What a pleasant surprise I had when my heliciculturalist (snail farmers) friends Francis and Françoise dropped by to say Bonjour. After saying our belated ‘happy new year’, they gave me a pack of snails from their ‘petit gris’ farm as a gift. There was also a little bonus. A succulent recipe for a garlic and almond cream sauce to go with the snails. I couldn’t … Continue reading It might as well be spring
I have been in a Christmas state of mind since the beginning of December. I can’t believe today is actually Christmas eve, how I wish I had a magic wand to make time stand still – I don’t want this day to be over. I have enjoyed going to Bordeaux and to the markets around Médoc to get specific ingredients on my Christmas cooking list. … Continue reading Joyeux Noël!
After all the excitement build-up since the kids started school, days of searching in vain, we finally found beautiful cèpes. I have been sharing a few moments from my mushroom adventures through Instagram, discovering amazing parts of the forest I never knew. Every morning, I feel like an explorer, entering the woods with my stick, scrambling the leaves, and always looking down. I have lost … Continue reading The wacky and wonderful world of cèpes
One of the best things about the fall season is mushroom picking. Someone had whispered in my ear they had found three large gorgeous cèpes in their garden last week-end. After hearing this, I never leave home without rubber boots and a basket in the hope to bring back a bounty of my own. Since I moved to Médoc, I have discovered reliable mushroom trails … Continue reading Kouign Amann
There are only two hundred snail farms in France, so you can imagine my delight when I discovered that one of them was just around the corner. Heliciculturalist Françoise Pion and her husband Francis have been successfully cultivating the Helix aspersa maxima, better known as the ‘gros gris’ snail. France remains the largest consumers of snails in the world, consuming 40,000 tons per year. It … Continue reading September is for snails
Last Saturday, I strolled in Bordeaux searching for things I can’t find in the country. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very large choice of fine food here in Médoc, but I love the city’s vibe and what it has to offer. Bordeaux is a real gem, studded with ‘épiceries fines‘, ‘caves à vins‘ and ‘chocolatiers‘ in every street corner. The bourgeois flair is … Continue reading Bordeaux – Part I
When we moved to Médoc, one of the first things we did was drive through the vineyards for some chateaux spotting. As we explored further, we couldn’t help thinking how unreal it was to live in such beauty, and that it would become our everyday reality, not a two week holiday summary. I needed to find my bearings, and didn’t know where to start. Luckily, … Continue reading The butcher chef
A lovely pastime of ours since moving to the country is simply to get in the car and drive through the countless villages and vineyards that grace the eastern side of Médoc. It’s a wonderful maze of charming roads and invariably we get a little lost, chasing a beautiful Chateau we see on a distant hill or exploring a small road that seems all too inviting. Ranging from tiny operations, where the wine is literally made in the garage, to splendorous castles filled with rich family histories, Médoc has it all. Many of the villages are high on the authenticity list, not a souvenir shop in sight and sometimes, less conveniently, not even a loaf of bread. But that’s just the way we like it.
Bordeaux wines are a blend of the robust Cabernet Sauvignon and the smoother Merlot, usually with a dash of other varieties. In Médoc the blend favours Cabernet and this is why its wines are considered more earthy and powerful than wines from the “Right bank” such as St. Emilion and Pomerol. This is an oversimplification, of course, and there are different tendencies within Médoc itself. A wine from St. Estephe (the most Northern of the famous villages) are more earthy than wines from the southern Margaux, which have a reputation for silkiness. Continue reading “The spirit in the bottle”
There is no bad weather, just bad clothes. Swedish proverb Here in Médoc, instead of taking our kids to a toy store, we take them to a ‘pépinière'(flower and plant nursery), which has become their new fairground attraction. Last April, we told our kids they could pick a small plant to take care of. Mia chose verveine (lemon verbena) for its refreshing smell, Louise chose … Continue reading The magic box
Médoc is not only famous for its fine wines but also for some of the best oysters in the world. There are about 350 oyster farmers on the Arcachon Basin producing 10,000 tonnes of oysters a year. The basin has an enclosed bay with an ideal temperature for oyster farming. Oysters are sold everywhere, from markets to any street corner, and during the autumn season, … Continue reading Days of wine and oysters