Fabulous Food and Wine in France

One of my friends asked me whether I would like to visit rural France. Her mother lived in the midi Pyrenees region and needed some help as she had just bought a new house.  Visions of castles, markets, delicious food and wine floated through my mind and it didn’t take me long to say, “Yes.”

A few weeks later we flew into Carcassonne airport and hired a car. We made a stop at the historic town of Mirepoix to stock up on fresh produce, cured meats and of course wine.

Mirepoix is famous for it’s half-timbered houses which are supported on wood pillars. In 1279 the whole village was flooded and most of it was destroyed, but later it was rebuilt.
Wandering around the historic city imagining what it was like to live there was a lovely way of spending the afternoon. Of course there are also delicious patisserie shops where you can indulge your sweet tooth with a cup of coffee or in my case an English cup of tea.

                                  

When we finally came to my friend's mother's new house, we were tired, but we were greeted by Femke who said “Bonsoir” and “Make yourself at home.” 


 I have to say Femke’s cooking was fabulous and really enjoyed her Duck Confit and French Apple Pie.                                             

In between helping to clean the house and garden we managed to visit some historic sites such as further south on the Arize River is LeMas d'Azil, site of one of the most famous prehistoric caves in the world.  Seeing the snow capped peaks of the Pyrenees was a wonderful sight too.    
    

No visit to rural France is made complete if you do not visit their lively markets. There are several to choose from in the region. We stocked up on specialty breads, fresh fruit and vegetables and artisan preserves.

Of course, we had to stock up on more wine. We got some bottles of Medoc, Corbiere and Tempranillo. Well, we were thirsty!

A good resource if you want to know more about wines in France is to look at French wines and the wine growing regions.  

There is nothing like being out on a nice summer's day with delicious food and wine and good company.

I have to agree with Gerard Depardieu, French actor who said, " What you eat and drink is 50 per cent of life."

After a leisurely lunch, I decided that teaching Dropje (Pronounced Dropier) the cat how to dance Salsa was a great way to chill out for the afternoon much to the amusement of the others.   The cat seemed to like being manhandled and followed me everywhere, much to the disgust of the dogs.

Another spot of excitement was when a cow wandered down the pathway to investigate what there was in the house. I was very startled to see him but we managed to get him back to the rest of the herd.

Lazy, hot summers of France. You can't beat the life!

Join me next time when I visit another country.