Written on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 5:27 pm
local produce, restaurants
Cafe de la Poste came up trumps again. After 3 hours walking in the hills above Eyroles we were in need of something hearty and warming and Prosper didn’t fail us. Ali had his usual planters aperitif and I had a muscat. Then he had a chicken tourte with salad to start and I had a salade lyonnaise (poached egg, lardons and chopped tomatoes) – both very good. To follow we both had veal chop in a cream and parmesan sauce, served with sweet potato puree topped with a type of rosti (yum!) and pureed baby turnips which were much tastier than they sound. Dessert was chocolate mousse – heaven! All washed down with a very pleasant red vinsobraise. (see label below)
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Walking there and back made us feel very virtuous and not at all guilty about the calorie intake. Sadly we were the only ones in on the Sunday night (ok, probably a freezing Sunday night in January isn’t going to attract the hordes) nevertheless I’m now on a mission to sing their praises on every review site I can find.
Use it or lose it is a true saying in rural France or England.
Written on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 5:02 pm
micro-climate, seasons, snow, sunshine, walking in provence
I (Sue) woke up on Tuesday to find Venterol blanketed in about 4 inches of snow and it was still falling until lunchtime. We ventured out after lunch to check on the roads and were amazed to find that even the local ones had been completely cleared. French efficiency! I’m sure the French system of local government has a lot to do with it and really fosters a sense of neighbourhood.
Nyons itself had escaped most of it, nestled as it is in a bowl between the surrounding mountains. One of my favourite views of Nyons is driving over the hills past Buisson, towards Roaix. Looking back at the town you can understand exactly why it has a micro-climate sheltered from the worst weather and enjoying the same sunshine hours as Nice!
The vines looked beautiful in the snow highlighting the contrast between the delicate grey-green leaves and the gnarly trunks. There were plenty of animal tracks in the snow and we’d heard something snuffling and rustling in the undergrowth during the night. Probably a boar or maybe a badge, hunting for food, no doubt.
Fortunately we had left the car at the bottom of the drive so didn’t have to negotiate the drive, cunningly disguised as a skating rink, on Wednesday morning when setting off to the airport.
Written on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
festivals, olives
It’s L’Alicoque, the Fete de L’Huile, the first weekend of February (3rd to 5th February) in Nyons.
An experience not be missed which we’ve blogged about before. Lots more details can be found on the tourist information site www.paysdenyons.com
Written on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
bookings, high season, long weekends, summer holidays
Now’s the time to book your summer holiday if getting the exact dates you want is crucial. We are already getting many enquiries for dates in July and August although we do have some availability left. Long weekends are again proving very popular this year, and we always try to be as flexible as possible with arrival/departure times for long weekends – recognising that every hour is precious on a short break! We could fill the house for the whole year with the enquiries we’ve already received just for the Pentecote weekend! So don’t leave it too late and risk disappointment. Phone us or email NOW to discuss your requirements.
Written on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 at 10:15 am
activities, blogs
It’s amazing to see that there are nearly 200 blog posts in the Chateau Colombier blog archives, from our very first blog post in 2006.
Quickly scanning through them, the following posts catch my (Clare’s) eye:
Hexagram 37
The Barbeque Fairy
another birthday party at Le Colombier (and associated blogs)
Eight (and often nine) go mad in the Drome (guest blog)
Flashing the Lycra
Written on Sunday, January 15th, 2012 at 8:53 am
We are bidding farewell to the ancient tradition of provincial France, where houses often just have a name – which as often as not is the name of the area, rather than a unique identifier of the house itself. Thus the close neighbours to Chateau Colombier are also called Le Colombier. Though ours is the only house with a tower, sometimes that’s not always enough.
I remember the phone call I had late one December evening from rentors. As they were arriving late they’d been given instructions to find the key and let themselves in. They said they were at the house, but couldn’t find the key. I asked them to describe what they could see (in the dark!) and knew something was wrong when they described the flower-painted post box by the front door. It appears that they had driven into Condorcet village itself, and had found another “Le Colombier”. Retracing their steps to the main road, they managed to find the right house! (And a great Christmas was had by all).
But now we have a street name and number! And there’s even a street name sign at the top of the road. (Note to self – I still need to number our house itself!).
Of course, none of the locals will know the name of the street! And we have a new source of potential confusion, as the main road has also been given a name – the Route des Alpes. All fine and dandy – except that the road has always been known as the Route de Gap (D94).
I’m happy about the name of the street, as it relates to the local writer Barjavel from whose autobiography “La Charette Bleue” our local restaurant takes its name.
Written on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at 7:52 am
walking in provence, wildlife
There’s nothing like it. Brilliant blue skies and bright sunshine. So while Sue takes her job of testing out the restaurants and local wines very seriously, this week I have made my escape from Chatelaine duties (getting the house ready for our 2012 visitors), and I have dragged Jean away from the sewing machine (she splits her duties between the garden in summer, and creative soft-furnishing wizard in the winter) to try out local walks. We’ve done old favourites, and a few new ones.
Straight from the house, we wandered down to the river. The changes in its course along the wide river bed now means you can do a circular walk all the way from the house to Les Pilles by the river, coming back through the woods. I wonder whether we’ll be able to do the same in the Spring?
But we first stretched out our legs on at Eyrolles, a great walk to blow away the UK winter blues and get the muscles moving. At around 2 hours, it’s satisfying but not too taxing.
That’s just as well because the next day we went to another favourite place, vulture viewing on the Rocher de Caire above Remuzat (take the road up to the top from St May). We’ve often seen walkers head off along the ridge – so had decided to have a go just to test out the terrain. But once started, there was no turning back! It was a great walk, up to the snow line (just a few little patches where the sun couldn’t get to it) and the rewards of seeing the snow-capped Alpes in the distance from the highest point. About 4 hours with plenty of breaks to drink coffee, re-fuel, and soak up the sunshine.
And yesterday we started off from Sahune to try out a brand new walk. It had its moments – a very steep drag up a shale path. But coming down that route would have been even more challenging. We’re not goats! And probably because we weren’t properly reading the instructions (and talking too much!) we missed a vital yellow cross (that would have told us not to carry straight on) and the fairly hidden path (if you weren’t looking for it) up the required steep wooded path. So we probably added a good couple of kilometres to what would otherwise have been a 4km walk. But once we’d retraced our steps all was fine, with the walk ending up passing the feudal castle of Sahune (now a private property that is part restored) and the ruins of the old village of Sahune. If you’re not feeling quite so intrepid, you can drive up there and wander around the abandoned streets.
A great start to 2012. And the library make-over got finished as well.
Written on Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
recipes, restaurants, sweet potato, vegetables
Having raved several times on this site about the wondrous sweet potato puree that often accompanies the main courses at Cafe de la Poste in Venterol I decided to have a go at replicating it at home. I boiled the peeled and chopped sweet potato until tender and then put it in my processor with seasoning, some butter and some coconut milk (I had found a recipe online which added buttermilk - not having any I thought the coconut milk might be an interesting substitute). Well the result was delicious but quite different so it’s back to the drawing board – or in this case cooker! The texture of mine was less dense and I think I’m missing a spice. I shall try roasting the sweet potato in their skins next time and mashing rather than processing – and maybe coconut cream rather than milk is the answer.
I think another visit to check the original again is probably in order…..
Written on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 6:04 pm
activities, cycling, friends, fruit, low fat, recipes, vegetables
Losing weight is always on my list but with an important wedding to go to in September more must go this year!
I’m going to grow more (and different) vegetables this year and make a start on some soft fruit, maybe treat myself to a fruit cage.
I’m going to use my bike more in 2012.
I’m going to be more diligent in keeping in contact with friends.
I’m going to try out more new recipes (especially low fat ones!)
Finally,I’m going to explore more places in the south like Arles and Aigues Mortes that I’ve been meaning to visit for ages. It’s far too easy to arrive at the house and then feel far too comfortable to stir beyond the gates.
So those are mine – what are yours?
Written on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 at 10:45 am
All our best wishes for the festive season from Clare, Sue and the whole team at Chateau Colombier to all our clients past, present and future!
Cafe de la Poste came up trumps again. After 3 hours walking in the hills above Eyroles we were in need of something hearty and warming and Prosper didn’t fail us. Ali had his usual planters aperitif and I had a muscat. Then he had a chicken tourte with salad to start and I had a salade lyonnaise (poached egg, lardons and chopped tomatoes) – both very good. To follow we both had veal chop in a cream and parmesan sauce, served with sweet potato puree topped with a type of rosti (yum!) and pureed baby turnips which were much tastier than they sound. Dessert was chocolate mousse – heaven! All washed down with a very pleasant red vinsobraise. (see label below)
