Christian our plumber had been working on the house for several weeks and we were pleased with the results.  Every morning I would make him his usual cup of strong espresso and he would take ten minutes to discuss life, his work and most importantly  – food.  He was a real gastronome and every Monday he would relate the latest restaurant he had visited.  He would tell us about the chef, the food, the wine, the setting.  He had us drooling at some of the dishes he was describing.

One morning he was talking about a restaurant near Carcassonne at the Château de Cavanac.  He said it was one of the best he had ever tried (and he had tried many, having lived in Paris before coming down to the South West of France).  I asked him for the number but he said he would book it and take us.  We looked forward very much to the evening.  We were delighted with Christian’s work and wanted to show our appreciation and a trip to the restaurant would give us a chance to do this.

On the following  Saturday evening, we arrived at a beautiful Château, set just below Carcassonne, next to the golf course.  We drove through two enormous metal gates, into the courtyard.  The place was stunning, beautifully restored and was a hotel and restaurant.

We were greeted by a young lady, who showed us into the bar.  It was a beamed stone building with flagstone floors. The room was furnished with large comfortable chairs and sofas.  We sat down and within a couple of minutes, a waiter presented us with a tray of aperitifs. We sipped the drink.  It was a peach Kir – delicious.  Several dishes of amuse-bouche were left and we nibbled on those as we studied the menu. www.chateau-de-cavanac.fr

We were struggling with what to choose, so took Christian’s advice. We ordered and then asked about wine.
“C’est compris – tout est compris”. Said Christian

“Vraiment?”. I asked

“Oui – everything is included in the price”. He said

We were seated after about ten minutes, at a table in the main building.  It had a beautiful coloured glass window looking out to the courtyard and each table was laid with white linen and flowers from the garden.  Christian explained that nearly everything was produced at the Chateau.  The wines, the vegetables, the fruits, flowers, bread and even some of the meat came from their land.  We were impressed.

Almost as soon as we were seated, the waiter brought three bottles of wine from their vineyard.  A chilled to perfection Rosé, a crisp white and a perfect room temperature red.  There was water and soft drinks for the girls and freshly baked bread.

Up came the first course –

Foie gras with Muscat jelly for the men. Half a lobster for me. The girls chose crevettes, and Christian’s wife had oysters.

Next course was a choice of three hot dishes – snails in Carcassonne sauce, seafood gratin or crayfish in a spicy sauce.

And then the main event. Ed and Christian chose the suckling pig with honey. The girls had duck breast char-grilled. I had leg of lamb roasted in a wood oven. Christian’s wife had roast pigeon.  All delicious, cooked by Lois Gobin (the owner) and his team in the converted stable kitchens.

We were offered a selection of regional goats cheese, served with honey or a choice of desserts.  The men chose the cheeses and we had a chocolate mousse. The meal ended with coffee or a tisane.

After we finished, I asked Christian where the ladies loo was.  He got up and took me across the courtyard and showed me the WCs.  When I came out of the building, I was surprised to see Christian waiting for me.  He took me by the arm and said he wanted to show me something.   He opened the door to the men’s loo, it was empty.  I wondered what the hell was going to happen next.  He took me over to the huge antique sink and with his great big hands, started to explain just how beautiful this sink was.  To him it was a piece of art and he loved it. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or insulted.  But I laughed and had to agree with him and we stood there, admiring this piece of sanitary ware in a men’s loo, in a Chateau, in South West France.

When I returned to the table, Ed told me that he had asked for the bill but Christian had already paid it.

One of the most enjoyable nights we have ever experienced.

Vive la difference!

Next story – Out with the old and in with the new

Madame’s old kitchen transformed