Central France

On 5 April 2009 the small village of Bouzeron in Burgundy holds its annual Wine & parsleyed Ham (Jambon Persille) celebration:

A fruitful alliance between village and parsleyed Ham – discover the village and take a gastronomic tour in its streets. There will also be crafts,entertainment and snacks with regional dishes and rapid restauration

Bouzeron AC is in the Cotes Challonais in southern Burgundy, but unlike most of its neighbours is focussed on producing white wines based on the Aligoté grape.

See www.burgundy-wines.fr
What’s more it can come from one of my favourite Burgundy negociants at Faiveley

The Telegraph(1 March 2008) offers a list of “50 Spring Breaks” which includes the idea of staying in a modern, well-equipped treehouse in southern Normandy

In the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche, in southern Normandy, Perché dans le Perche is a treehouse with two bedrooms, a shower, internet access and panoramic views of the countryside.

Situated in the Orne (61 Normandie) not far from Le Mans (72 Sarthe, Pays de la Loire), the Regional Park covers an area of southern Normandie and is a great area for rambling, horse riding and exploring the gentle unspoilt countryside – see www.le-perche.org. For more info on the treehouse see www.perchedansleperche.com

Also included in the Telegraph’s list is www.campbiche.com in deepest South West France on the edge of “le Quercy Blanc” near the quiet but delightful bastide village of Lauzerte (82 Tarn et Garonne), not far from Cahors, Agen and Montauban.  I’m not sure if a glass of wine fits with a health cure, but you have the vineyards of Cahors, Buzet and Fronton and Coteaux du Quercy within easy reach. Then there’s duck, goose, foie gras…..

Stressed? Feeling fat? Try the new boot camp à la francaise: Camp Biche (020 7617 7253, www.campbiche.com), in Lauzerte, Tarn-et-Garonne. Eight hours of exercise – hiking, workouts, Pilates – by day, good food by night. About £2,300 per person a week.

In the Guardian 01 March 08 the Auberge des Liards in the Auvergne (Egliseneuve des Liards, 63 Puy-de-Dome, Auvergne) is one of 10 eco-friendly places to stay (as is the NormandyTree House above)

The property – part of a smallholding – is on the slopes of Puy de Liards, an extinct volcano on the outskirts of the village of Égliseneuve des Liards. The owners, Dutch couple Astrid Ursem and Walter Verhoeve, have created the guesthouse from two ruined farm buildings. The main house has two guest rooms, and a nearby building contains two “ecological” rooms constructed with natural and traditional materials. Insulation is provided by a mix of hemp, chalk, loam and hay – as well as soil collected from molehills, which they use to insulate the floor. The rooms are simply decorated, with natural colours and wooden furniture. Guests are provided with eco-friendly soap, there are low-energy lights and household cleaning products are biodegradable.

The start of the cycling season in France is marked by the somewhat mis-named Paris-Nice race which runs from 9th – 16th March 2008. Mis-named because although it does indeed finish in Nice it does not start anywhere near Paris. This year is pushes off from Amilly (45 Loiret, Centre) about 75 miles south of Paris near Montargis.

It is also known as the “Race to the Sun” and extends over 1200 km in the week.

After a time trial (prologue) on Sunday 9 March, the route heads south through Nevers (58 Nievre, Burgundy) via Sancerre, then across to Beaujolais (Belleville, 69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) and Fleurie and on to Saint Etienne (42 Loire, Rhone-Alpes).

After a transfer down to Montelimar (26 Drome, Rhone-Alpes) the race then heads for the Alps via Mont Ventoux, Althen-les-Paluds (84 Vaucluse, Provence) and onto the Mediterranean coast via Sisteron to Cannes and Nice where the race finishes on 16 March on the Promenade des Anglais.
Even if you are not a cycling fan, the race and its paraphernalia is quite a spectacle and will pass through some glorious countryside.

For more info on the route see www.letour.fr

BBC2’s final of MasterChef 2008 (Thursday 28 Feb 2008) takes the finalists to work in some of France’s best restaurants.

The other challenges for the 3 finalists have included cooking at the London Hilton for a group of Professional Chefs with 17 Michelin stars between them, and cooking for the Army in the heat and humidity of Belize with very basic army equipment. Working in a French Michelin-starred restaurant will be the final challenge!

The restaurants and chefs chosen are recognised as amongst the best in the world, with exacting standards and extraordinary quality food:-

• Troisgros in Roanne (42 Loire, Rhone-Alpes)
• Michel Bras in Laguiole (12 Aveyron, Midi-Pyrenees) – (see the recipe for a Mischievious Cherry Dessert – malice des cerises)
• Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire (75 Paris, Ile de France)

Interesting that 2 of these top restaurants are not in Paris but deep in the French countryside – very provincial and some distance from major centres of population – the French will travel long distances for a good meal!

If you are interested in French cuisine, have a read of Michael Booth’s entertaining book Sacre Cordon Bleu

Booth shares with us the secrets of his training at Le Cordon Bleu and of French cooking itself, explaining how to make the perfect sauce; the secret of great stocks; how to win a fight with a lobster; and how to avoid maiming yourself while cleaning your knives. He explores how France rose to culinary pre-eminence and asks if Paris still deserves its reputation as the culinary capital of the world. Following both traumas and unexpected triumphs at school, Booth embarks on the ultimate chef’s challenge, he goes to work at the Michelin-starred Paris restaurant of the most famous chef in France, Joel Robuchon.

You’ll learn a lot about the French and their approach to food.

The beautiful and elegant Viaduc de Millau designed by Norman Foster is a breathtaking sight in the middle of an otherwise little-known region of France. The stunning photograph above comes from the Independent and Mercedes magazine Poise – available with the Independent (22 Sep 07) and available as an online ezine.

Michelin has also published a new Green guide (only in French at the moment) on the A75 Autoroute (la Meridienne) which runs down from Clermont Ferrand (63 Puy-de-Dome, Auvergne) to Pezenas (34 Herault, Languedoc) across the Tarn Gorge at Millau (12 Aveyron, Midi-Pyrenees).The whole area is ripe for exploring. So the guide has 12 suggested itineraries including one which focusses on the vineyards of the Languedoc and Auvergne – other attractions include the vulcanic landscapes of the Auverge, thermal spas, Templar castles…….

New Michelin Green Guide – France (in English)

Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne (19 Correze, Limousin) claims to be at the heart of “Strawberry Country” and hence celebrates its Fete de la Fraise every Spring – this year it takes place on Sunday 13 May 2007 (Fete de la Fraise). As usual there will be a competition for the best fruit, a massive strawberry tarte, producer’s stalls, music and a parade – and now in its 19th year the pattern is well-established.
There is a website for the festival at www.fetedelafraise-beaulieu.fr which tells you more about strawberries than you may feel you need to know )e.g. the prime variety of Strawberry here is the “garriguette”), but the festival itself looks most enticing, bringing a real taste of Spring.
Beaulieu (literally “beautiful place”) is a pretty village high up the Dordogne valley – above Sarlat and the classical heart of the Dordogne (see map) The departement of the Correze is less-crowded than the rest of the Dordogne, and more unspoilt deepest France which is worth exploring..
FOR MORE INFO on Beaulieu – see www.beaulieu-sur-dordogne.fr
FOR MORE INFO on the Correze – see www.vacances-en-correze.net