A nearly-summer day

I’ve been busy preparing the house and garden for the summer. The house is easy, get in a man who can do everything and, abracadabra, you have new bathrooms! The gite is ready to rent out over the summer and the kitchen smells like duck and fresh bread for the summer workshops. The garden, however is a different story, as I inherited a jungle, a bird-full, bright green jungle, which I would like to slowly transform into a bird-full, bright green, ordered garden. Enter some very enterprising guests and family this weekend…..much was accomplished and the recompense was a delicious lunch in early summer temperatures, harbinger of summer days and lunches to come. The menu was simple but local: foie gras with spices and tapenade with figs, served with a large market salad, duck parmentier, cheeses from my favourite cheese man at the market at Vic-Fezensac, and roasted apple, rhubarb and strawberry crumble. The aperitif was even local, with a Monluc sparkling wine dosed with Pousse-Rapiere, and the wine that followed all came from within 20 kms. The hard work was worth it and the garden is even looking a little less jungle-like….

Don’t forget our market day French, cooking and lunch classes. The lunch will resemble the one above, only you will be speaking lots of French in a joyful and relaxed environment. Can’t wait to see you in my jungle, oops, I mean, my garden!