The €5 shelf

Straight after breakfast Brian was keen to get the €5 shelf up on the wall, to see how it looked. These jobs that used to seem to take all morning, are now completed in no time at all. We wanted it to work with another shelf we had, so there was some lining up to be done, but within the hour it was on the wall and he was popping some books back up so he could show me how it looked it situ.

I have to say we were both pretty pleased with the outcome.

Dropped again

The temperature dropped again yesterday, the rain turned to snow and before long it was freezing and starting to lay. Fortunately we had planned some work indoors. Our day was to start some small jobs in the library, as we’d like to push ahead over the next few weeks to get it finished.

We decided the first thing was for Brian to fix the cupboard door. Over Christmas I’d realised the cupboard doors just didn’t open and close properly, so I’d asked if he could fix them first.

A few little adjustments with the multi tool, and then the plane, and all was good. He just needed to fit a new closure and then the doors were working perfectly. Hoorah!

Last little job for the day was to linseed oil the shelf, ready to go up tomorrow. Can’t wait to see our €5 purchase on the wall.

The morning after

We woke to an absolutely gorgeous New Year’s Day — blue skies and warm sunshine. We had had some friends over for New Year’s Eve and we had all shared in preparing the meal, which was an excellent idea. Nigel, who lives in our village, prepped the starter, an halloumi and chorizo salad, he also brought some fabulous cheeses, Brian was on meat, and cooked a rather delicious côte de boeuf, I was on veggies and of course roast potatoes, with a contribution to the cheese board, and our friend Suzanne made a rather yummy lemon tart and mince pies.

It was a fabulously relaxed evening, enjoying our different courses, which took us right through to new year, which we enjoyed with a bottle of bubbles in front of the fire.

Happy 2025 everyone, we hope you’ve had a fabulous festive season, and wishing you all a healthy and happy new year with love, laughter and kindness for the year ahead.

M’hanncha

This was definitely a job for the two of us. We had wanted to make a ‘snakey cake’ or, as it’s properly called, a m’hanncha.

It actually looks more difficult than it is, and it’s certainly a lot of fun to make.

I mixed up the filling, which is butter, sugar, eggs, ground almonds, almond essence, all purpose flour, and some rose water which you have to be careful not to use too much rose water, as it’s a very strong flavouring.

We then placed about 10 sheets of overlapping filo pastry on the dining table, and made a long sausage of the mixture along one edge of the filo, about 10cm in.

Brian then started rolling it up, and we soon were both rolling it in unison, so as not to split it.

We then rolled it around, like a snake. I had a bought a plastic table covering so we could make the whole thing on the dining room table, as it’s about 2m long before being rolled.

After it was baked I sieved some icing sugar over it and sprinkled on some edible rose petals.

Voila! Snakey cake.

Snowballs

When we visited Bruges recently we bought some farm produced advokaat. The lady who had produced it was describing lots of different recipes and ways to use it, which all sounded rather scrumptious, especially as we both love advokaat.

Last night we decided we’d try some in one of our typical festive tipples — a Snowball. This is typically equal quantities of advocaat to lemonade. It was super delicious and we will definitely be looking to try and buy more of this artisan bottling in the future.

We do have a little idea to use it in a dessert, so I should hopefully be able to blog that shortly, so ‘croiser les doigts’.

Icy morning

We woke to a very frosty garden this morning, the temperature was down to -6°c overnight, brrrrh chilly. However the garden was looking gorgeous, all sprinkled with a white dusting of frost.

We needed to nip out to pick up some meat from the butchers, for dinner tomorrow night, so we wrapped up and headed into Bar-sur-Seine. Brian couldn’t resist but take a few photographs of the icy landscape on the way.

When we returned home, the sun was shining and it was still very chilly, but I suggested we popped on our walking boots and headed out for a short walk. I thought it would be good to take a left at the end of the village, the opposite direction to the point de vue, this Would take us up behind our house. The scenery was spectacular. The sun did not reach this part of the forest and the frosty spikes growing from the trees were looking quite fierce, but we knew that they would just vanish if the sun could reach them.

We were so glad we’d headed out for our chilly walk.

Master of milk

For many months now we have been looking for a metal jug with a pointed spout, which will enable Brian to master his art of milk decoration.

I recently found this one, which is 620ml, enough for 2 cappuccino’s, and thought it would be a great stocking filler for him. However I was a little concerned it may not be what he wanted, but I thought I’d take a chance.

Well, his excitement when he opened it convinced me that it was the right one. He’s been trying it out, and has started to discover, by having the right jug, how much better he can be with the art of milk.

These are his first two attempts, I’m sure they’ll get better.

Boxing Day, or is it?

Boxing Day is a very British Christmas holiday. It is not a public holiday across the rest of Europe, and I don’t think the rest of the world. Although maybe someone will tell me it is in Australia and New Zealand. For us though, we still treat it as a holiday.

The sun was shining when we woke, with a beautiful, cloudless, blue sky. However we could see the mist, forming from the damp of the night, being burnt off by the sun. It was about 1°C outside, so we needed to wrap up for our walk.

What a gorgeous day though. We sat for a while looking over the village, admiring the collection of houses, all higgledy-piggledy. We could see how the oldest houses of the village all seem to have been built along the little river Artaut.

We do so enjoy living here.

Christmas Day, a relaxed event

Christmas Day was a delightfully relaxed event for us. We woke gently to a greyish day, and eventually sat down in front of the tree, ready to unwrap our presents; of which there seemed quite a few this year. We’d brought quite a few back from our trip to the UK this year, from friends and family.

It was so lovely to get to open these in front of the fire sipping a glass of champagne.

After we’d cooked, and enjoyed, our delicious roast chicken dinner, paired with a gorgeous bottle of red burgundy, we sat and nibbled our way through a box of ‘Le French Kiss’. I think these may be my new favourite chocolates.

Christmas Eve preparations

We nipped out to the butchers yesterday morning to collect our farm chicken and some sliced meats for apéro later in the week. There was a small market open, which was great to see for those last minute purchases. We were heading to the boulangerie though, as I wanted to get some baguettes and something to have with coffee when we got home — as a friend was dropping by. The cakes were looking delicious.

We opted though for a creme patisserie galette, which was light and creamy. An ideal treat to enjoy with our morning coffee.

To build up an appetite for dinner, we decided to make a little walk up to the point de vue — always a delight. Such a peaceful little stroll past Le Prieuré, up through the vineyards, and through the little forest at the top of the hill.

We sat for a short while enjoying the view, and soaking up the scene, before wandering back home for a warming cup of Christmas tea.

We’d bought a whole turbot from the market, and were looking forward to having it for dinner. Brian had chosen a rather nice bottle of white Burgundy to enjoy with it.

I’d read that roasting it whole is a good way to cook it, so after Brian had trimmed and cleaned it for me, I drizzled on some olive oil and popped it in the oven. It would take about 10 minutes per inch of thickness. So we determined ours would be about 15 minutes. I think it could have probably gone about another minute or two, but being our first time of cooking turbot we were really pleased.

I served it by lifting the fillets off the bone and removing the skin. I’d boiled some new potatoes, fried some Jerusalem artichokes, to make little crisps, and fried off some mushrooms in butter. The butter from the mushrooms I served over the fish.

It was all rather delicious, something we’ll definitely be doing again.

Movie day

It’s that time of year again, when we sit back, relax and watch Christmas time movies. We’ve done this for so many years now that it’s hard to find new films that are completely Christmas themed, so we also include movies that seem right for Christmas.

Our first watch was ‘The Holdovers’. I have to say that I thought it was something like home alone for a bunch of school kids, but it turned out to be something quite different. A really nice watch with a chunk of toast and a cappuccino.

The second film was a Brian choice — ‘Trading places’. He remembered it from when he was young, and wanted to see it again. It’s not a Christmas movie as such, but it definitely takes place around the festive period. I think we were both a bit surprised at how un-PC it was, times have clearly changed. It was a fun watch though, I love seeing all the 80’s fashions, such a great decade. And what better way to enjoy it than with a minced pie and sherry, which was delightful.

Our third offering was ‘Wonka’, a new musical film featuring a young Willy Wonka trying to make his way in a competitive world. Very much a musical theatre styled movie, and perfect for the west end or broadway. A couple of bloody Mary’s and some nuts, followed by a couple of hotdogs, got us through this one.

Our first three movies were quite long, so we only had time for a short one as our fourth choice before bed. So ‘Shaun the sheep, the Flight before Christmas’, was a perfect pick for our final movie of the day. Quite silly, but definitely Christmassy, it was a good end to a lovely day.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas

Brian and I would like to wish you all a fabulous festive few days, and a fantastic new year.

It’s been great having your support throughout the year, it really does help us with spreading the word of our Chambre d’hôte, thank you. I love reading your comments and emails, and will hopefully get to meet more of you over the coming year, or see familiar faces again, which we so delight in.

Happy Christmas to you all, best wishes from Jo and Brian.

Christmas quiz 2024

Every year Brian puts together a Champagne quiz. He sees it as another pleasurable way to share his knowledge.

Why not give it a go here, and see how much you know about Champagne.

If you have any friends or family that you think would also like to give it a go please feel free to share this blog or the link.

Home for Christmas

After a trip away, it’s always a delight to return home. The smells, the sounds — all the familiarity that makes it such a comfort. It was a perfect Christmas present to be with family and friends, but sitting in front of the tree with the fire roaring has a sense of calm that’s hard to match.

Travel can be so exciting, and I love discovering new places and tasty treats to enjoy, but I think our local boulangerie and café is still high on my list of favourite places to visit.

Visiting family and friends

From Bruges we drove down the coast to Calais to catch Le Shuttle to the UK. We’d planned a short trip to visit our families and friends. We headed to Norfolk first, visiting Dad and staying with my brother Jon and his family. Then we headed down to Kent, where we had the opportunity to visit, what I believe is, one of Kent’s most beautiful houses, at Ightham Moat. I have to say, apart from its obvious splendour, it gave me lots of ideas for Christmas decorations. It’s great getting inspiration from places you visit.

We then caught the train into London, and spent some time with Brian’s family. It was so lovely to catch up with everyone.

Whilst there we took a wander into Marylebone. It’s a great area of London peppered with small boutique shops. One that we visited was Daunt books. It offers their customers a different way of finding new books, by categorising and presenting them in collections based on the country they represent. For example, the French section includes books on travel, fiction, non-fiction, cookery, history, wine, and so much more, almost anything that has a French connection. It’s great as you switch from travel to cookery to fiction, an ideal way to inspire a purchase or two.

Finally, after a lot of walking, supping coffee and enjoying a little tipple in an unusually quiet west end pub, we found ourselves outside of Fortnum & Mason. One of my favourite shops in London.

Our day and trip ended with a wonderful family meal in Dishoom, and a stroll through Covent Garden, admiring the spectacular Christmas lights London offered.

Inspiring displays

I adore a beautiful shop display at Christmas, it’s always lovely to see a street dressed in a seasonal flourish, and although this display was not very Christmassy, it was certainly inspiring and the colours were gorgeous.

There were plenty of doorways and windows surrounded by beautiful swags, wreaths and canopies. All made with such creativity, and amazing work in design and construction.

It’s certainly got me thinking for next year’s door display at our maison. I’m thinking of so many wonderful things that we could achieve, I just need to ensure we have lots of time to do it, and maybe I should tell Brian as well.

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

Walking around a city on a cold and frosty December morning can really build up an appetite, and what better way to sate that appetite than a visit to a cosy little patisserie.

They don’t have many seats, so we were extremely lucky to get there as a few became available.

We found out that the pâtisserie was founded by Frédéric Vaucamps, a pastry chef from the North of France. He adapted the recipe of his favourite cake to make it extremely light, and it became a marvellous success, so much so that in 1997 he named his Lille pâtisserie after it, and so ‘Aux Merveilleux de Fred’ was born. Since then, Aux Merveilleux de Fred has grown, and opened pâtisseries all over the world, including Toronto, London, Lille and Bruges.

They sell these gorgeous little soft centred, light as anything, meringues coated in flaked chocolate. With a warming cup of coffee, it certainly made for a relaxing break.

It wasn’t just the delicate pâtisseries that caught our eye though, they also had the most dramatic crystal chandelier. Not sure I’ve seen one of that size and quality outside of a chateau…amazing.

Boat ride

Despite the chilly weather, we wrapped up and headed to one of the many piers where you can board a little tourist boat to be whizzed along the canals to view the city from the water.

The boat driver doubles up as your guide, and we’d managed to pick a particularly humorous one, not only talking about the history of the buildings we were seeing, but also telling anecdotes and having a little fun with some of the passengers, it was all in good taste and made for a very enjoyable ride, which lasted about 30 minutes.

It’s a great way to see Bruges, definitely worth doing.

In the evening the waterway’s become still, and there’s a calm as you wander along their banks. They are just as magical by night as they are during the day.

Sparkling Bruges

Bruges is a very pretty city of old cobbled streets, and beautiful, tall, narrow buildings, often with many ornate features. It has old stone bridges, crossing sparkling little waterways, and open plazas full to the brim with cafés and restaurants with a hubbub of people enjoying their day.

The Christmas market was in the main square, and one of the smaller side plazas, but they were quite close together. Each market was full with little wooden chalets, with many selling scrumptious things to eat, either to take home or snack on now. Others selling a range of little homemade crafts, toys, lots of Christmas decorations and plenty of warm things to wear if you needed an extra layer. After a little bit of brunch to set ourselves up for the day, we were soon enjoying wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere.

It really is a very beautiful city, which is great to just stroll through and enjoy. Again, it’s another place I’d like to come back to one day, to explore it a bit more, maybe when it’s a bit warmer.

Dukes Arches

After our visit to Lille we drove over into Belgium, just an hours journey by car, to Bruges. We were staying at a little boutique hotel, called Duke’s Arches, which looked lovely on the website, and was very reasonably priced. I have to say, it didn’t let us down. We parked up nearby, and were soon rolling our bags across the cobblestones to the hotel, just a short walk away.

We could instantly see the charm of Bruges and were keen to get out and explore, but first we needed to check-in and drop our bags off.

The stylish reception welcomed us, and we could feel the warmth of the hotel straight away. While I registered our stay Brian was already off exploring the hotel..

From the gorgeous looking bar, to the sumptuous salons and the tall rooms, all was impeccably styled.

And how often do you get a dramatic, glass chandelier in your bedroom.

We settled in, then soon headed out — excited to explore the beautiful city. There are so many wonderful places to stay, and little restaurants and cafés to eat, many of them in the heart of the old centre. This was going to be an interesting little visit.