When we first moved to France in 2006, we had major works carried out on our Maison du Maître. We had some very good artisans and and a few not so good but all were great fun. One of the best was Christian the plumber and his work was excellent. He was an impressive figure – a big man who had a very light touch with his work. One of the most eccentric artisans we had was Danny the electrican, with the crazy hair. Danny would never switch off the mains when he worked with electricity but preferred to test the system live. No wonder his hair stood up on end! One afternoon I came back from picking Abi up from school and could hear singing up on the fourth floor of the house. I crept up the stairs and in the bathroom, leading from our bedroom was Christian and his assistant Jean, Danny the electrician, and Michel the plasterer, all singing along to C’est Si Bon! It was a sight I will never forget.

Apart from loving his work, Christian was also a great gourmet and adored his food. We would often discuss restaurants and recipes over our early morning coffee. One of his favourite places to eat was at the Château de Cavanac on the outskirts of Carcassonne. We have to say it is now one of our favourite places too.

To read the full story about Christian and our first night at Cavanac you can go back to May 2016 on my blog and read The Gastronome Plumber (after The Llobets story). You can also read about my adventure in the men’s loos at Cavanac with Christian!

The hotel dates from the XVII century has been totally renovated. It sits amongst beautiful vineyards and the wine produced from the estate is served in the restaurant. Below are just a few samples from the four course menu

First course – Half Lobster and fresh salad, local oysters, buffalo mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and truffle oil.

Second course – Pan fried foie gras with fig sauce and spiced bread, snails in Carcassonne sauce, pan fried scallops with bisque sauce,

Main course – Cassoulet with duck confit, suckling pig, braised lamb with herbs, slow baked caramelised pork ribs, beef fillet with pepper sauce.

Dessert – Pear belle Helene, tarte au citron, strawberry and vanilla vacherin.

The price of the meal, including superb wines from the Château’s vineyards is 45 euros – almost the same price as 15 years ago. A truly wonderful place which we adore. To see this amazing hotel, press on the link below. http://www.chateau-de-cavanac.fr

We meet up with Sue and Willie who have just flown in from UK. They are very impressed with the hotel and the food and we thoroughly enjoy our stay at this wonderful place.

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The following morning we drive back to Chalabre and call in to see Marielle and Didier with their son Julien, at the Hotel Du France.

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We have been friends with the Limouzy family since we moved to France (see the First Night in Chalabre story on my previous blog under May 2016)

They are busy today with a crowd of bikers arriving to eat. Their midday menu is three courses with wine for 14 euros. We decide to stop and eat. His grilled moules are delicious (see recipe) and we thoroughly enjoy the lunch.

RECIPE FOR GRILLED MOULES

serves 4

Allow about 10 per person – approx 1kg of mussels, scrubbed and beards removed (throw any that do not close when cleaning)

100ml white wine or chicken stock

100g butter

3 cloves garlic crushed

30g breadcrumbs mixed with 30g finely grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

Bring the white wine or stock to a boil. Add the mussels – put a lid on and cook for 5 minutes until all the mussels are open. Throw any that haven’t opened. Remove from the saucepan and drain. Split the mussels and throw away the empty half shells. Place the mussels on an oven proof plate.

Reduce the wine/stock to about half. In a bowl, combine the butter, garlic, parsley, oil and reduced stock and mix into a paste. Spread the paste over the mussels, sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parmesan over the top and grill until golden. Serve with fresh bread to mop up those delicious juices!

Bon appétit!