The new guests arrived on Tuesday evening - two couples from the UK travelling together. We settled them in with some canapes and a glass or two of wine and then sent them off for some dinner at Cote Ferme, the restaurant of the delicatessen, La Ferme. The feedback was good which is always a relief.
The next morning I had to get myself back into breakfast mode again, not having put a client breakfast tray together for nearly two months.
The guests are a booking through Wendy Gedney, who organises wine tours in the Languedoc. Several clients went on her tours during the year and they all had a great time, so we decided to go out with her and the clients yesterday to experience one of her tours for ourselves.
We started off at Domaine de Cabezan, just outside Villegailhenc in the Cabardes region. This is a very new operation. Clement Mongus and his family moved here from the Alsace and have set out to create a lifestyle business for themselves with the vineyard and four gites and his wife's teaching job - any one element on it's own would not be enough to support them.
We tasted a rosé and four reds - two vin de pays and two AOC wines. They were good to varying degrees but not good enough for us to be tempted to buy any.
From there we headed to Lastours for lunch at Puits des Tresors, which frankly was a bit disappointing. The restaurant has a Michelin star although I was told that service can be very slow (even by French standards). We ate in the newish cafe and partook of the €18 fixed menu - the food quality and the service was rubbish.
Our next stop was at a truffle farm and olive oil producer, Le Mazet de la Clamoux. On the slopes opposite the entrance to the Gouffre de Cabrespine sits a small unpretentious little house surrounded by olive and oak trees. It is here that Sandra and Olivier Galibert run their little operation. I say little - apart from the 11 hectares on this site he also has 30 hectares of vines in the Minervois which keep him busy and she has a special needs teaching job. It seems that everyone does more than one thing round here to make a living.
The real star of the truffling though was the dog - who gave us a demonstration of her unique skills by locating four truffles in next to no time as we wandered up the slopes amongst the oaks.
Afterwards we tasted truffle butter and olives and wine and then Olivier produced his homemade Carthagene, the local aperitif, and his Walnut wine , also fortified - both excellent, both dangerous. We bought some of his wonderful cold pressed olive oil.
The last stop, by now after dark and under the light of a near full moon, was at Chateau de Rieux in Rieux-Minervois where Emmanuel de Soos was waiting to show us around his cellar and his wines. We tasted a delicious Viognier (and bought a case) as well as his two top of the range reds (both excellent). I will be visiting him again during the year to take some of his wine boxes which will be just perfect for use at 42rvh.
It was well past seven when we got back - a very full and interesting day out and justified my faith in Wendy and her tours.
Thursday 31 December 2009
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Gluttons
It has been a quiet Christmas here at 42rvh - just me and Debrah indulging ourselves in food, wine and movies.
Debrah requested some food deliciousness and I was very happy to oblige. We started on Christmas Eve, went all through Christmas Day and didn't finish until Boxing Day because the proposed culinary line-up was just too much to fit into one sitting, even an elongated one.
We had some great wine too and for once not all local.
We finally ventured out the day after when a burst of Winter sunshine tempted us down to the coast for a walk along the beach. Of course we took a picnic along with us in a wicker hamper and sat contentedly munching sat on a beachfront bench at La Franqui, just next to Leucate. The Mediterranean looked cold but that didn't deter a couple of wind surfers or the many and varied dogs chasing about the sand.
It was back to work on Monday with much cleaning, ironing and general preparation for a group of four clients arriving for a four night stay over New Year. I can't complain - their trip has paid for all the lovely food and wine.
Here is a rundown of our self-indulgence.
Christmas Eve
- A dozen local oysters, red wine vinegar and shallot dressing or oriental dressing (rice wine vinegar, mirin, soy and coriander)
- Boiled Lobster with Simon Hopkinson's sauce for a boiled lobster (naturally) and watercress, baby chard and mizuna salad (there was a bit of bonding with Henri the Homard during the day but they are a bit impractical as a pet so in the pan he had to go)
Greca di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino, Terredora, Campagnia, Italy
Debrah chose both the wines back in London and they proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the seafood supper.
Christmas Day
- Home marinated salmon with dill and the remains of the lobster sauce which is in fact a sort of mustard mayonnaise and went perfectly with the salmon (so good in fact we are going to serve it to guests later this week)
- Tartare of mackerel with pickled cucumber and citrus cream (skinning and boning the fish is the only fiddly bit - the rest is easy to prepare and the combination of flavours is wonderful)
with both these course we polished off the remains of the Italian whites from the night before
- Chicken Liver Parfait (my day at Corrigans put to good effect - it worked a treat but maybe could have had an extra 5 minutes in the bain marie - deliciously rich and yummy though)
- Potato, Celeriac and Truffle Oil Soup (probably a bit odd to have soup at this juncture but the it's earthiness and creaminess was a perfect link between the lighter first courses and the ones to follow)
- Pigeon in Muscat with grapes (just the one bird between the two of us - we were pacing ourselves - and D isn't a great fan of game but this worked so well with the sweetness of the wine cutting through the richness of the bird - a veritable success)
La Chapelle, St Jacques D'Albas, Minervois 2004
- Braised Pheasant in pimenton and cream sauce (this was a step too far for D who isn't mad about cream sauces either - oh well, I liked it but I should have known better)
Ledogar, Domaine Grand Lauze 2004, Vin de Table, Corbieres
Boxing Day
- Pan fried scallops, boudin noir and quince (wow! - for me this was the best dish I cooked all Christmas - fantastic flavour combination helped enormously by the wine..)
Condrieu, Guigal, 2005
- Fillet steak poached in red wine with potato puree (this was good but we both agreed that as good as it was we prefer our steak pan fried and the potato didn't work as well as the celeriac puree that should have gone with this dish - we used the celeriac for something else next day)
L'Hospitalis, La Clape, Georges Bertrand 2005
- Sauternes & Olive Oil cake with bitter orange ice cream (it was supposed to be sauternes but I can't be that profligate so I made the cake with a Muscat de Rivesaltes instead - the ice cream is good and very easy to make)
Beach picnic - what a feast
- boiled and roast ham (make one every Christmas and only at Christmas for some strange reason - just delicious - can't beat it)
- celeriac remoulade (with capers and gherkins and mustardy dressing for extra kick)
- avocado and radish salad
- duck liver pate
- left over cold pheasant
- quails eggs
- baguette
no wine - bit of a shock I know but I was driving
Debrah requested some food deliciousness and I was very happy to oblige. We started on Christmas Eve, went all through Christmas Day and didn't finish until Boxing Day because the proposed culinary line-up was just too much to fit into one sitting, even an elongated one.
We had some great wine too and for once not all local.
We finally ventured out the day after when a burst of Winter sunshine tempted us down to the coast for a walk along the beach. Of course we took a picnic along with us in a wicker hamper and sat contentedly munching sat on a beachfront bench at La Franqui, just next to Leucate. The Mediterranean looked cold but that didn't deter a couple of wind surfers or the many and varied dogs chasing about the sand.
It was back to work on Monday with much cleaning, ironing and general preparation for a group of four clients arriving for a four night stay over New Year. I can't complain - their trip has paid for all the lovely food and wine.
Here is a rundown of our self-indulgence.
Christmas Eve
- A dozen local oysters, red wine vinegar and shallot dressing or oriental dressing (rice wine vinegar, mirin, soy and coriander)
- Boiled Lobster with Simon Hopkinson's sauce for a boiled lobster (naturally) and watercress, baby chard and mizuna salad (there was a bit of bonding with Henri the Homard during the day but they are a bit impractical as a pet so in the pan he had to go)
Greca di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino, Terredora, Campagnia, Italy
Debrah chose both the wines back in London and they proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the seafood supper.
Christmas Day
- Home marinated salmon with dill and the remains of the lobster sauce which is in fact a sort of mustard mayonnaise and went perfectly with the salmon (so good in fact we are going to serve it to guests later this week)
- Tartare of mackerel with pickled cucumber and citrus cream (skinning and boning the fish is the only fiddly bit - the rest is easy to prepare and the combination of flavours is wonderful)
with both these course we polished off the remains of the Italian whites from the night before
- Chicken Liver Parfait (my day at Corrigans put to good effect - it worked a treat but maybe could have had an extra 5 minutes in the bain marie - deliciously rich and yummy though)
- Potato, Celeriac and Truffle Oil Soup (probably a bit odd to have soup at this juncture but the it's earthiness and creaminess was a perfect link between the lighter first courses and the ones to follow)
- Pigeon in Muscat with grapes (just the one bird between the two of us - we were pacing ourselves - and D isn't a great fan of game but this worked so well with the sweetness of the wine cutting through the richness of the bird - a veritable success)
La Chapelle, St Jacques D'Albas, Minervois 2004
- Braised Pheasant in pimenton and cream sauce (this was a step too far for D who isn't mad about cream sauces either - oh well, I liked it but I should have known better)
Ledogar, Domaine Grand Lauze 2004, Vin de Table, Corbieres
Boxing Day
- Pan fried scallops, boudin noir and quince (wow! - for me this was the best dish I cooked all Christmas - fantastic flavour combination helped enormously by the wine..)
Condrieu, Guigal, 2005
- Fillet steak poached in red wine with potato puree (this was good but we both agreed that as good as it was we prefer our steak pan fried and the potato didn't work as well as the celeriac puree that should have gone with this dish - we used the celeriac for something else next day)
L'Hospitalis, La Clape, Georges Bertrand 2005
- Sauternes & Olive Oil cake with bitter orange ice cream (it was supposed to be sauternes but I can't be that profligate so I made the cake with a Muscat de Rivesaltes instead - the ice cream is good and very easy to make)
Beach picnic - what a feast
- boiled and roast ham (make one every Christmas and only at Christmas for some strange reason - just delicious - can't beat it)
- celeriac remoulade (with capers and gherkins and mustardy dressing for extra kick)
- avocado and radish salad
- duck liver pate
- left over cold pheasant
- quails eggs
- baguette
no wine - bit of a shock I know but I was driving
Wednesday 23 December 2009
There and back
Well I did make it to London and I have made it back to Carcassonne again, but there have been many moments over the past few days when in my heart I really felt it wasn't going to happen.
My four hour door to door everything goes right perfect trip from Carcassonne to London took double that time on Sunday but I'm not complaining because the journey actually took place rather than being cancelled once more. In fact it took two days and four hours from my original departure date last Friday.
It was a gorgeous sunny Sunday morning but it had been a bitterly cold night and ice on the runway was the major concern. The first two flights of the day were diverted to Perpignan but at least the passengers were bussed down there to get their flight. The plane from Stansted was delayed which turned out to be a major blessing - the extra time allowed the sun to do it's work on the runway and in mid-afternoon the airport at Carcassonne was declared open and my flight became the first to arrive for three days. It was a relief to finally get back to London.
Debrah had a big client presentation on Monday and wanted to be in work early, so I took the opportunity to drop her into London at 8am and head off to my parents in Sussex to make up a little bit for missing them at the weekend. The roads were mostly clear and I was down there in no time - the quickest journey there for many a year.
My Mum hadn't been out since Friday because of the snow so jumped at the opportunity to come with me to the supermarket and get some more supplies, there being more bad weather forecast. I said we should stick to the main roads but not knowing the way I relied on her directions which started taking us a bit off-piste so to speak. We were very lucky to get away with one downhill icy approach to a junction - a gentle dab on the brakes and I knew immediately that we would not be able to stop and so sailed straight out and onto the main road where there was more traction. I silently thanked my lucky stars that there was no traffic at that moment whilst playing the whole thing down for my mother's benefit.
We came back on the main road all the way!
The journey home to London was a nightmare. I left straight after lunch, aware of the weather warning - initail rain turned to snow and then a blizzard but the traffic kept moving but slower and slower and slower until it finally came to a halt at the top of Brixton Hill - it then took me 2 hours to cover the five miles from Brixton to Borough (if that far) and then it took us a further three and half hours to get from Debrah's office to home - normally a 30 minute journey. All in all it took me 7 hours to cover the 50 miles from Sussex back to Hornsey.
Fastest journey time going out - slowest coming back. There was no point getting upset about it - there was nothing anyone could have done to make it any better. Despite the moaning Middle Englanders on the TV the next day complaining about the lack of warning, the lack of information and the national disgrace of our inability to cope, the reality was that a warning was issued, the roads were gritted, people were driving sensibly and I saw many instances of fantastic public spirit and stoicism as passers-by helped those skidding, falling off bikes, falling over and in general need of assistance. The snow just overwhelmed the system. We sat motionless for over an hour in traffic and saw no road rage or bad temper - just a resignation as to the situation whilst the police dealt with broken down buses and blocked roads and whatever else was thrown at them.
And whilst all this went on the Eurostar problems had created problems for Eurotunnel. we had a reservation for this morning but for a couple of days it was very unclear whether it would be honoured or not.
Despite more warnings about icy roads and freezing temperatures, in the end we had the smoothest journey one could hope for from London to Calais and then on to our Carca home - so what if we left at 2am and arrived at 5pm - we got here and now we can finally start to relax and enjoy the festive season.
My four hour door to door everything goes right perfect trip from Carcassonne to London took double that time on Sunday but I'm not complaining because the journey actually took place rather than being cancelled once more. In fact it took two days and four hours from my original departure date last Friday.
It was a gorgeous sunny Sunday morning but it had been a bitterly cold night and ice on the runway was the major concern. The first two flights of the day were diverted to Perpignan but at least the passengers were bussed down there to get their flight. The plane from Stansted was delayed which turned out to be a major blessing - the extra time allowed the sun to do it's work on the runway and in mid-afternoon the airport at Carcassonne was declared open and my flight became the first to arrive for three days. It was a relief to finally get back to London.
Debrah had a big client presentation on Monday and wanted to be in work early, so I took the opportunity to drop her into London at 8am and head off to my parents in Sussex to make up a little bit for missing them at the weekend. The roads were mostly clear and I was down there in no time - the quickest journey there for many a year.
My Mum hadn't been out since Friday because of the snow so jumped at the opportunity to come with me to the supermarket and get some more supplies, there being more bad weather forecast. I said we should stick to the main roads but not knowing the way I relied on her directions which started taking us a bit off-piste so to speak. We were very lucky to get away with one downhill icy approach to a junction - a gentle dab on the brakes and I knew immediately that we would not be able to stop and so sailed straight out and onto the main road where there was more traction. I silently thanked my lucky stars that there was no traffic at that moment whilst playing the whole thing down for my mother's benefit.
We came back on the main road all the way!
The journey home to London was a nightmare. I left straight after lunch, aware of the weather warning - initail rain turned to snow and then a blizzard but the traffic kept moving but slower and slower and slower until it finally came to a halt at the top of Brixton Hill - it then took me 2 hours to cover the five miles from Brixton to Borough (if that far) and then it took us a further three and half hours to get from Debrah's office to home - normally a 30 minute journey. All in all it took me 7 hours to cover the 50 miles from Sussex back to Hornsey.
Fastest journey time going out - slowest coming back. There was no point getting upset about it - there was nothing anyone could have done to make it any better. Despite the moaning Middle Englanders on the TV the next day complaining about the lack of warning, the lack of information and the national disgrace of our inability to cope, the reality was that a warning was issued, the roads were gritted, people were driving sensibly and I saw many instances of fantastic public spirit and stoicism as passers-by helped those skidding, falling off bikes, falling over and in general need of assistance. The snow just overwhelmed the system. We sat motionless for over an hour in traffic and saw no road rage or bad temper - just a resignation as to the situation whilst the police dealt with broken down buses and blocked roads and whatever else was thrown at them.
And whilst all this went on the Eurostar problems had created problems for Eurotunnel. we had a reservation for this morning but for a couple of days it was very unclear whether it would be honoured or not.
Despite more warnings about icy roads and freezing temperatures, in the end we had the smoothest journey one could hope for from London to Calais and then on to our Carca home - so what if we left at 2am and arrived at 5pm - we got here and now we can finally start to relax and enjoy the festive season.
Saturday 19 December 2009
Making the most of it
I was determined to make the most of my unexpected, unplanned and unwanted extra day in Carcassonne, although it was still far too cold first thing in the morning to contemplate rushing out of bed.
By mid-morning the sun had made a welcome appearance and I ventured out - hmm - the quid pro quo for the sun bonus was a biting bitter wind that cut straight through you. My mind was constantly thinking about that runway up at the airport - sun good, cold wind bad.
For the past three years I have bought a Christmas tree from the same stallholder at the Saturday market and remarkably she remembered me straight away when I got down there today. "Ah Monsieur", she said. "Un grand sapin pour vous". She was right. I always buy one of her biggest trees because I want to make the most of our 4m high ceiling and she always tries to tell me it will be €50 for that one because it is special and she has been saving it for me and I tell her that that's bollocks and I'm only paying €40 for this one here which is better. (We don't actually say that of course because her English is rubbish and my French is just as bad but that is what we both mean with our limited words and sign language).
As I leave with the tree hoisted on my shoulder ready to take out the eye of any careless passer-by she is probably cursing me as an English cheapskate whilst I am thinking 'I wasn't born yesterday, love'. Anyway, she got her sale and I got my tree - so we were both happy.
At the meat market M Devillechabrol, the purveyor of the best confit de canard in town, was initially amused to see me again but was rapidly put in his place when Mme Devillechabrol pointed out that it wasn't at all funny that my flight had been cancelled yesterday. Bless them both for actually being interested.
By midday I realised that I hadn't eaten anything so the call from Bob was most welcome and I hurried down to the Longchamps to meet him and David and for the menu of the day which was a hearty onion soup and a plate of sauerkraut - warming, filling and ultimately windy.
I spent the afternoon and late evening in the kitchen preparing some advance goodies for Christmas and in between I took the opportunity to visit 'O' Vineyard in Villemoussetassou. I had first met the owners at the truffle fair in Moussellens back in January this year, some of my guests had visited during the year and then through a series of chance meetings and twitter contacts and blogs we were back in contact again. They were holding an open evening today which I thought I was going to miss but as it turned out I had the opportunity to visit.
Ryan's video blog of visits to vineyards in the Languedoc Roussillon region is well worth a look if you are at all interested in wine - it's very quirky but vignerons seem to open up to him more because of it. It's a new take on wine promotion and let's face it, most French vineyards in this region are rubbish at promoting themselves. Go to love-that-languedoc.com to have a look.
Dishearteningly, when I left the vineyard there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground and a slow steady snowfall has continued all evening - not serious enough to stop me driving home without a problem but I suspect with a heavy heart that it might just stop me getting back to London tomorrow. We shall see.
By mid-morning the sun had made a welcome appearance and I ventured out - hmm - the quid pro quo for the sun bonus was a biting bitter wind that cut straight through you. My mind was constantly thinking about that runway up at the airport - sun good, cold wind bad.
For the past three years I have bought a Christmas tree from the same stallholder at the Saturday market and remarkably she remembered me straight away when I got down there today. "Ah Monsieur", she said. "Un grand sapin pour vous". She was right. I always buy one of her biggest trees because I want to make the most of our 4m high ceiling and she always tries to tell me it will be €50 for that one because it is special and she has been saving it for me and I tell her that that's bollocks and I'm only paying €40 for this one here which is better. (We don't actually say that of course because her English is rubbish and my French is just as bad but that is what we both mean with our limited words and sign language).
As I leave with the tree hoisted on my shoulder ready to take out the eye of any careless passer-by she is probably cursing me as an English cheapskate whilst I am thinking 'I wasn't born yesterday, love'. Anyway, she got her sale and I got my tree - so we were both happy.
At the meat market M Devillechabrol, the purveyor of the best confit de canard in town, was initially amused to see me again but was rapidly put in his place when Mme Devillechabrol pointed out that it wasn't at all funny that my flight had been cancelled yesterday. Bless them both for actually being interested.
By midday I realised that I hadn't eaten anything so the call from Bob was most welcome and I hurried down to the Longchamps to meet him and David and for the menu of the day which was a hearty onion soup and a plate of sauerkraut - warming, filling and ultimately windy.
I spent the afternoon and late evening in the kitchen preparing some advance goodies for Christmas and in between I took the opportunity to visit 'O' Vineyard in Villemoussetassou. I had first met the owners at the truffle fair in Moussellens back in January this year, some of my guests had visited during the year and then through a series of chance meetings and twitter contacts and blogs we were back in contact again. They were holding an open evening today which I thought I was going to miss but as it turned out I had the opportunity to visit.
Ryan's video blog of visits to vineyards in the Languedoc Roussillon region is well worth a look if you are at all interested in wine - it's very quirky but vignerons seem to open up to him more because of it. It's a new take on wine promotion and let's face it, most French vineyards in this region are rubbish at promoting themselves. Go to love-that-languedoc.com to have a look.
Dishearteningly, when I left the vineyard there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground and a slow steady snowfall has continued all evening - not serious enough to stop me driving home without a problem but I suspect with a heavy heart that it might just stop me getting back to London tomorrow. We shall see.
Friday 18 December 2009
Snow fun
When I pulled open the curtains this morning it was snowing. Not the sleety wet snow that we had here last Monday but proper white stuff that was already beginning to blanket my car parked in the courtyard below.
Normally I would be quite excited about a bit of snow - there is still a childhood pleasure in stomping about in it and throwing the odd snowball - but not on a day when you want to catch a flight.
I had a dreadful sense of foreboding.
I remembered Debrah saying that snow was also forecast for London, so logged onto the BBC to find the words weather, snow, chaos, travel and don't prominently displayed. Damn.
I spent the morning monitoring the situation on various websites, the best of which was the Stansted airport site which gave very real time information about each scheduled flight and it's status. From that I knew that Stansted was open but there were inevitable delays and the Carcassonne flight was still scheduled to leave at some point.
The Ryanair site continued to list the flight as 'ON TIME' well past the scheduled departure time - useless.
So the plane would get here late - well that's fair enough given the conditions and everybody would have accepted that if that was the extent of the problem. The problem was in fact at Carcassonne airport.
It snowed for two hours here and at least two inches fell in town very rapidly but it just as rapidly started to disappear when the sun emerged at lunchtime. When I went up to the airport the roads were clear. I tried to reassure myself that they would have gritted and snowploughed the runway and all would be well.
Some chance.
Carcassonne airport does not have any snow clearing facilities and presumably couldn't call for any help because the local ones were all busy elsewhere. A snowplough, a snowplough, my kingdom for a snowplough.
There was an awful lot of shoulder shrugging going on.
So the East Midlands flight - the first of the day - went to Perpignan. It appears that the only three available coaches were commandeered to take the passengers for that flight down there.
The Dublin flight also went to Perpignan but with no more coaches the return flight was cancelled.
The Stansted flight found its way to Beziers. It was inevitable that the return, my flight back to Stansted, was going to be cancelled. We all knew it was going to be cancelled but until it is officially cancelled one cannot book another flight without paying again.
So we waited and they made us wait until late afternoon before finally confirming what we all knew all along.
Resignedly, I made my way back to 42rvh and turned the heating on again and opened a couple of shutters to let a bit of light in. I managed to get myself on the Sunday flight, the Saturday one being already full with people trying to get back to Dublin - the nerve.
So instead of having a nice hot supper ready for Debrah when she gets home from work tonight we will both be eating on our own again. The weekend plan had been to visit Debrah's mum in Kent and my parents in Sussex - so that will all have to be re-arranged although I suspect, given the snow in the SE of the UK, we might not have been able to go anyway.
And there is freezing weather forecast for here for the next two days - let's hope that snow isn't sat on that runway still come Sunday lunchtime or I will not be quite so sanguine about the whole thing.
Normally I would be quite excited about a bit of snow - there is still a childhood pleasure in stomping about in it and throwing the odd snowball - but not on a day when you want to catch a flight.
I had a dreadful sense of foreboding.
I remembered Debrah saying that snow was also forecast for London, so logged onto the BBC to find the words weather, snow, chaos, travel and don't prominently displayed. Damn.
I spent the morning monitoring the situation on various websites, the best of which was the Stansted airport site which gave very real time information about each scheduled flight and it's status. From that I knew that Stansted was open but there were inevitable delays and the Carcassonne flight was still scheduled to leave at some point.
The Ryanair site continued to list the flight as 'ON TIME' well past the scheduled departure time - useless.
So the plane would get here late - well that's fair enough given the conditions and everybody would have accepted that if that was the extent of the problem. The problem was in fact at Carcassonne airport.
It snowed for two hours here and at least two inches fell in town very rapidly but it just as rapidly started to disappear when the sun emerged at lunchtime. When I went up to the airport the roads were clear. I tried to reassure myself that they would have gritted and snowploughed the runway and all would be well.
Some chance.
Carcassonne airport does not have any snow clearing facilities and presumably couldn't call for any help because the local ones were all busy elsewhere. A snowplough, a snowplough, my kingdom for a snowplough.
There was an awful lot of shoulder shrugging going on.
So the East Midlands flight - the first of the day - went to Perpignan. It appears that the only three available coaches were commandeered to take the passengers for that flight down there.
The Dublin flight also went to Perpignan but with no more coaches the return flight was cancelled.
The Stansted flight found its way to Beziers. It was inevitable that the return, my flight back to Stansted, was going to be cancelled. We all knew it was going to be cancelled but until it is officially cancelled one cannot book another flight without paying again.
So we waited and they made us wait until late afternoon before finally confirming what we all knew all along.
Resignedly, I made my way back to 42rvh and turned the heating on again and opened a couple of shutters to let a bit of light in. I managed to get myself on the Sunday flight, the Saturday one being already full with people trying to get back to Dublin - the nerve.
So instead of having a nice hot supper ready for Debrah when she gets home from work tonight we will both be eating on our own again. The weekend plan had been to visit Debrah's mum in Kent and my parents in Sussex - so that will all have to be re-arranged although I suspect, given the snow in the SE of the UK, we might not have been able to go anyway.
And there is freezing weather forecast for here for the next two days - let's hope that snow isn't sat on that runway still come Sunday lunchtime or I will not be quite so sanguine about the whole thing.
Thursday 17 December 2009
Cosy Courgettes
A clear sky makes all the difference to the day. There was sunshine through the bedroom window, eventually, when it had crept up over the rooftops and there was a glorious hour of sunshine through the kitchen window at lunchtime.
The clear sky meant that it was a colder morning than the last few days - minus four seems to be the general consensus and although I know it will have been colder elsewhere in France it was cold enough thank you very much.
You know it's really cold, as opposed to just cold, when the market stallholders start covering up their vegetables, as they did today. It's slightly odd - 'here is my stall but I have covered everything up so you can't see what it is I am selling' and in true French style some of them are not that helpful when you ask either - "have you got any leeks", I asked, "Yes", was the reply without moving or offering to show me under which particular cover they were hiding. Reminded me of the classic Inspector Clouseau line - does your dog bite? - minimal information and nothing more.
Thankfully they are not all like that and the stallholders I have got to know after four years of working the market are more than happy to show me their tucked up pears and nestled down spinach. It is quite a sweet thought that they love their fruit and veg so much that they tuck them into bed on a very cold morning - they look after them like their own - it is their living after all.
I also did a huge supermarket shop this morning. The plan was to get everything we might need, except last minute fresh food, sorted out in advance because we won't get back down here until late on the 23rd. It was a good plan but as always with shopping I have already thought of several things I didn't pick up - we are driving down next week so maybe I will get them in London and bring coals to France so to speak.
After much deliberation I have managed to narrow down my list of potential recipes for Christmas to about 40 which is just as well because tomorrow morning before I leave for London I intend to place the orders for the fish, shellfish and meat that I will need to make a splendid feast my my beloved one.
No pressure then - let's hope I get it right.
The clear sky meant that it was a colder morning than the last few days - minus four seems to be the general consensus and although I know it will have been colder elsewhere in France it was cold enough thank you very much.
You know it's really cold, as opposed to just cold, when the market stallholders start covering up their vegetables, as they did today. It's slightly odd - 'here is my stall but I have covered everything up so you can't see what it is I am selling' and in true French style some of them are not that helpful when you ask either - "have you got any leeks", I asked, "Yes", was the reply without moving or offering to show me under which particular cover they were hiding. Reminded me of the classic Inspector Clouseau line - does your dog bite? - minimal information and nothing more.
Thankfully they are not all like that and the stallholders I have got to know after four years of working the market are more than happy to show me their tucked up pears and nestled down spinach. It is quite a sweet thought that they love their fruit and veg so much that they tuck them into bed on a very cold morning - they look after them like their own - it is their living after all.
I also did a huge supermarket shop this morning. The plan was to get everything we might need, except last minute fresh food, sorted out in advance because we won't get back down here until late on the 23rd. It was a good plan but as always with shopping I have already thought of several things I didn't pick up - we are driving down next week so maybe I will get them in London and bring coals to France so to speak.
After much deliberation I have managed to narrow down my list of potential recipes for Christmas to about 40 which is just as well because tomorrow morning before I leave for London I intend to place the orders for the fish, shellfish and meat that I will need to make a splendid feast my my beloved one.
No pressure then - let's hope I get it right.
Wednesday 16 December 2009
Getting Christmassy
I have been trawling through my numerous cookbooks looking for Christmas inspiration and have only succeeded in confusing myself enormously. I must have earmarked about 200 different recipes to try but have still not decided on what to cook for our Christmas dinner - which this year will just be the two of us hiding at home, eating, drinking and watching movies!
My short trip out here neatly bisects the Saturday market and I will also head back to London before the Foire au Gras this weekend. The Tuesday market was a bit of a disappointment with very few stallholders braving the freezing weather and not much on offer in the meat and fish market either - I guess they are all saving up for next weeks stampede.
It was so cold that when I came back in my face was tingling for a good 15 minutes. I decided that I needed a hat of some sort so went back to town later and went completely overboard on a (fake) fur lined hat that comes right down over my ears - so much better - I have even taken to wearing it indoors but have drawn the line at keeping it on in bed.
The first Christmas cards arrived today - my Mum and Dad are always quick off the mark and spelled Debrah's name correctly for the first time in about 10 years - there was a card from Domaine Gayda, no doubt hoping I will continue to send guests their way next year - and finally one from the Anglican church in Limoux listing all the times of the Christmas services. I have never been there and I don't know how they got my name and address but top marks for effort in reminding us all what the forthcoming celebrations are really all about.
A completely unrelated celebration was the first anniversary of the opening of The Celt pub. It was the usual mix of Irish folk music, various games in which worthless prizes could be won and slightly too much alcohol. I came home, eventually, with the same amount of money that I started the night with because all the drinks, for me anyway, were on the house - which was nice.
A dull head and the chilly air would have kept me in bed this morning but I had arranged to meet Cecile for a coffee at ten.
This afternoon I went to look at another pile of stones in need of much loving care - this pile was near Moux which is about halfway between Carcassonne and Narbonne. It dates back to the 13th century but is now just four walls overgrown with ivy - no roof, no floor, no doors or windows. There is about 5000sqm of land with some syrah vines that could produce about 3000 litres of wine - but the aspect is wrong and the nearby railway and main road are the things that weren't shown or mentioned on the details. It's probably not for us.
There was plenty of snow on the Alairic mountains and the Montagne Noire and I presume on the Pyrenees too, but it was too cloudy to see that far. As it normally is, the weather was a bit better as I headed east towards the sea and I even saw some sunshine after the unrelenting grey cloud and cold wind of Carcassonne for the last three days.
Swine flu or H1N1 or 'la grippe' finally appears to have arrived in the town too since I was last here. Tom from the bar has had it and Louis, Cecile's son, was off school for a bit and two schools have been closed for ten days or so because of the number of cases. Vaccination seems to be progressing here as it is in the UK - just all keep out of my way please - the last thing I want is a holiday illness.
My short trip out here neatly bisects the Saturday market and I will also head back to London before the Foire au Gras this weekend. The Tuesday market was a bit of a disappointment with very few stallholders braving the freezing weather and not much on offer in the meat and fish market either - I guess they are all saving up for next weeks stampede.
It was so cold that when I came back in my face was tingling for a good 15 minutes. I decided that I needed a hat of some sort so went back to town later and went completely overboard on a (fake) fur lined hat that comes right down over my ears - so much better - I have even taken to wearing it indoors but have drawn the line at keeping it on in bed.
The first Christmas cards arrived today - my Mum and Dad are always quick off the mark and spelled Debrah's name correctly for the first time in about 10 years - there was a card from Domaine Gayda, no doubt hoping I will continue to send guests their way next year - and finally one from the Anglican church in Limoux listing all the times of the Christmas services. I have never been there and I don't know how they got my name and address but top marks for effort in reminding us all what the forthcoming celebrations are really all about.
A completely unrelated celebration was the first anniversary of the opening of The Celt pub. It was the usual mix of Irish folk music, various games in which worthless prizes could be won and slightly too much alcohol. I came home, eventually, with the same amount of money that I started the night with because all the drinks, for me anyway, were on the house - which was nice.
A dull head and the chilly air would have kept me in bed this morning but I had arranged to meet Cecile for a coffee at ten.
This afternoon I went to look at another pile of stones in need of much loving care - this pile was near Moux which is about halfway between Carcassonne and Narbonne. It dates back to the 13th century but is now just four walls overgrown with ivy - no roof, no floor, no doors or windows. There is about 5000sqm of land with some syrah vines that could produce about 3000 litres of wine - but the aspect is wrong and the nearby railway and main road are the things that weren't shown or mentioned on the details. It's probably not for us.
There was plenty of snow on the Alairic mountains and the Montagne Noire and I presume on the Pyrenees too, but it was too cloudy to see that far. As it normally is, the weather was a bit better as I headed east towards the sea and I even saw some sunshine after the unrelenting grey cloud and cold wind of Carcassonne for the last three days.
Swine flu or H1N1 or 'la grippe' finally appears to have arrived in the town too since I was last here. Tom from the bar has had it and Louis, Cecile's son, was off school for a bit and two schools have been closed for ten days or so because of the number of cases. Vaccination seems to be progressing here as it is in the UK - just all keep out of my way please - the last thing I want is a holiday illness.
Monday 14 December 2009
Brrrrr
It was cold today. There was low cloud and sleet and snow all day long. Brrrr. It's the sort of damp cold that goes right through to your bones.
It has always been a problem to heat these vast rooms. It is criminal that the chimneys were destroyed when the building was split up into apartments - a big roaring log fire is exactly what is needed in these spaces. Instead the little electric radiators cost a fortune to run and stuggle to make a difference, not helped by the draughty window frames and huge windows or the fact that nobody has been here for the last five weeks.
It wasn't too bad this morning whilst I was doing physical work. There were curtain tracks to fix and light bulbs to change both inside and outside in the courtyard and a shower head to repair - all of which involved carting ladders about the place and much climbing. I still feel a bit nervous on ladders on my own even though it is now over two years since I came off them during the renovation.
I really noticed the cold this afternoon when I was working on my computer. When I got up from my desk my nose was frozen and I had shivers running down my back. Soup and casserole is what I have been eating today - on and off all day actually because the effect seems to wear off after about an hour. I shall go and put myself in bed shortly - that's the warmest place.
I was very impressed that the car started first time and seems to be non the worse for being neglected and sitting about in all weathers for the last 40 days. I think maybe I should get a cover for it if I am going to be away for longer periods next year.
Obviously it wasn't the sort of day for being out and about so I still haven't been down to see what's new in town or catch up on any gossip over a coffee with anyone. Maybe tomorrow.
It has always been a problem to heat these vast rooms. It is criminal that the chimneys were destroyed when the building was split up into apartments - a big roaring log fire is exactly what is needed in these spaces. Instead the little electric radiators cost a fortune to run and stuggle to make a difference, not helped by the draughty window frames and huge windows or the fact that nobody has been here for the last five weeks.
It wasn't too bad this morning whilst I was doing physical work. There were curtain tracks to fix and light bulbs to change both inside and outside in the courtyard and a shower head to repair - all of which involved carting ladders about the place and much climbing. I still feel a bit nervous on ladders on my own even though it is now over two years since I came off them during the renovation.
I really noticed the cold this afternoon when I was working on my computer. When I got up from my desk my nose was frozen and I had shivers running down my back. Soup and casserole is what I have been eating today - on and off all day actually because the effect seems to wear off after about an hour. I shall go and put myself in bed shortly - that's the warmest place.
I was very impressed that the car started first time and seems to be non the worse for being neglected and sitting about in all weathers for the last 40 days. I think maybe I should get a cover for it if I am going to be away for longer periods next year.
Obviously it wasn't the sort of day for being out and about so I still haven't been down to see what's new in town or catch up on any gossip over a coffee with anyone. Maybe tomorrow.
Sunday 13 December 2009
Back to the Future
After five weeks in the UK I flew back out to Carcassonne today to do a few jobs and to prepare for Christmas and New Year.
To be honest, I have been kicking my heels a bit in London. I have finished any odd jobs and done all the admin and filed the tax returns. My real achievement of the past two weeks has been to annoy Debrah, who, despite wanting me back and appreciating dinner on the table, the rubbish being taken out and someone to talk too, just couldn't stand me being at home whilst she was at work every day - so I have got out of her hair for a few days - absence and all that.
I felt a bit bad about leaving Debrah and a bit odd about coming back to Carcassonne - it felt like such a long time since I had been here and the dreary train to Stansted, the palaver of airport security and the dithering 'where shall I sit' passengers on my flight all made the journey as tedious as it could possibly be.
It was grey and cold on arrival and the apartment was dark and chilly when I opened up the front door but there is something uplifting about opening the shutters and turning on the hot water and the heaters and re-acquainting oneself with familiar things. I now feel a tinge of excitement about getting everything in order for Christmas and New Year before Debrah arrives next week.
Naturally the fridge was empty so I ventured out towards the only supermarket usually open on a Sunday to get myself some supper. Imagine my shock when I found the town rammed with people and all the shops open - the French seem to have had some sort of transformation in my absence and decided to jump from 1970 into the 21st century in one go, although I suspect I haven't seen the last of the three day week and power cuts.
The postbox was also rammed full. The volume of 'publicité reaches a peak in the run up to the festive season and five weeks of flyers from Leclerc, Geant, et al makes for quite a pile of 'cuisse' and 'saumon' related special offers. In addition it would seem that, the day after I left for London, Le Figaro newspaper launched a concerted effort to persuade me to take a subscription out - so five weeks of back copies of that also went straight into the bin.
The lights are up in the streets and the ice rink and Christmas market in the square as usual. I will save that treat and my first 'vin chaud' for later in the week.
To be honest, I have been kicking my heels a bit in London. I have finished any odd jobs and done all the admin and filed the tax returns. My real achievement of the past two weeks has been to annoy Debrah, who, despite wanting me back and appreciating dinner on the table, the rubbish being taken out and someone to talk too, just couldn't stand me being at home whilst she was at work every day - so I have got out of her hair for a few days - absence and all that.
I felt a bit bad about leaving Debrah and a bit odd about coming back to Carcassonne - it felt like such a long time since I had been here and the dreary train to Stansted, the palaver of airport security and the dithering 'where shall I sit' passengers on my flight all made the journey as tedious as it could possibly be.
It was grey and cold on arrival and the apartment was dark and chilly when I opened up the front door but there is something uplifting about opening the shutters and turning on the hot water and the heaters and re-acquainting oneself with familiar things. I now feel a tinge of excitement about getting everything in order for Christmas and New Year before Debrah arrives next week.
Naturally the fridge was empty so I ventured out towards the only supermarket usually open on a Sunday to get myself some supper. Imagine my shock when I found the town rammed with people and all the shops open - the French seem to have had some sort of transformation in my absence and decided to jump from 1970 into the 21st century in one go, although I suspect I haven't seen the last of the three day week and power cuts.
The postbox was also rammed full. The volume of 'publicité reaches a peak in the run up to the festive season and five weeks of flyers from Leclerc, Geant, et al makes for quite a pile of 'cuisse' and 'saumon' related special offers. In addition it would seem that, the day after I left for London, Le Figaro newspaper launched a concerted effort to persuade me to take a subscription out - so five weeks of back copies of that also went straight into the bin.
The lights are up in the streets and the ice rink and Christmas market in the square as usual. I will save that treat and my first 'vin chaud' for later in the week.
Monday 7 December 2009
Top day out
Boo - my birthday is finally over. Three months and sixteen days after the actual day my final treat took place on Saturday - but this time Debrah came with me.
We went to Corrigans in Mayfair for a wine and food matching day and this wasn't just any old wine and food matching - it was wine and food of the highest order. The food had been billed as tapas to go with the wines but the reality was a full-on Michelin starred lunch - ten beautifully prepared different foods starting with four appetisers, three meaty middle courses and then, unusually, a fish main course followed by cheese and dessert.
We ate really well. There were also lots of ideas to take away and think about for use at 42rvh. I anticipate some kitchen practice sessions in the next week or so.
The wines were not to be ignored either and there were some interesting pairings too.
I had never before had a wine from Canada but there was a delicious buttery chardonnay that, if I hadn't known where the wine was from, I would have guessed Burgundy.
There was also a delicious Languedoc red from Domaine d'Aupilhac which I shall seek out as well as some champagne, sherry, an albarino from Spain, a sauternes, a pinot noir and a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand and a red dessert wine from Maury, Mas Amiel, which is just the best thing to eat with chocolate fondant.
My fabulous wife told everyone present that the chocolate fondant wasn't as good as mine, which was very sweet of her, but actually she was right - maybe it had been sitting around for a few minutes which is a nightmare for a fondant.
The session was hosted by the restaurant's general manager, Dawid Koegenlenberg, also known as Inspector Grape on his personal web wine blog which is well worth checking out - inspectorgrape.wordpress.com
I firmly believe that a fabulous long lunch is such a civilised way to eat and drink and much healthier for you than a very long and late dinner. After lunch there is always time to relax and digest before bed - which is just about all we managed last Saturday slumped on the sofa in front of X-Factor and Match of the Day.
All in all it is a top day out, highly recommended and very good value for money for the quality of the food and wine that is served.
For those that are interested here is the full offering;
Starters
Rock Oyster Vietnamese
Champagne NV Veuve Fourny et Fils 1er Cru Blanc de Blanc
Crispy Olive filled with organic Goats Cheese & spicy harissa
Manzanilla San Leon, Sanlucar de Barrameda
Mackerel Tartare & Beetroot Foam
2008 Terras Gauda O Rosal, Rias Baixas - Galicia
Foie Gras Mousse soaked in Pedro Ximenez & Chutney
2001 Chateau Filhot - Sauternes
Middle Courses
Chicken Liver Parfait & Toasted Brioche
2008 Kerner, Weingut Eisacktaler - Alto Adige
Game Pie with roast fillet of Hare
2006 Montpeyroux les Truffieres, Domaine D'Aupilhac - Languedoc
Butter Poached Pheasant, Red Cabbage & Coleslaw
2007 Delta Pinot Noir, Hatters Hill, Marlborough - New Zealand
Main Course
Monkfish en croute, Bearnaise sauce, Green beans & Ratte potatoes
2005 Chardonnay Le Clos Jourdanne, Niagara - Canada
Cheese
Cashel Blue
2004 Pacherenc de Vic Bilh, Alain Brumont - SW France
Ragstone Goats Cheese
2008 Staete Landt Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - New Zealand
Dessert
Chocolate Fondant with orange, Yoghurt foam and clementine
2007 Maury Vintage, Mas Amiel - Languedoc
We went to Corrigans in Mayfair for a wine and food matching day and this wasn't just any old wine and food matching - it was wine and food of the highest order. The food had been billed as tapas to go with the wines but the reality was a full-on Michelin starred lunch - ten beautifully prepared different foods starting with four appetisers, three meaty middle courses and then, unusually, a fish main course followed by cheese and dessert.
We ate really well. There were also lots of ideas to take away and think about for use at 42rvh. I anticipate some kitchen practice sessions in the next week or so.
The wines were not to be ignored either and there were some interesting pairings too.
I had never before had a wine from Canada but there was a delicious buttery chardonnay that, if I hadn't known where the wine was from, I would have guessed Burgundy.
There was also a delicious Languedoc red from Domaine d'Aupilhac which I shall seek out as well as some champagne, sherry, an albarino from Spain, a sauternes, a pinot noir and a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand and a red dessert wine from Maury, Mas Amiel, which is just the best thing to eat with chocolate fondant.
My fabulous wife told everyone present that the chocolate fondant wasn't as good as mine, which was very sweet of her, but actually she was right - maybe it had been sitting around for a few minutes which is a nightmare for a fondant.
The session was hosted by the restaurant's general manager, Dawid Koegenlenberg, also known as Inspector Grape on his personal web wine blog which is well worth checking out - inspectorgrape.wordpress.com
I firmly believe that a fabulous long lunch is such a civilised way to eat and drink and much healthier for you than a very long and late dinner. After lunch there is always time to relax and digest before bed - which is just about all we managed last Saturday slumped on the sofa in front of X-Factor and Match of the Day.
All in all it is a top day out, highly recommended and very good value for money for the quality of the food and wine that is served.
For those that are interested here is the full offering;
Starters
Rock Oyster Vietnamese
Champagne NV Veuve Fourny et Fils 1er Cru Blanc de Blanc
Crispy Olive filled with organic Goats Cheese & spicy harissa
Manzanilla San Leon, Sanlucar de Barrameda
Mackerel Tartare & Beetroot Foam
2008 Terras Gauda O Rosal, Rias Baixas - Galicia
Foie Gras Mousse soaked in Pedro Ximenez & Chutney
2001 Chateau Filhot - Sauternes
Middle Courses
Chicken Liver Parfait & Toasted Brioche
2008 Kerner, Weingut Eisacktaler - Alto Adige
Game Pie with roast fillet of Hare
2006 Montpeyroux les Truffieres, Domaine D'Aupilhac - Languedoc
Butter Poached Pheasant, Red Cabbage & Coleslaw
2007 Delta Pinot Noir, Hatters Hill, Marlborough - New Zealand
Main Course
Monkfish en croute, Bearnaise sauce, Green beans & Ratte potatoes
2005 Chardonnay Le Clos Jourdanne, Niagara - Canada
Cheese
Cashel Blue
2004 Pacherenc de Vic Bilh, Alain Brumont - SW France
Ragstone Goats Cheese
2008 Staete Landt Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - New Zealand
Dessert
Chocolate Fondant with orange, Yoghurt foam and clementine
2007 Maury Vintage, Mas Amiel - Languedoc
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