Members
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Disfrutar Barcelona
Not keen on overly formal dining and dining experiences we had no idea what to expect at Disfrutar in Barcelona last week.
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What’s on the cheeseboard this month? Reblochon
Definitely in our top 10 favourite cheeses. Reblochon is a washed rind, raw cow’s milk cheese made in the Savoie area of France.
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Chenin Blanc
A beautiful bunch of Chenin Blanc still hanging on the vine at Chateau de Fesles in the heart of the Bonnezeaux appellation taken on Saturday.
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What are we drinking this week? Poiré Authentique from Eric Bordelet
Poiré is the French term for the English drink perry. Similar to cider except made using pears, it’s delicious and great served as an aperitif.
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Personal news – moving on to pastures new
We’d been thinking about moving for a couple of years. The house seemed big without the children and we had been toying with the idea for a while.
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Wine education – picking grapes for Crémant
The Loire is the second biggest producer of sparkling wine in France after Champagne but here we call it Crémant de Loire.
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – Greek style chicken with orzo
This recipe for Greek style chicken with orzo was brought to my attention by my brother recently who spotted it in the Daily Telegraph. He made one or two small adjustments and passed it on to me.
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Loire valley vineyard update – Domaine de la Cotelleraie St Nicolas de Bourgueil
Grapes are looking superbly healthy and there are plenty of them at Domaine de la Cotelleraie in the St Nicolas de Bourgueil appellation here in the Loire valley.
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Wine education – picking grapes by hand
Why would you bother picking grapes by hand when you can use a machine? Small growers often choose to pick by hand. Why do they do that?
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – squidgy chocolate raspberry dessert
I’m calling this a squidgy chocolate raspberry dessert rather than a cake because there is no flour and it’s something you would serve as dessert rather than with a coffee in the morning or cup of tea in the afternoon (not that you couldn’t of course because it’s delicious!).
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – tomatoes!
I’m sure we are not the only ones to have tomatoes coming from every direction. They never taste better than when picked fresh from the garden. Here are a couple of ideas that are easy and tasty.
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Two French ladies drinking beer
Caught these two French ladies sitting quietly watching the world go by on the Ile de Ré this week. Each with a straw hat, each with a beer.