For the first time since we moved here, our fruit trees are absolutely laden with fruit. I have to say slightly frighteningly so, although at the same time wonderful. Everyone is saying that this is a bumper year fruit-wise. The sugar shelves in the supermarkets are beginning to look at little sparse, bags of sugar lacking, people searching as they try to make the most of the precious harvest. We have already been out and filled tray after tray with plums, pears, and pretty yellow and red wild plums. The house has been filled with the sweet aroma of jams and fruit cheeses and now with the acidy smell of…

Summer is here, the skies are blue and the temperature is currently soaring to the mid 30s. We have had plenty of rain so the gardens and fields remain green and my courgettes are unstoppable – for now. The downside of the perfect garden weather is that it is also perfect mosquito weather. So this year we have all embraced mosquito repellent! A nuisance but from a positive point of view, the fruit trees are currently laden, so much so that our wild plums and quince are bent to the ground with the weight of all their produce. I really should lighten their load, but am rather looking forward to…

Citrus days are here again and I have been busy making copious quantities of marmalade. We managed to have sufficient pots of marmalade in 2022 to see us through until January 2023, when we ate the last one – a very nice 8 fruit marmalade.  I gave quite a few away and have no idea how many I made, so this year I am counting. It may be terrifying to find out how many jars of marmalade we eat in a year, but at least it is homemade. I find the process of preserve making very therapeutic. If you have never tried it, perhaps think of giving it a go…

Hello to you all from my French kitchen I love making edible (or drinkable) gifts for Christmas and stack up the chutneys and preserves through the year for this purpose. Recently I made some quince cheese, which has turned out rather well. The colour is so gorgeous and the taste is pretty good too! This is great with a cheese board but also works on toast. I gave a pot to our elderly neighbour who loves quince cheese, and makes her own, and got high praise – I was secretly rather pleased. I think she is after some more! When cherries were in season you may remember that I posted…

I have been very remiss in keeping you up-to-date with our seasonal produce. So here is a little catch-up and a delicious tomato recipe – quick to make and great for lunch or supper. One of the highlights of summer for me is the huge variety of tomatoes available at our local markets. I have written about them before, but can’t resist tempting you once again with tomato dishes. There are so many things to do with tomatoes: homemade pasta sauce, chutneys, tomato salads, over roasted tomatoes and tarts – even tomato tarte tatin. One of my favourite ways to eat tomatoes is a really simple tomato salad, using a…

Seasonal food is the very essence of French cuisine and something I have long advocated and loved. As each month passes something new comes in to season, so what we cook and eat shifts in its pattern. In the summer months, when a fruit or vegetable is in abundance, the focus is on harvesting and finding ways to enjoy the seasonal offering, as well as preserving some for later months, wasting as little as possible, perhaps leaving a little for the birds. Cherries appeared in May and have now finished. For us sadly yet again this year our cherry trees fell victim to the late frosts, the beautiful blossom too…

Nettles and Blood Oranges! With the arrival of daffodils and primulas in the garden and wild plum blossom, Spring is in the air. At the market, winter fare is still with us but there are signs of change. Although it was -3°C at night during the week, more salads are beginning to appear. One of our lovely local stalls has its salade composée back again, scattered with tiny pretty flowers. They prepare this from the different types of salad leaves they grow, along with edible flowers that change according to availability. This salad disappears in the summer and comes back during the winter depending on the weather, and their time!…

Hello All A wonderful event in February is the appearance of Mimosa. The Mimosa trees near us are yet to flower, perhaps a little behind this year, or were early as the weather in February for the last couple of years has been unseasonably warm. Not this year! It was a joy at the market on Saturday to spot the beautiful yellow splash of a jug filled with bunches of mimosa just waiting to be bought and taken home. A real sign of brighter days ahead, but meanwhile a cheery vase of tiny yellow fluffy pompoms in the hallway, daring you to smile and dream of warmer days. Bright colours…