Cuvée M

Earlier this week we had a fabulous tasting and visit at the cellars of Jean-Luc Carreau in Celles-sur-Ource.

He talked to us about the process of cleaning their fermentation tanks, something that is taken very seriously and performed with a lot of care. They have a coating within, similar to enamel, which Jean-Luc cleans by hand with just hot water. To do this he has to climb inside, and he surprised us when he demonstrated it by climbing through a rather small door!

Jean-Luc is passionate about his wines, with the whole family being involved in some way in their production.

He has released a limited production of a blanc de blanc, which has been matured in an oak barrel. His daughter, Meghan, has also been involved with this, and designed the beautifully delicate label. With its soft floral design it’s perfect to describe the wine inside.

We absolutely loved its flavours, which offer buttery, soft cream notes. It is only a small production, so we took our opportunity to buy 6 bottles. Definitely to be enjoyed on special occasions.

Summer storms

It’s not uncommon for our region to experience sudden and fierce thunderstorms. They rarely last very long, passing over and away in tens of minutes. There are little telltale signs that a storm is approaching, and this one woke us from our slumber in the morning with a sudden change in air pressure, and high winds causing our windows to bang open and closed. Minutes later the sky had blackened and the lightning began, followed by a short, sharp downfall. After just 20 minutes or so the sky brightened again, and the only evidence of the storm was a fresher feel to the air.

It looks and sounds a bit scary, but it’s a lovely, fresh beginning to the day.

Wheelie good

The house felt empty with our friends all gone, but it would soon be full of activity again as our guests were due around 6pm. We were all prepared for them, so we decided to head out to a vide grenier at Gyé-sur-Seine. I also wanted to pick up some bread for dinner on the way back, so we got up early and headed out.

I was glad we did, as we got some excellent finds; an old wooden wheel for €5, a wooden box for €3, and an enamel jug and enamel canister for €10 each. I want to use the canister to store toilet rolls in for the pool room.

A good little haul I think.

Crêpe, garden, pool

A simple supper at the Thieffrain Crêperie was just what we all fancied.

It was a beautifully warm evening so we sat with our friends in the delightful little garden in front of the bar and enjoyed our meal whilst chatting about our trip, trying not to remember the gorge experience, and planning what we should do for their last day before they head home. They very kindly offered to help out with some gardening. So we spent the next morning together getting the garden ready for our new arrivals in a couple of days time.

I’d never hoovered the steps before, but they looked excellent, so thank you Chris for giving me that idea.

After such a busy morning the afternoon was a lazy, and very enjoyable, few hours by the pool.

Gorgeous gorge

The morning we were leaving Annecy, Sara texted me to ask if we fancied visiting a gorge on the way home. It sounded like a great idea to have a little walk, before our four hour journey home, especially as there was a café, so a good place for a coffee stop. I need to admit at this point that she had sent me a link, which I had not viewed. Big mistake!

The gorge was only about 30 muinutes from Annecy, and on our way home. We descended the steps to the café area, had coffee, and then bought our tickets. I should probably have wondered at this point ‘What are we paying for?’, as you wouldn’t normally pay to walk along a gorge. The walk started very prettily with some stunning views of the river that had created it.

Only moments later though, I realised the walk was not along the bottom of the gorge, but halfway up it, and it was pretty deep.

It was, in fact, all the things I’m not great with: heights, walkways at height (that you can see through), height within a closed space, closed spaces.

I could hear the others behind me chatting and taking photos, with lots of ‘Oohs’ and ’Aahs’. Me, I just wanted to get round it all and back onto terra firma, but it seemed to take an age. There were parts of the supported walkway that narrowed around outcrops of rock with overhangs, these were particularly scary for me. All I could do was just keep going, but soon I realised people were coming back the way I’d just come. ‘Oh crikey’, I realised, I’m going to have to come back the same way!

At the finish I’d like to say it was lovely, and I’m sure it was, but for me, I was just happy to be back in the car and on our way again.

Lake Annecy

Lake Annecy is a sizeable lake nestled in the mountains on the edge of the alps. There is a road and bike trail that winds around its shoreline, and many walking routes that trail off up the slopes. But this holiday we wanted something a little more sedate, so we chose to tour the lake on one of the tourist boats.

It was a very pleasant 90 minute trip just motoring up the full length of the lake admiring some of the extraordinary residences that have been built on the shoreline, before returning back to the beautiful town of Annecy.

To provide some scale the lake is 14.6 km long (9.1 mi), and 3.2 km (2.0 mi) wide. It’s about 40 m (135 ft) deep.

It was the perfect place to relax with friends.

Sweeping blue

After our lovely evening in Beaune we headed over to Annecy, about a two and half hour drive. The route was extremely scenic, with the road wrapping itself around the southern mountains of the Jura, as they start to merge into the lower levels of the Alps. The mountains around Annecy feature on the Route des Grandes Alpes, which is often included in the Tour de France.

We had not planned anything more exhausting than mooching around Annecy absorbing the atmosphere, maybe taking a trip on the lake, and enjoying some good food and wine.

We arrived to a sweeping blue panorama. Blue sky, blue mountains and a glistening blue lake. It was simply gorgeous.

We also found some beautiful restaurant settings, where we enjoyed delicious meals and amazing views. It really inspired me to want to cook new, more challenging dishes, with flavour at the heart.

L’ecrit’vin

In the evening we’d booked a table at L’Ecrit’Vin, a very popular little restaurant close to the Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune. The terrasse is on both sides of the little cobbled road that circles the place, and the waiters and waitresses are cheery and efficient heading to and from the kitchen.

Our meal was delicious. Both Brian and I started with very typical Burgundian dishes. Brian had escargots and I had œufs meurettes, which unusually were cooked in white wine not the more traditional red wine. I actually preferred them this way, in the white wine and cream sauce. I then had poached chicken and Brian had a fillet of Charolais beef. Dessert was a pretty intense strawberry delight. Utterly delicious.

Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune

We had a few days free this week so we decided to take a little trip south with some friends, first we headed to Beaune. It really is a fabulous town and we delight in spending time there.

At the heart of Beaune is the hôtel-Dieu, a charitable hospital founded nearly 600 years ago by Nicolas Rolin and Guigone de Salins. Despite being so central it can easily go unnoticed as the entrance to it, across from the marketplace, is quite inconspicuous. However, on entering you are wowed by the architectural design and beauty of the building and its roof.

An audio tour is available, which takes you slowly through the rooms that were once set up by the nuns to nurse the poor and sick who couldn’t afford help elsewhere.

Today there is still a working hospital at the rear of the building, with a delightful little sensory garden offering shade and areas for contemplation.

I would very much recommend a trip to Beaune, and definitely a visit to this beautiful museum.

Fête de champagne - day two

We’d had a fantastic first day, and spent the evening remembering the highlights and enjoying a delicious dinner with some neighbours, who had also been at the event.

On day two we headed to Neuville-sur-Seine. The first producer we were visiting had decided to set himself up at the top of one of his vineyards. They had arranged a relay of minibuses to take people up to the venue. It all made for a fun start to the day.

The view was stunning, and the Champagne was pretty good as well.

We caught the mini bus back into Neuville where we still had three more Champagnes to try, of which we seemed to like the Clerambout most, so we settled ourselves in for an afternoon of music, sun and Champagne. It really is a fantastic event.

Day one of the champagne festival

The forecast was good and everyone was excited to start our day at this year’s Champagne festival, which was in the villages of Buxeuil, Neuville-sur-Seine, Courteron and Gye-sur-Seine.

For the two days of the festival there were 15 producers across the four villages that we were going to get the opportunity to taste.

We decided to start in Courteron where there was two producers, Fleury and Cottet-Debreuil. Fleury was a house we had been wanting to try for a little while, and as they were only going to be open on the Saturday of the festival we decided to head there first.

It was a very good start to our day, and one we will be revisiting.

Next we headed to the village of Buxeuil, where there were seven tastings to enjoy. The village was bubbling with a summer party atmosphere, with lots of music, dancing, food stalls and games.

It was one of the best festival first days we can remember.

Summer evening

On Friday evening we’d set up a long table in the garden as we were hosting a dinner for our friends that were visiting. Everyone was helping out; chopping up vegetables for salads, making desserts, hanging bunting, and setting up the barbecue.

Brian had a few bottles chilling to enjoy with some nibbles to get the evening started.

We love preparing, cooking and enjoying dinner, sharing good wine and spending time with friends. It’s a perfect summers evening, just delightful.

Weeding first!

Our friends arrived for the weekend, as it was the annual Champagne festival. It’s usually at the end of July, but because of the Olympics, which starts with the opening ceremony in Paris on Friday, it’s a week earlier.

Before they had chance to really enjoy themselves, they got into their wellies to help out cleaning the weeds from the river. It’s a messy, hot job, but many hands definitely make light work of it.

Good morning

It’s been a busy week for us, starting with some delightful guests who joined us for three nights and were able to enjoy some breakfasts in the garden, as the morning sun warmed the air. They took this wonderful photo of me, capturing me in my pinny. It’s so nice to see ourselves from our guests perspective.

On their second night another guest checked into the Jeroboam room and the five of us settled into the salon to enjoy a bottle of Blanc de blanc Champagne by Robert Grandpierre and some gougères for aperitif.

I served a table d’hôte dinner of coq au vin and puréed potatoes, followed by a board of local cheeses. Finally, for dessert, I served a roasted apricot tart with vanilla cream.

A big thank you to our recent guests for these photos.

Holes

Along the top of the side wall of our house are a series of holes in the stonework, and we are often asked about them.

The little, triangular spaces are home to a small population of house sparrows, that come and go throughout the summer. But why are the holes there?

We have been told by locals that the holes were allowed for certain types of houses, and that the holes would have been a status symbol for the owners.

An old postcard we purchased from a vide grenier also shows that our house once had a ‘pigeonnier’, or pigeon tower. Pigeonniers were also once a status symbol, and proof of wealth, power and authority. Keeping pigeons was a right restricted to royalty, clergy and nobility. The pigeonnier is no longer there, which is good for us, as it’s now where we enjoy sitting and having breakfast.

Apple cake

I tried out a new ‘French apple cake’ recipe yesterday for our guests. I’m not sure what makes it French, but I think it may be because it’s more like a batter mix, rather than a sponge mixture. It also has a delicious crunchy topping, which is a nice contrast to the soft apples cooked inside the cake.

I served it with a generous dollop of cream Yummy.

A welcome visitor

When we lived in Kent, in England, we often had stag beetles living in our garden. We were happy to have them around, because they need certain conditions to thrive, and they’re considered a little rare in the UK. Although I did find them a little creepy.

Happily, we occasionally find them in our garden in France, and we do our best to keep them safe. If i find one, I let Brian know I’ve seen it and he comes to move them away from areas of lots of comings and going’s.

Charming character

We had guests arriving on Sunday, staying for a few days. We were all ready, as we’d mowed the slope and walled garden the day before, and the bedrooms were all made up and the house ready.

On the day of their arrival we woke early, and decided we had time to visit a vide grenier in the little town of Vendeuvre-sur-Barse. I would say that when we first arrived in France, and visited Vendeuvre, we found it a little tired. But since we have lived here they have been investing in it, and slowly it’s becoming a lively town again. It also has a small train station, which has recently been renovated, where trains from Paris stop.

On the edge of the town there is a large derelict chateau, which is where the vide grenier was.

It surrounded the building and its gardens, and stretched away from the château under an avenue of trees.

We were nice and early, so were soon picking up some good bargains. However, Brian did ask why I always buy the heavy bulky Items right at the beginning.

It was such a successful little outing, that Brian had to make a few trips back to the car.

The little pots will be perfect for flower arrangements or bulbs, whilst the galvanised items I will use in the garden somehow. I have some ideas, which will come together shortly. The jug needs a good clean, but was just 8€, and again will be great for flowers, or just carrying water in the garden. The hat hooks are for a little project which will come together in the library, and the Champagne carrier is to replace our last one, which had a ‘petit accident’

Our most delightful purchase was a little, old metal cat. We just couldn’t resist him, such a charming character.

Garden rooms

The garden is flourishing with the warm, damp weather, which also means it needs quite a lot of maintenance. It’s good then that we bought Brian his new strimmer, which makes areas of the slope much easier to manage.

I use the lawnmower (tondeuse), to mow the larger areas of the slope, leaving some to meadow, which are full of wild flowers and butterflies this year. One of our guests mentioned he’d seen two rare butterflies there.

We’ve also created some new seating areas; peaceful little garden rooms to discover and enjoy, with occasional shade and different views of the garden and village. I’m loving how the garden is developing

Quatorze juillet

On Saturday evening we had a village celebration for quatorze Juillet (14th July), or fête nationale (national festival), or, as some may know it, ‘Bastille day’. Although the French no longer call it Bastille day, they prefer to call it their national day; a public holiday celebrated all over France.

It was a great gathering this year, with about 90 people. Many from the village, but some with friends and family from the nearby area.

We started the evening with a rather tasty grapefruit punch and gougères, whilst chatting to new acquaintances and some familiar faces. It’s a great opportunity to meet some new people to practice our French on.

We were then invited to sit down at long tables, to enjoy smoked ham with a very delicious rich tomato and onion sauce, and potatoes to soak up all the lovely juices. This was followed by some cheese and a tarte aux pommes for dessert. All in all, very enjoyable.

The evening ended with a firework display, which took place at the other end of the village. We all strolled along carrying paper lanterns, which this year were lit by battery operated candles, probably a little safer than the real ones we usually get.