Newsletter: Beaujolais nouveau and Raclette evenings ahead
30th November 2009
The dark nights have crept up on us already and we are not liking the dark mornings either no other choice but to stay in bed longer eh! Well, only when we have no guests and November has been good to us with a steady flow of customers. The weather has also been kind, with only one or two really cold days but I'm sure we'll pay for the mild weather at some stage watch this space.
Sightseeing in the mediaeval town of Perouges
November has bought us two of Steve's daughters over on a visit for a few days. We went off for a bit of sightseeing and discovered a lovely walled mediaeval town called Perouges. It was like stepping back a few hundred years, walking down the cobbled roads and seeing houses that have been standing since the 12th century.
At Perouges, they serve a speciality dish called a Gallette. It's a cross between a shortbread and a flat bread. Typically, it's served with a large dollop of crθme fraiche and a fruit coulis delicious!!
Raclette evening with the girls
Whilst Emily and Charlotte were over here we had a Raclette evening. This involves melting a semi hard cheese under a table top grill and serving with cold meats, potatoes and salad - we also griddled meat on the top hot plate. You tend to buy the cheese ready sliced and it comes in various flavours, we had white wine as one choice and smoked as the other there are other choices such as pepper, herb or mustard seed.
The accent in raclette dining is on relaxed and sociable eating and drinking, the meal often running to several hours. At this time of year, with such dark evenings it's a lovely way to pass a few hours with your friends and loved ones and spend some quality time together.
Beaujolais Nouveau
As we mentioned in our last newsletter, Beaujolais Nouveau was launched on 19th November. We were in Lyon on the evening of the launch and you could see the restaurants were busy preparing for a launch party with lots of tables outside and free sampling. We have tried a bottle or two and confirm that it is as good as predicted. So why not make the most of our special offer and get yourselves over here to stock up on supplies.
The Lavender Room
The Lavender room is coming along should be ready by Christmas just in time for all our visitors. I've already made the cranberry sauce and mincemeat and the Christmas cake should be made next week, just busy hunting down dark brown sugar at the moment. Trouble with English traditions in another country sometimes getting the basics are not that simple! But, we will be able to get a real Christmas tree so shopping for that soon.
The Festival of Light
December 8th sees the Festive season start, with the Festival of Light. We plan to go to Lyon this year, by train to see for ourselves as we've heard so much about the festivities. Look out for the photo's in next months newsletter. In our part of France, they are still not so commercially minded as the UK, so that means we are not swamped in Christmas decorations and present buying everywhere, which makes a refreshing change. Pace of life is definitely much slower, even at this time of year.
So, with less than a month to go until Christmas, we hope you've enjoyed our latest update and that you are not panicking about your Christmas shopping. Hope all is well with all see you in December
Local Events
If you are thinking of a visit, why not take a look at the events section and find out what is going on in this area - at the time of your proposed trip. There is something for everyone in this area - so it wouldn't be too hard to find that something that interests you.
Local customs
We've been made to feel so welcome by the locals in Azι, it takes twice as long to get down to the village as everyone here stops to say hello, with either a kiss or a shake of the hands. It's part of everyday life to be so polite and friendly and we are looking forward to the annual May feast for our commune, where meeting and greeting everybody takes so long but is so pleasant you don't mind. The food is great and conversation is a challenge, you take your own plate, cutlery and glasses but our friends and neighbours have helped us fit in so we don't feel too uneasy at this unusual event.
