Tourteaux Baubeau Club Ambassadeurs 79

Tourteaux Baubeau, Lezay 79 fresh from the oven

Last week, on a cold and foggy morning (and we’ve had more than our fair share of those so far this winter) I set off on an adventure. I like adventures and this one ticked many boxes. It involved food, it was local and it was free. 

Here in the Deux-Sèvres department we have a kind of loyalty card scheme run by the tourist office called Club Ambassadeur 79. The scheme is free to join for residents of the Deux-Sèvres and as well as offering reduced price entry to local attractions they also organise group tours to local producers. I wrote briefly about this scheme when I signed up in 2014, (see here) but last week was the fist time I’d actually got around to using it. As my legs and I know from my cycle ride around the Deux-Sèvres, it is a long department and things that happen in the north are not really on my doorstep.

One of our local specialities is the Tourteau Fromager, a baked cheesecake I wrote about in 2013, (see here) which is traditionally served for celebrations like weddings, christenings and retirements. I was rather excited to see the Ambassadeurs were being offered a tour around the patisserie where they are made, Tourteaux Baubeau, near Lezay and I couldn’t put my name down quick enough.

Mini galette fresh from the oven

Our group, that was mostly made up of retired French couples (yes, I was the only non-French person there) arrived in the morning just as a batch of little galettes came out of the oven and just in time to watch the start of the day’s production of Tourteaux. It was cold and dull outside, but inside it was warm and with a welcoming smell of baking and the seven members of staff didn’t seem at all bothered with us getting in their way. Tasters were of course offered and enjoyed.

The Tourteaux making process

The Tourteau has a pastry base and is filled with a light and airy batter that contains fromage frais, which can be made with goat milk or cow. The first part of the process is separating the eggs, all 350 of them that are required to make just over 200 tourteaux. The actual number will vary as the volume of the beaten egg white varies depending on the external temperature. They have a pretty cool machine that separates the eggs, where the whites fall through the holes leaving the yolks to plop into the basin. Any rogue yolk has to be removed from the whites, which are beaten to soft peaks before being folded into the yolk, flour and sugar batter.

Hand mixing the egg whites into the batter

We were told at the beginning of the tour that the flour, eggs, fromage frais and butter all come from the local area and much of the process is still carried out by hand. They weren’t lying, but I’m not sure any of us were expecting to see the hand (or should I say arm) mixing in of the beaten eggs to the batter.

A delicious slice of tourteau fromager

Once the batter is spooned into the shells they are cooked at 300° for about 20 mins. The volume of egg white in the mix means they rise, but also that they brown very quickly hence the black top. The cooking process is watched very carefully, by shining a torch through the glass door of the oven, but as they looked black very quickly how they knew when they were cooked was a mystery to me. Once done, the oven was switched off and the door was opened allowing a cloud of smoke and smell of burning to escape, but the tourteaux stayed put for four minutes. It wasn’t quite the nice smell of baking we had arrived to, however, don’t be put off by their burned appearance as it hides a delicious, moist, light and airy cake within.

If you live in the Deux-Sèvres and would like more information on the Ambassadors scheme, click here.

This post has been linked to #AllAboutFrance over at the Lou Messugo blog. Click here to read more.

La Friperie, the second hand shop

I love the fact that my life in France is constantly changing and I’m still discovering new and exciting things, even after eleven and a half years. I mentioned before Christmas that I had serious bag envy after spotting this gem, designed purely for the purpose of transporting a quiche or a tarte to a picnic or shared meal. It is chic, stylish and oh so French and in my opinion can only enhance the experience of an outdoor social event.

Sac à tarte

Some French friends overheard my enthusiasm and the next thing I knew plans were afoot to start a small village sewing group, with the sac à tarte as our first project. We are all enthusiastic, we all have our own sewing machines and I’m hoping they have enough knowledge (and patience) to guide me gently. I would love to be able to sew. As a child I have fond memories of knitting, pom-pom making and cross stitch sewing, all under the guidance of my Nan and I loved it. I also have memories of Mum trying to teach me how to use her sewing machine, but alas we didn’t get very far and I think tempers frayed quicker than the material. I foolishly thought that as Ed got older I would have more time to take up sewing as a hobby, but my village life is a busy life and Mum’s sewing machine has now been sat in our dining room gathering dust for more years than I care to remember. I’m hoping 2016 is going to be my year of the needle.

What we all needed was some pretty material for our bags, ideally in two contrasting colours. A date was made for fabric shopping and this morning at 7.30am we set off on our adventure to what I thought was going to be a fabric shop, but I was wrong. We were in fact about to discover the weird and wonderful world of la friperie, a large warehouse stacked with second hand clothes and materials, all sold very cheaply by the kilo.

My friperie summer dress

Loosely sorted into areas of trousers, tops, dresses, skirts and more, some of the piles of clothes were taller than I am. We tip-toed daintily around the edge, lifting, looking and sorting, however some bold ladies (obviously professional sorters) were clambering on the clothing and digging deep for that something special they hoped was hiding at the bottom. I was probably the least vigorous rummager, but I still found a beautiful lined summer dress, that is the perfect fit on my short frame, not something I find very often. At around 1€ it was a real bargain.

Friperie fabric for my sac à tarte

In the fabric bin we all found something that will make some of the prettiest sac à tartes in the area and my friends, more accomplished seamstresses than I, also bought material and wool for their other projects. Watch this space for more updates on how my sewing skills are coming along. I promise to share the good and the bad of my journey, but I’m determined I will be the proud owner of an original sac à tarte in time for the summer. I'm also sure that won't be my last visit to la friperie.

Friperie fabric for my sac à tarte

This post has been linked to the Lou Messugo #AllAboutFrance blog link up. Click here for more great posts about France.

Out and about in Melle

#HTRJack Eglise de St Pierre, Melle

My bloggy friend Jennie from A Lady in France (also the title of her great memoir) has had a brilliant idea to motivate herself and her readers to get out and about in their local area. Her Hit The Road Jack #HTRJack blog link up is a weekly link to share photos you have taken when out and about. Yesterday evening, despite a morning bike ride of 36km for Ade and I, and an afternoon walk for Mini with Ed, we decided the 30 minutes while Ed was at his guitar lesson would be perfect for a quick dog walk in Melle, a petite cité de caractère about twenty kilometres from home. 

Fontaine de Villiers, Melle

The road from the car park took us past the church of St Pierre, one of the three very impressive Romanesque churches found in Melle, before heading down a small lane towards the Fontaine de Villiers, an old lavoir or wash house.

Fontaine de Villiers, Melle

The land sloped away on the left to the river and we looked through gates at one neatly kept potager after another, where the mixed greens of the rows of beans, potatoes, onions and salads were glowing in the evening sun.

The potagers, vegetable gardens

At the river, our pathway become part of the Chemin de la Découverte, a 6km circuit of Melle that takes you through the arboretum, past two lavoirs, the leper pool, the old silver mines, the Romanesque church of St Hilaire and onto the old railway line. Over the years we have explored most of it, but not all in one go, unlike the family who run one of our favourite local restaurants, Auberge du Cheval Blanc in Brioux-sur-Boutonne, who we met looking hot, but happy, having just finished running the circuit. Chapeau! 26 degrees is a warm evening for running, in my opinion.

Chemin de la découverte, Melle

I hope this has inspired you to get out and about and if you have a blog or an Instagram account why not join in and share your pictures. You don’t have to have loads of free time, go too far from home or live somewhere exotic, just open your door, take your camera and Hit The Road Jack. You can read more posts by clicking here. #HTRJack

A spring drive through the Cognac vineyards

Mechanical weeding in organic vineyards

Today we took an afternoon drive through the Cognac vineyards as we needed to stock up on the local organic red from our preferred producer, Brard Blanchard. We were also using the drive to plot a cycle route from home to Cognac for a summer adventure. Unfortunately boulangeries and cafés, essential for our refuelling, are thin on the ground so research is required to avoid hungry disappointment.

It is a lovely time of year to be out as signs of spring and new life are all around, in the hedgerows, the villages and the vineyards. The cowslips and sloe blossom are out in the hedgerows and the villages are ablaze with forsythia, window boxes of pansies, flower beds full of daffodil and hyacinth bulbs and orchards turned white and pink with the first fruit blossoms. There is an air of excitement and gentle busyness. The magpies were nest building in the treetops, the chickens were head down and bottoms up scratching in the gardens, including a mother hen with her tiny speckled chicks and the gardeners were working in their potagers and mowing the verges. In one village we drove past a small road with the sign Rue des Amoureaux (Lovers Road) that made me smile and wonder why it had been so named.

The vines haven’t started sprouting their new leaves yet, but the vineyards were still busy. A pheasant with his showy plumage strutted across the road in front of us into the safety of the vines. Teams of pruners, wrapped in coats and hats were snipping the stumpy vines to two spurs while others were busy tying these in to the supports. The organic producers don’t use weed killers, but opt for mechanical weeding rather like hoeing but with a tractor. The non-organic vineyards are easy to spot with their acres of burned orange lifeless grass surrounding the feet of the vines and looking desolate and very unnatural against the fresh colours of spring around them. One of my favourite sights at this time of year is the huge fields of yellow dandelion flowers that had the weather been better would have been alive with bees. Some may consider them weeds, but I love them.

I hope you have enjoyed a spring trip to the Charente-Maritime with me. This post is linked to All About France, a monthly blog link up run by Phoebe at Lou Messugo. To read what other France lovers have to say about France this month click here.

Found in a car park in France, All About France Blog hop

Today is the first day of the first ever #AllAboutFrance blog link up run by my online friend Phoebe at Lou Messugo. This will be a monthly event and is open to anyone who has ever blogged about anything French; links to old posts are as welcome as new posts. Phoebe’s idea is to bring together the online community and in time create a resource about all things French. If you like reading about France do click on the image below and hop over to read some of the other posts, I will be.

I could have linked to any of my informative posts on life in France, but as it’s almost the end of the week and for us, the start of the two-week school holiday is just a sniff away, I thought a fun picture post would be just perfect. Over the years I’ve spotted many different things popping up in French car parks, some things have made me smile, some are great ideas and some of them are just rather French. Here are my favourites:

Car park boulangerie

Not all villages in France are lucky enough to have their own boulangerie, but it is now becoming common to see car park vending machines selling fresh baguettes, stocked by a local boulangerie. A Frenchman loves his bread and it must be very reassuring to know that a baguette is now available day or night without having to travel too far.  

Car park milk cabin

I found this rather sophisticated vending machine in a supermarket car park. The supermarket has a huge dairy produce section, but for those traditionalists who prefer their milk and yoghurts raw or unpasteurised this is the place to go to. The milk is bought by the litre and you can either fill your own bottles or buy an empty bottle to fill. Soft cheeses and natural yoghurt are available from the refrigerated cabinet on the left. The name, address and telephone number of the local farmer who keeps it stocked is clearly displayed. The price that the supermarkets pay to the farmers for milk is often in the news with the farmers protesting they are left out of pocket. Buying from this machine ensures you are buying locally and paying a fair price directly to the farmer. 

Car park library

All our local bus stops have a small box of books attached to the bench. Books can be taken, donated, exchanged or just read while you are waiting for the bus. I think this is a brilliant idea to encourage the children waiting for the school bus to read more.

Car park convenience

This has to be my favourite public toilet ever. Found in a car park in France it has been lovingly decorated to become a work of art and brought a smile to my face.

A farmer protest at the supermarket

French farmers know how to protest and are firm believers of 'actions speak louder than words'. This heap of farmyard manure, dumped in a supermarket car park, is what happens when they feel they are being exploited.

As you can see a car park in France is so much more than a place to leave your car. Have you ever spotted anything unusual in a French car park? 

Happy eating, drinking, reading, painting and protesting - happy days in France.

A child of Europe remembers 11th November 2014

Reading the names of the villagers who lost their lives

11th November is a public holiday in France and a day when services of remembrance are held throughout the country, from small village ceremonies to large events with military presence in towns and cities. I thought I would share some pictures from our village service this morning. The simple memorial is decorated with flags and a floral tribute and following the Maire reading the address from the ministry, four young people read out the names of the villagers who lost their lives for France during the First World War. It was a proud moment for me to see Ed taking part, although where the deep adult voice came from as he opened his mouth, I have no idea. 

Ed is a child of Europe. He was born in England and despite having lived most of his life in France remains very attached to being British. He has English and Irish roots from my side of the family and you don't have to go back many generations on Ade's side to find German blood too. He is fluent in English and French, which he speaks without an accent, and is also enjoying learning German at school. This morning he did his bit for our French village whilst wearing his poppy and this afternoon the house has been rocking as he jammed along to some of his favourite songs, including a song by a German band called Tokio Hotel. Vive l'Europe.

The village floral tribute

This post is linked to the My Expat Family blog hop run by Seychellesmama - sharing family life as an expat. Click on the image below to see what other expat families are sharing.

Heads Above Water by Stephanie Dagg

Thanks again to Stephanie for organising the 12/12/12 Blog Hop, I had a great time finding new blogs to read. Thanks also to all of you who hopped over, the winning name for the set of postcards is Claire from Word by Word, a fellow book lover, congratulations Claire.

Now to my review of Heads Above Water.  Somehow this book slipped down the back of my bookshelf, which is quite something for an ebook, so apologies to Stephanie as I really should have read it months ago. However I was the one who missed out as it is a very entertaining read.

There are many 'new life' in France books out there and some might say too many, but I say bring them on!  They all have a different story to tell, they all have a unique style, some are better written than others, some are more humorous than others and I've read my fair share of them all. This is one of the better ones, very funny and their story is different, I don't know too many llama farmers with fishing lakes too, do you? Stephanie had me crying with laughter right from the start of the book with the language faux pas and then there was the composting toilet issues, followed by the randy llamas and lots more funnies as they settled into their new life in rural France. Being an expat is certainly a life changing experience and not always easy, and I really liked that Stephanie brought a very personal touch to her story even including little extracts of the children's diaries from their first few months. Made me wish I had got Ed to do something like that too, but he was only three when we moved.

As well as telling their story of house hunting, buying, moving from Ireland and settling in with only basic facilities, she explains many local traditions along the way and gives plenty of information on some of the many French bureaucratic traditions too. Despite being here for eight years I learnt some new things, although I still find bells with wings just a little creepy.

Stephanie is one of those seemingly like minded women who writes things I enjoy reading and one day if we happen to find ourselves on the same cafe terrace I'm sure we could sit and natter for hours, and I would be a very happy lady.

As it is almost Christmas what don't you treat yourself to her book? Link to Amazon here.

Blog In France Christmas Blog Hop

Thanks to Stephanie for organising a Christmas blog hop today. At the bottom of this post you will find direct links to all the blogs taking part, many of whom will be offering a little something to some lucky readers so do hop on over and say hello. My Christmas themed post is my Yule Log (Buche de Noel) challenge.

The main challenge for me was that it was something I had never attempted, partly due to the sheer terror the rolling of the sponge fills me with. However I soon realised there were other challenges, firstly which recipe to use, as I found so many and they were all different. I love my cake, but I do prefer a light, not too sweet recipe, which is another reason I have previously shied away from this traditional French Christmas delight. Many of the recipes contained a lot of sugar and despite the sponge being fat free the filling is either whipped cream or buttercream. I have an aversion to using too much butter and I struggle to find a decent whipping cream here in France. I also had to decide whether I wanted to use cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate and whether it would be a recipe with or without flour. I am not known for my decision-making, which is possibly another reason why I had never given this one a try before. I like to think of myself as an experimental baker so I decided to come up with my own recipe and challenge myself to write this blog as I baked – fool!

For the sponge:

Line a lipped baking tray with baking paper and preheat oven to Gas 4 (cooking time is approx 15 mins)

3 large eggs beaten with 75g of caster sugar for at least 5 mins until very pale and fluffy

100g dark chocolate melted in a bowl over (but not touching) gently boiling water

100g plain flour, 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and 1 tsp of baking powder sifted

At this point I watched with a heavy heart as all the lovely air I had beaten into the eggs disappeared as I tried to gently fold in the chocolate and dry ingredients, despite using a metal spoon and gentle touch as recommended. I think the cooled (as suggested) melted chocolate was the issue here. The batter really didn’t spread over the baking tray very well as there didn’t seem to be much mixture to spread. Never mind, the mix I licked from the bowl was deliciously chocolaty and the cooked sponge looked just fine.

The next challenge was whether to roll whilst still warm, leave to cool, unroll, then fill and re-roll, or leave to cool, fill and roll, I hope you are keeping up here. I decided to opt for the roll it once option, as I would only have to worry about rolling it once!

For my filling I decided on cherry compote, as cherries and chocolate go together very well and it should also help keep the sponge moist and be a bit lighter than the creamier fillings. Having transferred the cooled sponge from the baking sheet to a clean tea towel and peeled off the baking paper I spread over my sticky cherry compote, feeling very pleased with myself.

Buche de Noel (my style)

What happened next can only be described as a mess, the cake refused to roll and I was left with a chunky doorstop sandwich of chocolate cake and cherry that in no way resembled a buche de noel, traditional or otherwise. This is not the first disaster to come out of my kitchen and it’s not likely to be the last either but I gallantly went about covering it (up) in chocolate buttercream frosting and even using my fork to give it a log like effect. We will eat and enjoy it, but I think I might stick to mince pies in future.

Thanks for reading and I hope this has inspired you to get baking in your kitchen, it really doesn’t matter if things don’t always look cookbook perfect, it is the thought and the taste that count. Please feel free to use my recipe, or alternatively find a real one! If you would like to pop back on Friday I will be posting my review of Stephanie’s book Heads Above Water and announcing the winner of the blog hop giveaway. I have a set of postcards to offer one lucky person who leaves me a comment here, please include your email address, thank you.