The week that was...

We have been gone one week already, today is Good Friday, Ian is out helping Peter hang a new door!!! I am home alone with a pot of tea, french music drifting down the stairs and my thoughts.  We have settled very easily back in to French life, early mornings, long lunches with plenty of wine, an afternoon rest curled up by the fire, a lazy walk along the river and evenings full of laughter.  Wednesday we spent the morning in Cahors, another Vide Grenier (one brass vase only!!!) and a local produce market.  The foods stalls seem somewhat bare after the abundance of summer, potatoes, large white cauliflowers, courgettes, mushrooms and rustic apples are the staple of the winter diet.  Of course in supermarkets you can find everything possible, but the real fresh and in season produce can only been sourced at the local markets.

The variety of food available here is truly mind blowing, as you would expect cheese can take up two or three isles alone, yoghurt another two at least, cured meats another two, every vegetable imaginable can be found either in glass jars or in tins. Wine, plenty of wine, and spirits can all be purchased along with your weekly shop!

We spent two lovely evening, out dining with friends, one was a trip over to St Cirq Lapopie to visit Henk and Nerida, those of you in the know, will already be able to picture the scene and the dinner date requirements, for those of you not in the know, dinner is always served at 6.30 and finishes 9pm sharp, no lounging back on a comfy sofa with a glass of red, discussing the world deep into the night on these dinner dates.  Henk has done a wonderful job at renovating the house above Nerida's art gallery (Nerida is going to be listed as one of the top 100 women artists this century, an amazing achievement). The old fire place is from medieval times and you can certainly imagine a large pig roasting on a spit above the fire and gentry gathered around drinking mead.  Henk has raised the bed of the fire up to help  eliminate smoke and to enable him to cook on the open fire.  A beautiful salad of endives, pears and dates start the meal, followed by tender lamb loins, lentils and green bean and a citrus tart with vanilla ice cream finishes off a most pleasant evening.

Our second venture out was the Roue, and yes Graeme, Fanny was in residence, and remembered Ian!!! now thats a worry.   Our neighbours for one week only, are from America, Mary, Glen and their daughter Claire.  It is so easy here to make new friends, I guess because they are here they are already like minded people.  They run their own businesses back in the States, a second hand book store, and Glen is a Carpenter, he built this own house out of hay and had a roof raising party when all the neighbours brought along  a 'pot luck supper' while lending a helping hand.

When we arrived at the Roue, we are warmly welcomed, by the owner, who immediately lit the fire next to our table which soon becomes a roaring blaze, which means layers of clothes need to be removed.  The hostess apologises by telling us that they normally during the winter do not open for evening meals (only the bar) unless they have a special evening on! Lunch is apparently the go in winter.  The restaurant had been full at lunch time with 56 people, and therefore she didn't really have much food left, we told her that whatever she had available would be fine by us, this is what followed:-

Potato Soup served in a large turin (help yourself style)

Plenty of crusty bread

Puff Pastry Tart filled with cream cheese

Mixed Salad

Confit of duck served with side dish of pasta 

Pear tart, served with meringue and ice cream

as many carafes of red wine that you liked

Coffee

Grappa or Melon Liquor 

all the grand some of Euro 13 per head

what more is there to say....