Blog
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – Lieu Noir with chilli, marjoram and garlic
I posted a brief resumé of this recipe on Instagram. This is a really easy recipe that really peps up a large fillet of fish. I used Lieu Noir (Coley) which is much cheaper than Cod and just as delicious.
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Annual Fete du Thoureil attracts people from all over the region
Yesterday was the perfect day for the Fete du Thoureil, an annual celebration of life on the river Loire, its boats, people and traditions. Le Thoureil is our nearest riverside village and is a beautiful tranquil place that comes alive with events such as this.
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News from the Loire – Chateau des Vaults open 7 days a week
From the 1st May until the 31st October 2018 Chateau des Vaults (Domaine du Closel) is open every day, 7 days a week for visits to the park, vineyard and tasting room.
In the centre of the pretty village of Savennières, Chateau des Vaults makes fine white wines from the Chenin Blanc grape. -
News from the Loire – Fête du Thoureil 5/6 May 2018
It’s the annual Fête du Thoureil this weekend, the 5th and 6th May. The forecast is for 23°C on Saturday and 27°C on Sunday, sunny and bright so fantastic news for the organisers of this lovely local event on the river Loire.
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News from the Loire – Les Foulées du Saumur Champigny 9th September 2018
If you like to run and are in the Loire this September, the Foulées du Saumur Champigny is a lovely event amongst the vines. Runs of 9km, 17km and a troglo trail of 29km as well as 2 Nordic walking trails and much more.
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What are Les Saints de Glace?
Dating back to around 500 AC farmers prayed to the ice saints (les Saints de Glace) to protect their crops from damage. As we approach May, growers are holding their breath and hoping that we’ll not have an episode of late frost this year.
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News from the Loire – Jazzy Soucherie Friday 8th June
Live Jazz and restauration sur place at the lovely Chateau de Soucherie. Jazzy Soucherie is a lovely annual event at this organic estate with amazing views over the Layon valley. Perfect for a summer’s evening.
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What are we drinking this week? Chateau Yvonne 2012
We’ve been working with Mathieu Vallée of Chateau Yvonne for the past 8 years and love his wines. A former engineer, Mathieu took over Chateau Yvonne in 2007. He has 28 small parcels dotted around the Saumur Champigny appellation (3ha of Chenin and 8ha of Cabernet Franc).
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News from the Loire – Combier visites gourmandes 26 May 2018
So what is a visite gourmande you might ask? Well, a visit with lovely nibbly bits to accompany the liqueurs and wonderful products that our local Saumur distillery produces.
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Scrumptious desserts and a new bed and breakfast in the Loire
A scrumptious end to a wonderful Sunday lunch in the garden with local friends here in the Loire yesterday. Layers of freshly cut new season’s strawberries, crushed meringue, marscapone, rosewater, pomegranate seeds and a lovely quenelle of fresh strawberry sorbet all dusted with rose petals.
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News from the Loire – portes ouvertes Ampelidae 1st May 2018
Ampelidae, the domaine owned by Frederic Brochet in the Haut Poitou will open its door to the public on May 1st between 10h00 and 18h00 at Chateau de Lavoguyot. There will be a walk in the vineyards at 10h00 followed by a vertical tasting of Sauvignon Blanc with Frederic at 11h00
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Midweek dinners – cod with roast peppers and tomatoes
It’s been pretty hot here for the past two days so we fancied something light for dinner.