The last week in the Provence , olives and goats

Today I joined the cooking group to visit a goat farm producing , just down the road from the Mas in the low lying ground then on to an olive oil mill modern style a few minutes to the west of the Mas both with views of Les Alpilles

First to the goats, they make great pets, a friend of David even took 3 goats from the Provence to a flat inTurkey!

The artisan goat farmer was also an ex insurance agent in the afternoons whilst starting his business, until one woman laughed with glee when he told her that she would get ???? francs when her husband died.

He also plays in a band and hire help in for the weekends so he and his wife! Can go fishing. They need it,it is tough work. He says he is a pioneer following the modern techiniques as much as possible, for instance with global warming the climate and rain frequency is changing, so his low lying land with plants used to little water can be flooded. Also he now has a tractor for bailing the hay, however his son wants a tractor with push buttons and a conveyor belt to bring the milk form the barn to the cheese making unit. Already he is removing the goats horns at birth to prevent them damaging the fences. There is more and more demand for goats meat so he is no longer selling it wholesale but straight from the farm. While we where there a van arrived from one of the best cheese provider in Vosne Romanee. He is obviously doing well and is unfortunately one of a scarce breed, many other farmers many of whom are Algerian French are getting to retirement age and their children do not want to take over. He has 4 sons and 1 only is willing to take the inheritance on. The cheeses are very up market with wonderful flavourings of red peppers and provencalse herbs , pimente d’esplette, some have also been tyed in a cloth, needless to say his wife is a very hard worker and very creative. Whilst we where there you heard her shouting Allee Allee to the goats she was milking. The baby goats about 200 are weened on the bottle for a week after their birth. Can you imagine what that incurs.   

The olive farm is a different story in 1958 when all the olive trees where destroyed the farmer decided not to trim back his trees and wait 15 year for them to grow, he turned to tomato and potato farming. His grandson decided to replant the olive trees around 1997-8 waited 2 years then built a modern olive press. This has progressed to a really great business. He offered the mill facilities to the locals and the rich Europeans with small olive groves! to press their own olives as well. Nowadays he not only sells his olive oil but  he has lines in jam, mustards in beautiful packaging all tested and made in his beautiful testing kitchens above the mill. I hope Grandpapa is alive to see this. Even Bocuse had visited him. But then he visited me too, he even gave me his chefs hat . Actually he was cooking with Johhny de Boer in LCF for promotional work, however he spent a whole day in LCF sitting on the tribune so we got to chat and he sent me his photo as thanks. I once visited him l on a culinary tour and visited his kitchens . He is a sort of Culinary God and to be with him for a day was something very special.

Now back to the Provence 

In about 1984 I had a weeks stagaire in the restauraunt of Roger Verge in Moulin de Mougin, I had hoped to revisit it now but instead I chose St Remy and perhaps for the best . Many things have changed there so I may have been dissappointed unlike George Blanc where little has changed . I have really enjoyed the light cuisine of this area the use of all the vegetables and herbs from the garden. the courgettes , aubergines and tomatoes have that very special flavour the cheeses are authentic , the rose wine tastes like sun when eaten and drunken in the sun. The pure air the starlit nights, the light warm winds fanning ones face . Getting up knowing the sun will shine and the bagette will be freshly baked to be eaten with ones own confiture. The coffee is not quite as good as at home but who is complaining. A simple soupe au Pistou just tastes great with a freshly made pesto with basilicum from the garden. The lovely long thi aubergines (seeds from Mexico) grilled with the olive oil from the neighbour  and some tiny tomatoes fresh from the vine.

One has to move on, and experience more.

A great friend of mine Annie Perkins arrived last week by train from St Pancras to join and support me on the drive  home. We stayed a few more days in St Remy at the Mas and of course Annie lent a helping hand. The table had never looked so good.

Sunday we waved a fond farewell to my dear friends who had looked after me so well. I enjoyed helping Nito run her school and it was fun meeting her clients .

Annie has friends in Lot en Garonne she had always wanted to visit so we decided to try one more driveway!!!!!! So instead of going North we went West . Turning of the motorway at Bezier and heading to Toulouse. We stopped overnight in a France  passion adress in St Chinian. in a vineyard in the hills outside the town. Beautiful. We settled down to a glass of rose before cooking diner then suddenly the winds swept down from the mountains behind. I ended up frying the sardines and rougets in gale force 8 !!!!! Hilarious. We dined in Pattys Wagon and then to bed , Annie even put bricks under the van to stop it moving.

We took our time the next morning, tasted some wine with the owners 5 generation wine makers , Canimal le Haut a languedoc 60% Syrah the rest grenache, they have 200 hectares of land in the hills north of St Chinian. After leaving we had a sandwich Jambon and sandwich saucisson in the vilage before cuttin across the country and one mountain range to Toulouse then a quick trip up the motorway to Valence-Agen . I was back home in the Gers for a moment when I saw the signs to Saint Clar / Lectoure my old hunting grounds, when I gave lessons in Encarion and also the place where I celebrated my 60 th birthday dining at a long table in the open air with 40 guests :- my English, Dutch family and dearest friends. What a wonderful time that was never to be forgotten . I will try to add the photo to this.

Now here we are in a farmhouse about 200 years old , the home of Corrine aand Hunt friends of Annie and Christina. It is beautiful here, last night Hunt cooked us a lovely meal with salad and mussels, we enjoyed some of our rose wine and so to bed. Today Corrine and I went to market to buy for our evening meal.. Guess what we choose magret de canard, cepes . potatoes and i am going to make a Tart Tatin for Hunt from the windfall apples we brought with us from the St Remy orchards  next to the Mas.

For lunch I had seen some black in ash roasted beetroot so we bought one  and some fresh tomme cheeses , these cut up into pieces and  drizzled with olive oil, with sea salt and pepper and some fennel seeds I had in the van was delicious served with baguette and ham. 

Tonight Willhemijn Stuit and Jan Lagrauw, dear friends who of mine who have lived here for 13 years and whom I so wanted to see, have been invited by Corinne  to join us for diner , made by Hunt and I , though knowing Jan he will give us some good advice in these local products . It promises to be a special evening.