Author Archives: Old Shades

Just a quick update on whats been happening at Les Vieilles d’Ombres already in 2019 .... Renovation work has begun! We’ve added a door in the back of the Cognac gite to allow direct access to the secure play barn area and pool.

We are delighted to see our nearest coastal port, La Rochelle has featured in this year’s thelocal.fr in their guide to the 15 most romantic locations to visit in France this winter. And we wholeheartedly agree with their choice!

In France, New Year’s Eve is called ‘la Saint-Sylvestre’ or ‘la fête de la Saint- Sylvestre’, named after the saint of the day – a pope who lived from 314 to 335 AD. The French have celebrated New Year on different dates throughout their history.

Our region of France has so many great restaurants and places to eat, that it’s sometimes difficult to choose where to go, however a particular gem has recently opened in Cognac, called Hotel Chais Monnet, that would compliment any special occasion.

At Christmas time in French households, most families have a tin of home baked biscuits de Noël ready for offering their guests and visitors. So, as gite owners, we thought this would be a perfect gesture for our guests! So we decided to set about making our own contribution to this tradition.

It’s occurred to us recently how our new French country lifestyle has brought a gradual change to our consuming habits and the way we live. We now grow plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables. We buy as much fresh produce as we can, locally. Even our wine bottles are recycled and refilled at the local vineyard up the road.

We recently created a post about Sweet Foods at Christmas and described how the French have, like many of us, a sweet tooth over Christmas. One of the most widely consumed desserts, not only in France but across Europe, is the yule tide log. Or as the French call it, Buche de Noel. So we thought we would do something different and show you how you can make this delicious flour-less chocolate cake, rolled with chocolate whipped cream.

Letters from French kids to Pere Noel don't just disappear into dustbins or drawers because since 1962, France has had a law that stipulates any letter sent to Santa by a resident child MUST be responded to in the form of a postcard.

We do love our sweet foods at Christmas. I challenge any family to resist snaffling the giant sized tin of chocolates, bought for the Christmas season, long before it comes out for general consumption! And the French are no different. They have some lovely traditions involving sweets, for example, the making and displaying of papillotes, which are chocolates or candied fruits, wrapped in golden, sparking paper with fringed ends and a little good will note written and concealed inside. They are usually used to decorate the Christmas table and I suppose they are the French equivalent of Christmas crackers.

We didn't realise we had so many talents.... making chairs out of tree stumps is just one of them! This week, we hired a man and a machine to grind down the remaining stumps from last weeks tree felling.