Le Thoureil early morning

Nigel made this starter last night which was light and tasty and full of flavour. You will need (for 2 people):

For two nights in August, the centre of Saumur becomes the biggest restaurant in the world as thousands gather for the annual celebration of Saumur Champigny and its wines over a delightful open air dinner on the banks of the river Loire.

Fancy sleeping on a boat on the river, moored in one of the prettiest riverside villages in the Loire valley?

After the 40mm of rain that fell on Monday I thought that would be it for those hanging on in there for a final pass through the vineyard.

I’ve been playing around with vegan recipes a bit over the past few weeks and this recipe (in a slightly different form), was given to me by English friends Nettie and David. I’ve fiddled around with it a bit and made a few changes including the addition of cumin. It makes a lovely lunch served with baby new potatoes and some slow roasted tomatoes.

It’s so nice to see smiles on the faces of growers in the Loire this year. For the most part, everyone seems delighted with both the quantity and the quality that is coming in.