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Oh let me tell you. It was the flakiest, most buttery pastry. The filling was moist and squidgy with morcels of soft orange popping in here and there.

Look out for the wines of Vincent Ricard if you see them across the seas. Not far from us here in Noizay we’ve enjoyed a couple of his wines over the Christmas period.

These quick pickled onions are unbelievely moreish and are satifying my craving for fresher crunchy things after the Christmas excesses.

Happy New Year to our friends all over the world. May this year be a happy and healthy one for all of us and may you carry on enjoying Loire valley wines.

December is a busy time for growers as they turn to pruning their vines. A most important task as this sets the vines up for the coming year.

I was introduced to Maroilles cheese by my first French au pair Marie 22 years ago. She came from Tourcoing near Lille and Maroilles was her local cheese.

Adding stout instead of wine and then prunes towards the end of cooking gives a delicious rich casserole that is perfect in the run up to Christmas.

Les Terres d’Ocre is a small family domaine located in Chatel-de-Neuvre in the Allier region of France and this Pinot Noir is a real winner.

All the sweetness of carrot and pumpkin soup with a smoky bacon background and lots of fresh thyme. This is a winter soup you’re going to love.

November is generally a quiet time in the vineyards although those that have a big area to prune sometimes start at this time of year.

If you walk through François and Julien’s cellars you’ll see a seam of black flint runs through the limestone wall. This flint is unusual and only found in this particular bit of the Vouvray appellation.