine using Églefin. She explained briefly how to make it, using a cream and egg mix to bind it together, and including herbs, spinach, and carrots to help add to the taste and look. I was quite inspired by her loose description, I thought this could be an easily adapted dish to serve to our guests using seasonal fish found at the market. Interestingly, Églefin is ordinary haddock, whereas the fish they call Haddock is in fact smoked Haddock. I bought the Églefin and some smoked trout, to add some richness to the flavour, then headed off in search of some spinach.

Making the terrine was really quite easy. Firstly I asked Brian to line the tin. He lightly buttered it, then used slices of smoked trout to cover the inside. We cut the other fish into 1” squares. I had a bit of salmon in the freezer, so I used that as well, mixed with 3 eggs, a tub of crème fraîche and a blend of herbs. I washed and chopped the spinach and mixed everything together.

I then carefully spooned it into the mould, and cooked it using a bain marie in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Whilst it was cooking I arranged some peonies my friend had given me from her garden, she was going to be away so suggested I should enjoy them. They are stunning.

After cooking, the terrine came out of the tin really easily. I had let it rest for a good 30 minutes before tipping it out. It looked delicious served with the asparagus, and tasted just as good.

Wild life

Last night we went for a very tasty Japanese meal in Châtillon-sur-Seine, a little restaurant discovery which I’m sure we will be back to. I had the ramen bowl, which came with some chicken dumplings, all really tasty.

After dinner, we dropped off our friends and stopped for a coffee with them before heading home. We do find that we have to be very alert driving home in the dark, due to the volume of wildlife we often see crossing the road. Last night was no exception, we saw a little ferret looking creature first, who had scurried across the road and then tried to hide in the verge. We then came across a deer, and a couple of foxes. The last furry friends were two badgers, who were taking their time waddling across the road, they were simply delightful. It is wonderful having such a variety of wildlife living in harmony around us, it can often feel like we live in a nature park. I think it must just be living near all the vineyards, farmland and forested areas.

Richardot

Today we made a visit to one of our local Champagne producers. They are only 5 minutes in the car from us, in a pretty little village called Loches-sur-Ource.

We were greeted by Madame Richardot, who gave us a warm welcome to their family business. She spoke excellent English, which was not only great for us but also our Dutch friends.

The tour of the winery was very informative, and it was good to learn about how they work with over 60 vignerons to press their grapes solely for Veuve Cliquot.

Richardot sell some of their own grapes to Veuve Cliquot, but they also produce their own Champagnes. We particularly liked their 2018 millésimé.

Merlin

A friend of mine Dee, who often comments on the blog, suggested we download an app she uses to identify birds in the garden. It’s called ‘Merlin bird ID’, and it’s absolutely free.

Excited at the prospect of putting names to some of our little feathered friends who dive, dart, and also potter, around our gardens, we quickly set about making some recordings. The results were amazing, with the app filtering through other noises to find the birdsongs. After you have finished recording you can even press on the bird pictures and the app will take you to that part of the recording, so that you can recognise the bird by its song.

Over a couple of days we made several recordings at different times, and in different parts of the garden, and these are what we identified.

And this little fella has set up a nest in our barn. He is very flitty, but seems comfortable enough to come and go with us pottering around him. Let’s hope he introduces his partner and they have some little chicks.

Empty the attic

It’s nice to be able to start visiting ‘vide greniers’ and ‘marché des puces’ again. There’s a ‘marché des puces’ (flea market) in Essoyes this week, which I’m very much looking forward to. Last week though we managed to visit two. One of them in the village of Mussy, where we bought 3 beautiful linen tablecloths. I never seem to have enough and I like having different ones to choose from.

I also bought this beautiful yellow cotton cloth, which is a great breakfast table cloth. It looks like a burst of sunshine to start the day.

The old pots I will use for flowers or bulbs. I like to collect a few, so I have options when dressing the house. Finally I found a couple of pretty little cotton cushion covers, these will look great in the garden through the summer.

Les timbres

I needed to post a letter yesterday, back to the UK. It always requires a few stamps to make up the value, unless they print it as a single white ticket, which isn’t as nice. It was therefore great to be asked which stamps I would like on my letter. I had the choice of three different ones, birds of paradise, french buildings or the Olympics.

I went for the Olympics, as that seemed more current.

Bergères plant festival

This week we went to the amazing plant festival at Bergères. It is such a beautiful event, with nearly 200 exhibitors.

I was on a mission to buy some plants for the bed I’m creating on the slope, as well as looking for some options to replace the box (buis) around the pool area.

We’d parked close to the edge of the village, so didn’t have far to walk back to the car to drop plants off, although it was a tad busy in the main street.

We spent the afternoon enjoying the displays, getting inspiration on different planting schemes, and just enjoying the wonderful atmosphere, as well as buying some great plants.

There were street bands that were an eclectic mix of jazz, rock and brass band. For someone who doesn’t play an instrument, it all sounded brilliant to me.

It was a very successful day, and now I have another lot of plants I need to get settled in at home.

Something blue

Eau Divine, the company we use to open and close our pool, came today. We tend to leave them to do their bit, and then we go up to clean it afterwards.

Even though it is covered during the winter it still collects a lot of leaves in it. It’s much better to skim these out by hand rather than letting them go through the pool filters.

It doesn’t really take much to make a big difference, but taking the leaves out is just the beginning. We then put the robot in to hoover up the sediment on the bottom of the pool.

24 hours later and we are jet washing the pavers and weeding the gravel.

There’s still a few days work to go, but we’re getting there.

Something new

Our strimmer, which we’ve had for a few years now, decided to pack in on us this week, just as we really needed it. With the mixture of sunshine and showers we’ve had the grass on the slope was growing like crazy. We decided to take the opportunity to upgrade the power of the strimmer to something that would work a bit better for us.

Brian had spoken to a local friend of ours about where might be good to start looking for one. He suggested Meca Vigne, a fairly large hardware store not far from us. We knew the store, although had never been in it, I think the rather serious looking tractors outside had put us off somewhat. But not to be daunted though we headed off to see what they had to offer.

Brian wanted one with a harness, that would make strimming the hill a bit easier. He also preferred that it used a thicker wire, around 3mm, because changing the wire previously took just as long as the strimming. If possible, it would be good if it could double as a brush cutter with a steel disk.

Before going in, we learnt some new vocabulary, to make sure we asked the right questions, then took the plunge. A very helpful lady came and spoke to us in very slow French, which was hugely appreciated. Soon we were heading out with our brochure and an understanding of what they had available and how much it would cost.

We then decided to check out a couple of others suppliers in the local area, disappointingly to not much success. However once we got home and reflected on what we had learned we realised we needed to pop back to Meca Vigne to clear up some questions. Our friendly lady helped us again, and we knew instantly which one we should buy.

Brian is now the proud owner of a multi-tool brush cutter and strimmer with harness. Hours of fun.

Something old

This morning we received a parcel containing a rather old item. I’m not quite sure if Brian knew what he had ordered, but he seemed delighted with what had turned up.

Tha package contained a beautiful old lock, which he wanted for one of our old doors upstairs. Now all we need is a handle to fit it! I’m sure we’ll find one soon enough.

It must have been a day for old things, as on the way to the boulangerie we followed this beautiful old 2CV. If nothing else, I just love these sights in France.

My element

On Sunday we visited the pretty little village of Rumilly-lès-Vaudes, for their annual flower festival. I was in my element, choosing some geraniums to pot up in my window boxes and urns.

There were plants galore, and a good selection of other artisan stalls too, which I always enjoy looking around. I even got a chance to help out a friend from la ferme des blés d’or, by minding her stall whilst she went for a little explore. A little daunting, but between us we coped, although I was a little disappointed as I didn’t get to sell anything. Must be losing my touch.

What a high

It was a perfect day for visiting a chateau. I think the whole of France has been covered with this blanket of rain, so we didn’t waste anytime in running up the steps and through the arch, so that Brian could get his shot.

The castle of Saint-Fargeau dates back to the 10th century, in somewhat different forms. The first castle was just a fortified hunting lodge, and as the area is still covered in forest you can understand why. Over the years there have been a couple of fires, which have destroyed parts, if not the bulk of its structure. In 1979 Michel Guyot bought the castle, and started a period of some quite incredible renovation.

We entered into a fabulous hallway, with a magnificent, sweeping staircase, which we were soon to learn had been completely reconstructed.

There was a whole section of rooms in various stages of renovation that we could wander through. Some were dressed to show off what they may have been used for, others were little exhibitions, displaying boards showing the renovations that had been completed, or in some cases still in progress.

The roof was one of the completed renovations, and it’s quite spectacular. Fortunately we were able to see it up close later in the tour.

The hunting hall was next, with a large display area of the many trophies, horns and photographs from the earlier occupants of the castle.

The self guided tour, which we had chosen, took us up some back stairs to a room full of the owners toy collection. It was delightful looking at all the old wooden, and tin toys. He obviously had a passion for trains, as he had a vast collection of them, which included a selection by Hornby with some still in their cardboard boxes.

From here we saw a sign to ‘charpentre’, which we both thought meant carpentry, but we later realised, as we climbed the stairs to the top of the house, that it means ‘framework’. It was describing the wooden framework of the attic, which is absolutely amazing. We were guided around the whole of the castle attic, effectively walking around the inside of the castle roof. What a wonderful high to end on.

Saint-Fargeau

On our drive home we decided to drop into the little village of Saint-Fargeau to try and get something light for lunch. We were pleasantly surprised when we turned into what looked like a beautiful, medieval village. We drove through a little archway, under an ancient bell tower, which lead us through to the village square, right in front of a rather large castle.

After enjoying some tea and a croque monsieur, followed by a delicious homemade tart from a little local patisserie (my idea of heaven) we decided to visit the chateau.

Brian plumped for the chocolate one, which was apparently ‘amazing’.

Crottin

That evening we ate in the hotel dining room; the dinner was delicious. Nigel and I chose the caramelised onion with a beef broth for starter, followed by a chicken ballotine with peas and butternut. We all had the orange soufflé for dessert, which was extremely good. It has certainly inspired me to try and make one. I will see if I can get it on our summer menu.

We were heading home the following morning, but before we went I wanted to buy a few goats cheese crottin so we strolled over to the little shop opposite our hotel.

We also wanted to visit another local producer in the small village of Bué; Lucien Crochet, we had tried his wines during our trip and decided it would be good to visit him. Unfortunately though, because it was the weekend, it was closed. Not to miss an opportunity, I spied a little dimly lit bar, so suggested a coffee before we set off. It was a very old style, sleepy little local bar. I think we livened up their morning.

Famille Bourgeois

We’d booked ourselves on a tour with the producer Henri Bourgeois. It is the same family that owns the hotel we are staying in. The Bourgeois family has worked together for 10 generations to create wines. In the 1950’s Henri Bourgeois took the brave step to cultivate vines in an area unknown for wine grapes, which was later realised to be perfect for quality grapes.

In the 1960’s his two sons, Jean-Marie and Rémi, joined him in his adventure. They were soon discovering new terroirs, and buying plots of land to develop their business, along with developing partnerships with other Sancerre families. Over time, they have become ambassadors for the reputation of Sancerre, not just in France, but all around the world.

´Famille Bourgeois’ is now a family name synonymous with Sancerre and the little village of Chavignol.

We enjoyed a fantastic tour of their winery in Chavignol, learning about the history of the region, how they hid their important wines during invasion and how they are continuing to stay at the forefront of production in Sancerre.

They are currently building a gravity press in their very modern winery, to minimise the risk of oxidation during the pressing process.

Following the tour we headed back to the tasting room, to try some of their spectacular wines. None of them disappointed.

We were heading to another tasting in the afternoon at Domaine Delaporte, but before that we all fancied a spot of lunch, and found a small bar that served a sharing platter of meats and cheese. All absolutely delicious.

After our lunch and tasting, which was again very good, the sun was out, so we thought a little walk up to the viewpoint would help build an appetite for dinner.

Spectacular.

Au p’tit goûter

We were not staying in Sancerre, but were instead booked into a family run hotel in Chavignol, a small village about five minutes outside of Sancerre.

I’d found a little restaurant in the village which I’d booked for us on our first night there. I was a little unsure of it, as some of the reviews on the internet complained about slow service, but we were in no hurry, so all happy to enjoy our evening in ‘au p’tit goûter’.

It was owned by a father and son, just a small local bistro, that was very nicely rustic. The son welcomed us in and showed us to our table. He was very chatty, so I could see why the service may be slow, although there was only about 6 or 7 tables, so it couldn’t be that bad.

I ordered as a starter – the egg cocotte – which was baked with ham and local Chavignol cheese, the others had the house terrine. We all enjoyed bavette steak for main, which Lan and I chose with leeks, whilst the others had fries. It was all happily washed down with a bottle of the local red.

It was a very delicious, simple meal, and made for a delightful evening.

Wine flight

Our afternoon started with a little stroll through the cobbled streets of Sancerre. It was still a bit drizzly so we headed towards the Maison de Sancerre. Which was actually a small museum dedicated to the region and its key products, red, white and rosé wine.

The tour of the museum led us downstairs into a little cave, which had a 3D model of the region in the centre, which had a little movie projected onto it, describing how the land around Sancerre had been formed, and, importantly, what differing soil types are in place now.

Although quite a small area, the wine region of Sancerre is pretty complex, and is responsible for a wide variety of flavours in their wines. The main soil types are chalk, flint, clay and limestone.

After a few further exhibits, including an interactive quiz, we settled in for a ‘4D’ experience about wine production. It was rather hilarious, as seconds into the video, the 4D kicked in and we were sprayed with water, mimicking juice squirting from the grapes. Our chairs then started rolling and rattling as we were suddenly flying over the vineyards. Five hilarious minutes later we came out laughing our heads off.

After the tour we headed up for our first proper tasting. We were handed a credit card, charged with enough credits that we could each choose three different wines to taste, which between us gave us a good selection to try, and to then discuss which ones we preferred.

When we emerged from the musée our view down the street was stunning.

The trip

Well this morning we woke to another storm! We had organised a little trip to Sancerre, a beautiful hilltop town and wine region situated about two and a half hours from us. We were going with a couple of friends from our village, who were picking us up at 9.45am, meaning we’d arrive around lunchtime in the town of Sancerre.

We decided to take the scenic route, via Chaource and Auxerre. The roads were quiet and clear, however it was a bit wet, in fact it chucked it down all the way there!

We were soon crossing the Loire river, over a very majestic looking bridge, and we were all determined not to let the rain dampen our spirits. We arrived in Sancerre, as planned, and found a nice little bistro in the centre of town, where we settled down and ordered a simple chilled bottle of white Sancerre to enjoy with lunch.

We had arrived.

Idyllic

Yesterday I found some time to tidy up some of the borders in the walled garden. I had a few flowers I wanted to get planted, to give them chance to take root before the weather warms up.

I definitely feel that the garden is my happy place, just pottering about in it is delightful, so calm and peaceful.

I have formulated more of a plan now for some changes in the garden, although I’ve not committed it to paper or made a drawing, I will need to get Brian to help me with that. We can start to put into place some of the ideas in my head, as the rest I don’t see happening too quickly.

Last night we had a huge thunderstorm, so I was really glad that we got the plants in, as they got really well watered.

This morning the sun is shining through dappled cloud against a blue sky, and the air has warmed, but it is humid from the storm, almost tropical. As I write we are sitting in the garden, enjoying a coffee, and listening to a cuckoo, our blackbird and a multitude of other birds which I don’t recognise, but sound idyllic just chirping away. I think they must be loving the freshness of the earth, and how the recent storm has brought all the grubs and worms out.

Garden refresh

It was a day of two halves today. This morning we were planting some shrubs and perennials I’d bought recently. I want to create a bed of plants on the left of the path as you walk up to the pool, but I don’t have a definite plan, It’s very much an organic creation. As I see plants that I like I buy them, find a spot, cut away the grass and plant them. I’m not sure if this is a good way to do it, but we’ll see. What I love is that by keeping some wild flowers and long grasses the good butterflies are encouraged to make a visit.

The second part of our day was less enjoyable, as we had to start removing the box bushes from the pool area. It was actually much tougher than we thought it would be, as there are multiple stems with well established, fibrous roots. It’s a little sad to see them go, but I’m already getting excited about what their replacement will be.