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The trouble with writing about “hidden” corners of France, is that you run the danger of sharing the secret with too many others. Places which I felt were “real France”, quiet, peaceful and unspoilt, have often changed in the last 20 years, becoming commercialised, crowded and bland. But, somehow the location and geography of the upper Lot Valley probably make this less likely.
Although I have made many visits to the lower Lot, especially around the town of Cahors and the Cahors AC vineyards, I had only ventured up-river once - and that was to the picturesque village of St Cirq-la-Popie - perched high on the limestone crags overlooking the valley about 20 miles distant. The valley even here is quite different to the lower Lot where the river, although still pleasingly curvaceous, tends to be wider.
Few vineyards are to be found upriver from Cahors, but the countryside of the Upper Lot and Célé valleys is spectacular - and quieter. The limestone crags and cliffs dominate the landscape offer breathtaking views - and although the roads are often narrow and distinctly bendy, this tends to have the effect of entering a land where time runs more slowly, where nature makes itself felt - and that is miles away from the tourist centres of the Dordogne. And the journey keeps unfolding as you head on up the valley - another 90 miles in our case.
Our objective was to get to meet with Americans Lance and Rain who have 3 cottages to rent near Entraygues-sur-Truyere ( 12 Aveyron, Midi-Pyrenees). Although we had been in contact by email, I was intrigued to discover how and why 2 Californians had settled in one of the lesser-known parts of France.
The journey up the valley provided at least part of the answer - this is a truly beautiful part of France - the valley becomes narrower, but still offers delightful villages, stunning views and plenty of opportunity to enjoy the river - whether just sitting on the bank in the shade or being more energetic with canoes or kayaks. Entraygues-sur-Truyere, which translates as “between the waters” - i.e. the river Lot and its tributary the Truyere - is everything you expect of a small rural French market town - with its bridges over the river and narrow streets - and the essentials - a bank, boulangerie, hotel, bar etc - and the quiet air of a place at peace with itself - especially on a hot summer afternoon.
The other reason for Lance and Rain choosing this spot also became clear when we found the “Sweet French Cottages” up a narrow track above the river a few kilometres out of town. We discovered a haven of tranquility - with delightful hosts and some wonderful holiday cottages - well, appointed, cleverly and carefully restored - but above all secluded and deep in the countryside - yet just a few miles from all the conveniences of the town - and in an area rich with local artisans producing wine, cheese, wine. pottery…… The local wines, Vins d’Entraygues et du Fel VDQS, had to be tasted of course (along with some wonderful goats cheese made by one of the neighbours)! The vineyards are often terraced high on the sides of the valley, and production is small - mostly drunk locally. The white we tasted from Domaine de Mejanassere was a blend of Chenin Blanc and Mauzac grapes - a light, refreshing dry wine with a pleasing floral nose and exotic fruit finish; the red (Gamay, Fer Servadou, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Savignon), whilst being a tad “rustic” was perfect with some local saucisson. Somehow these uncomplicated straightforward wines were a great match for the time and place!
Whilst many might aspire to the Californian lifestyle, these Californians have clearly found their home in the depths of France, and whilst they remain ambitious, they are relaxed and welcoming - a long way from the stereotypical loud American we’ve all met. Indeed, there is something about the place that seems to instill some sense of peace and contentment - the world of autoroutes, big business and conflict seems, and is, a long way away - whilst nature imposes its own sense of order to things - whether it be the landscape, the river or the weather.
It is certainly an area I intend to return to - there is so much to explore, especially guided by two people who know the area well, and are keen to share it with others. Their ambitions include developing artists retreats (with a studio planned) and themed stays based on the local food etc.
For more about Lance and Rain’s SWEET FRENCH COTTAGES - see www.frenchduck.com/latest OR to enquire about availability and rates etc, complete the form below:-
cforms contact form by delicious:days
which provides an entertaining insight into the geography and history of this wonderful region.
| June 7, 2008 | ||
| June 8, 2008 |
On the weekend if 7th & 8th June 2008 the village of Sainte Maure (37 Indre-et-Loire, Centre) celebrates the local goat’s cheese with a 2 day festival. with plenty of opportunit for eating, drinking, dancing and music - learn more about this cheese and about the “guest” Cheese Region which is the Basque country (Pays Basque).
The cheese is an aged Goats Cheese - quite different to the fresh goats milk cheeses you normally see. It is cylindrical in shape, often covered with ash and with a straw running through the middle, which helps it to mature. It has Appellation Controllee (AOC) status which means that only cheese from this areas can be so called, and there are strict rules on its content and making.
According to the Dorling Kindersley guide to French Cheeses (Eyewitness Companions)
For more info see www.sainte-maure-de-touraine.fr/
| May 31, 2008 | ||
| June 1, 2008 |
The village of Pailherols (15 Cantal, Auvergne) will be celebrating the local Cantal cheese 31 May and 1 June 2008 with a cheese market, where local producers will offer samples of this semi-hard cheese made from the Salers cows which graze on the mountain meadows and pastures of the region. Just to confuse, the cheese made in the summer when the cows are on the moutain slopes is called “Salers”, whilst that made in winter from cows fed on hay is called “Cantal” In addition you’ll find a collection of tractors from various periods; a cow parade through the village (Salers cows of course) ; children can enjoy visiting a miniature farm.
To balance the rich food you can take a hike on the Saturday to see shepherd’s huts.
Graciously there is also a “guest” cheese-maling region which is the Franche-Comté this year. Cheesemakers from there will reveal the secrets of making Comté cheese (another semi-hard mountain cows mile cheese also known as Gruyere de Comté) and offer a fondue on Saturday night.
For more info on the Cheese Festival see www.auvergne-tourisme.info
The village is situated between Aurillac (15 Cantal, Auvergne) and St Flour (15 Cantal, Auvergne) an area which is not exactly “just off the autoroute”. Consequently it remains quiet and unspoilt -
Life in Cantal is played out against a stunning landscape of immense power and beauty. Home to natural riches as varied as the dramatic gorges of the Lot and Truyère, the ancient woodland of La Châtaigneraie, the wild moorland of the Aubrac and the boundless emerald green pastures of Salers.
But above all Cantal is a land dominated by mountains.
Cows and cheese play an important part in the local economy with Saler and Cantal joined by St Nectaire, Fourme d’Ambert, Bleu d’Auvergne.This is an area full of rich simple food based on the best local ingredients. A wide variety of locally cured and produced charcuterie: hams, fritons, pates, terrines and sausages. Game from the hills and woodland with seasonal hare and rabbit, quail, venison and wild boar. Rustic breads and pastries, nuts, oils, jams and honeys. Famous Gentian liqueur, eaux de vie distilled from plums, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants and chestnuts - sounds good enough to eat!
For more info on the Cantal département see www.cantaltourisme.fr
An interesting little video on the Guardian Online site about the struggle to protect the genuine Camembert cheese from Normandy. I had not realised that the name Camembert is not protected in the same way as Champagne wine or Pont l’Eveque cheese, so almost anyone can make a soft cows milk cheese and call it Camembert. The only product which is protected is the raw-milk (lait cru) Camembert de Normandie AOC, which is strictly controlled and limited to only 5 producers in Normandy.
I must admit I have just checked the Camembert I had for lunch yesterday (very nice and in that perfect state of gloopiness before the ammonia kicks in) - but it is not an AOC, despite being made by a reputable (but big) French producer in Normandy!
For genuine Camembert de Normandie AOC in the UK try Turnbull’s Deli in Shaftesbury, Dorset.
For our customised map of the Orne département CLICK HERE
For much more on Camembert Read more on this…
The Telegraph(28 Mar 08) has been running a series on eating locally in the UK, both to be environmentally friendly and to discover quality food beyond the supermarket shelves. It’s not too much to extend the focus another 22 miles across the English Channel to Calais( 59 Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) - train and ferry are both environmentally relatively benign, and into the bargain you benefit from the French obsession with quality produce.
There is a grand marché every Saturday morning in the Place Crève Coeur, where farmers bring freshly dug produce from their smallholdings. Look out for the lush, locally grown broad-leaved watercress and extra-long leeks.
Inside the covered market, buy ripe-flavoured, air-dried sausages - I loved the dark meat of the wild boar (sanglier), the pork with walnuts and the rich, buttery tarts filled with prunes and custard or savoury cheese, smoked pork belly and onion.
This is also the place to buy an athletically built poulet fermier (farmyard chicken), mussels, live langoustines and little fresh goat’s cheeses made 10km from Calais. If you want to avoid dull hotel breakfasts, note that the market cafés serve only coffee.
Instead, nip around the corner to the Café l’Impérial in Rue Lafayette for croissants and petit pains, but expect to share it with the café’s honoured canine guests.
But even in France, and especially in the larger towns, these traditions are being threatened by edge-of-town super/hypermarkets which inevitably threaten small producers and retailers. Calais has more than its fair share, especially with the Cité Europe Mall near the Channel Tunnel terminal. Tesco and Sainsburys are key players attracting many Brits who prefer the familiarity of known brands rather than the more risky adventure into foreign environments, French people who do not (or will not) speak English, and produce which is not uniform in shape or colour or nicely wrapped in plastic.
The escape route from the ferry terminal whisks you away onto the autoroute system via a chemical works and the usual untidy landscape of warehouses and freight yards, but it is worth exploring the town of Calais itself, which does retain the character of a fairly typical French town, with its impressive Town Hall (Hotel de Ville), markets and small shops.
And despite the disatrous exchange rate with the Euro there are still bargains to be had (especially on wine and spirits after the budget), ferry crossings are still cheap and the gallic atmosphere is free!
Fuel prices in France, now much the same as in the UK (except that Diesel remains cheaper) reflect the double impact of increasing oil costs and the poorer exchange rate:
Exchange rate £1.00 = € 1.2254 (as at 27 March 08)
Unleaded (sans plomb 95) € 1.345 = £1.10 per litre
Super unleaded (sans plomb 98) € 1.369 = £1.12 per litre
Diesel (gazole) € 1.2390 = £1.01 per litre.
Normandy is rightly famous for its cheeses - indeed think of Normandy and I immediately think of apples, cows and lush green fields, thatched cottages and cream - cider and Calvados (apple brandy), Camembert, Pont l’Eveque and wonderfully creamy butter.
Livarot is another of the great cows milk cheeses to come from the region, nicknamed the Colonel due to the straps of rush which hold it together and which look like military stripes.
It does of course belong to the family of seriously smelly French cheese, and has a strong distinctive taste and when properly ripe has a glutinous texture - yet it dissolves in the mouth.
This is definitely the type of cheese to be purchased from a proper cheesemonger rather than most local supermarkets. Online you can buy from the Teddington Cheese Company who describe the cheese as:“a full and assertive flavour, a supple texture and a pungent aroma…. excellent on the cheese board although it is best tasted after milder cheeses. It is best enjoyed with a full-bodied red wine, a glass of Normandy cider or even a nip of Calvados.”
Livarot holds its annual cheese festival in August - see our events schedule
Camembert and Brie - famous soft cows milk cheeses from northern France
see map Read more on this…
| September 1, 2006 | to | September 3, 2006 |
In the region which hosts Sauternes and Graves, Langon (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) celebrates its 21st “FETE DU VIN ET DU FROMAGE” from 1-3 September 2006. Lying Southeast of Bordeaux, just off the A62 Autoroute to Toulouse (see map), Langon is in the southernmost part of the Gironde département. But if you follow the Garonne river down from Bordeaux rather than the autoroute you journey will take you through villages with evocative names such as Barsac, Sauternes and Loupiac - some of the finest dessert wines in the whole of France. These are made possible by both the Semillon grape and position of the vineyards influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, which is ideal for the moisture which prompts the development of “botrytis” or noble rot, which in turn produces late harvest grapes where the juices have been concentrated into sweet nectar.
There are also dry white and red wines from the “Graves” - including the modest little “Chateau Haut-Brion”. Here the reds (made from Merlot and Cabernets) tend to be supple and full-bodied with distinctive bouquets, and with real ageing potential amongst the best.
My recollection of Langon is of a pleasant, if unexciting little town, which will be enlivened over the weekend of 1-3 September with the celebration of wine, cheese and gastornomy - the “guest” region being Savoie - so some excellent cheeses will be available to accompany the wine tasting and all the “normal” attractions - competitions, music, processions, ceremonies and market.
For more info see http://www.sauternais-graves-langon.com//a>
| April 7, 2006 | to | April 10, 2006 |
Coulommiers is both a cheese and a town - in 77 Seine-et-Marne, Ile de France, 40 odd miles east of Paris. The town celebrates its cheese in a grand cheese and wine festival from 7-10 April 2006 - cheese and wine tasting, competition for the best cheese, competition for the best cheese eater, concert, exhibition etc.
See www.foire-fromages-et-vins.com
Coulommiers is a soft cheese, essentially a small Brie, made from raw cow’s milk. The more one investigates the more one discovers - as there is Brie de Meaux, Brie Fermier, Brie de Melun, Brie de Coulommiers (which is not quite the same as Coulommiers), Brie de Montereau, Brie de Rungis and Brie de Provins. Brie de Meaux is widely regarded as the best, but as with all these styles of cheese, appropriate ripeness is critical.Too young and hard and so much flavour and texture is missing. Ripened too quickly the cheese separates and is lumpy. A good cheesemonger will ask when the cheese is to be eaten and choose appropriately, Getting one that has just the right amount of ooze is critical, in the short period before it gets dissolves too far into a sticky goo which smells of ammonia.
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