Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Meet Maddy

And so, having decided that life is pretty short (and clearly that I don't have enough on my plate?!), we decide to get a puppy. She is very lovely and her name is Maddy ...

Maddy
As I am now obliged, most willingly, to walk in the beautiful Languedoc countryside (as Darren is obliged to cycle), I will be able to share our finds with you.


chickens





Today, Maddy found ...

note: 
we didn't bring one home. 


rainbow





And I saw 

a beautiful rainbow in a dark blue sky.



A bientôt

Emma & Maddy





 ...coming soon ...food from Le Saint André

Monday, May 23, 2011

Goats Cheese...yum

This Sunday, just gone, that would be the 22nd May 2011 took us to the "Le Mas Rolland" in the stunning hamlet of Montesquieu for the annual festival of all things goat and goats cheese.

The farm has 80 goats which have a pretty brilliant life. Raised in the most natural of country side with views down to the sea, no wonder they produce such fantastic cheese.

The village comes alive with food and wine stalls, giant games for children and craft workshops for children and adults.

But the main event is, of course, lunch. Our good french friends had secured their tables by 11.30 and were tucking into the delicious offerings before 12.00. Needless to say, we should have been more organised. Our hopes were shattered when we queued for the mouth watering plate of apéritif delights - verrines, tapenades, charcuterie and a delicat, lightly dressed salad - only to be told we should have ordered in advance. Not to be defeated, I headed off with the children to fetch generous plates of moules, fresh and sea tasting, some goats cheese salad and a kilo of plump, ripe cherries. Darren meanwhile, had found fresh boudin sausage (black pudding) and an array of little goats cheeses. We found a shady spot on some steps and drank chilled rosé kindly supplied by our lovely friends Isla and Paul from Sarabande wines, and watched the world go by.

Opposite us, in a more civilised manner sat a group of locals who took a good 3 hours over their lunch - each time I glanced over, more bread was being cut, more wine was being poured.

Then for the jazz..some local farmers and their gruff voiced leader got us dancing and whooping for more!
A hot sunny day in the company of friends and little ones with fresh cheeses, all kinds of wonderful foody delights and of course some pretty splendid rosé - no better way to spend a Sunday.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Visiting Minerve - some Cathar history

My curiosity for all things Cathar is taking hold. I'm reaching the end of the book Labyrinth by Kate Mosse which timed nicely with our trip to Minerve, just an hour or so to the west of us.

The weather wasn't great, but this helped us go back to the dark days of the 13th century when in 1210 the village was besieged by Simon de Montfort and his army from Northern France. A group of Cathars had sought refuge in Minerve after the massacre of Beziers. After six weeks Viscount Guilhem of Minerve surrendered saving the villagers and himself. Some 140 loyal Cathars refused to give up their faith and met their deaths on 22 July. Such is one of the many horrific stories of the Albigensian Crusade that stormed the Languedoc region. Of all of the original fortifications in Minerve, only a slender octagonal tower, known locally as the Candela, survives.

Wandering around the town now it is easy to see why Minerve is noted as one of the most beautiful villages in France. You will find restaurants with dramatic views, galleries and a fabulously-curious book shop/cafe. A museum dedicated to paleontology took my son's interest - not bad considering on the drive up his comments were "I want to go home, it's just a load of old rocks here". He was soon in the swing of it all - sneeking around the cobbled ramparts and down stone stairway to check out the replica catapult that changed the village's history.

Don't be put off by the chilling history of these crusades. There too are many stories of the Cathars' courage and faithful determination to hold their villages, castles and cities. When we look at today's news, things really aren't that different are they?

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Escapade Goumande Wine Walk 21st May 2011

Come and join us for the first in what we hope will be an annual event. Starting from our village with an apetizer and a first tasting and then a 4 km gentle walk through the vines to the Chateau de Coujan where a sit down lunch will be served accompanied by some of the finest local wines.
After lunch the the walk continues for approx 3 km's to l'Ancienne Mercerie one of the finest producers in Autignac for further tastings accompanied with local cheeses and the chance to purchase some of the wines that have been sampled throughout the day.

The cost is 29.00€ for adults and 15.00€ for children. It promises to be a fantastic way to see the surrounding countryside and discover why this region is producing some of the most exciting wine in France.

B&B at Le Saint André from 55.00€ per night based on two sharing or a long weekend package including dinner on the first night is available for 215.00€ for three nights based on two sharing.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

New cycling routes for 2011

The weather today was truly amazing and I had to keep pinching myself to remind myself that it was the 15th January. Having been in the Alps all week where it was unusually warm and humid for January and the skies overcast, this morning I awoke in the Languedoc to a beautiful sunny day - this was why we chose to move here last year to set up Le Saint André.




 
New for 2011 we are going to be providing our guests with our recommendations for walking and cycling in the area and have been working hard on researching various routes. Today provided the chance to test a couple of local routes that can be done combining my two favorite passions, cycling and wine! 
I will write more about these routes in the next post.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Welcome to Le Saint André blog


Welcome to Le Saint-Andre chambre d'hôte in the beautiful village of Autignac in the heart of the Languedoc.