Brionnais to Paris

The last leg of our French journey took us through Brionnais & the Auvergne to Poitiers and then on to Paris. We spent a night in a small village called Varennes at a wonderful chambre d'hote, a sort of hosted B&B. We were provided with a delicious regional dinner by our hosts. We started with a glass of Kir in the courtyard & then we went into the dining room for a magnificent French repast. First came Jambon Persille followed by a pave of Charolais beef served with a jardiniere of vegetables. Essentially a beautifully presented plate of seasonal vegetables fresh from the garden, in this instance the garden just outside. The beef came from a farm up the road and was possibly the best beef I have ever eaten. In fact, the view from the dining room window (the one to the left of the circular tower) encompassed the fields in which the cattle were grazing. This was followed by a selection of local cheeses from the surrounding farms, chevres (goat's cheese) and the three varieties all tasted quite different from one another, Fourme d'Ambert and La Fontaine. I thought we were done but no, out came a Pear Charlotte, cooked by the 18-year-old daughter of the family. All this was accompanied with a Beaujolais wine - Gamay. We dined with our hosts and their family and the conversation was conducted in a mix of French & English. This was a meal to remember. As a footnote, breakfast was also amazing and included dandelion jam!

We drove to a friend's house in a small village the Auvergne, stopping at the village of Noiretable for lunch. We went to the Hotel de la Gare for lunch, which turned out to be an inspired choice. This was, as it's name suggests, a hotel with accommodation and the diners appeared to be local workmen enjoying their three course set menu with a piquet of wine. On offer was a set menu or an a la carte menu which consisted of a starter, a main & a pudding. I had the starter of terrine & salad, which was amazing, followed by Fromage Blanc which is a French specialty you must try if you go there. Basically its a very fresh creamy cheese with a yoghurt consistency, which you sweeten with sugar to your taste and mix with a little cream. Unbelievable! In Poitiers it was served with berries & honey but I really loved the plain version. This was an outstanding meal and epitomised French country eating at its best. Another feature of the hotel was that your pet could stay for free - there is usually a charge for cats & dogs.

On to Bertignat, a small village near the small town of Ambert, whose claim to fame is a magnificent cheese - Fourme d'Ambert & a round Mairie (town hall). We enjoyed both the cheese and the town hall...in the form of cake.

In fact this region boasts 3 appellation controlee cheeses. Two of them, the Fourme d'Ambert and Cantal are available from Le Marche Francais in Wellington. Another experience I must mention was Denis, the travelling Bordeaux wine salesman. A very pleasant hour was whiled away tasting wine from Denis' case in the comfort of my friend's living room. Ask me about it sometime. Denis was quite a character.

Everywhere in France offered a new dining experience. Poitiers was the closest we got to the coast and so fish was on the menu. In addition, I had the best omelette ever - so good I had it three times!

In Paris, we went for North African - the area round Boulevard Saint Michel is teeming with cheap restaurants and we picked the one with the most interesting looking menu. An alluring waiter stands outside the restaurants enticing the diners in, reminiscent of the sex shops in Soho (not that we know much about them, of course). I had couscous which was served with a variety of meat & chicken. The couscous was divine - very fine.

The other dining experience worthy of note was Cafe de Flore - the haunt of Sartre & de Beauvoir, on Boulevard St Germain. I had one of those fabulous composed salads the French do so well. We were very bemused by a dish of eggs which sat on the unoccupied table next to us throughout our meal. And I discovered another one inside. If anyone can enlighten me I would love to know what that was about.

It was in Paris that Phoebe finally enjoyed her soupe a l'oignon and I have had great success with this at home.

Heat about 60g butter in your Le Creuset. Add a kilo of onions finely sliced, with 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped and 2 tsps caster sugar. Cook slowly for about 1/2 an hour untill the onions are really soft & caramelised. Don't rush this stage.

Add 300ml dry white wine & boil rapidly until it has reduced by half. Then add 1.5 litres good beef stock with a bouquet garni & leave to simmer at least 30 mins. Make your own beef stock or buy good quality fresh in a plastic pouch. Don't spoil this experience by using boxed stock or a stock cube. The stock is the essence of this soup. Discard the bouquet garni & season the soup.

While the soup is simmering prepare a slice of French bread for each bowl. Put slices of bread - about 2-3 cm thick - on a baking tray & bake at 150 about 30 mins. You want them dried out but not coloured at all. When you take them out turn the oven up to 220.

To serve, place a slice of bread on the bottom of each dish - you need ovenproof dishes. I have a beautiful set of stoneware soup bowls my mother bought at the old Courtyard Cafe in Wellington circa 1985. They are perfect. Ladle the soup over the bread, ensuring equal distribution of liquid & onions. Cover the soup with a thick layer of grated cheese - Gruyere or Comte if you can get it. Place the bowls on a sturdy baking tray & bake at 220 for 30 mins until the cheese is golden & bubbling. You can grill them for 5 minutes if you are short of time but the baking delivers a result that is worth waiting for. Don't skimp on time. The soup freezes well so if you make a large quantity freeze and then you only have to do the bread & cheese bit on a busy night. This is a soup Monday favourite.