Velo Velo:Boutique Cycle Tours

Just back from a whirlwind trip back to the UK for a family wedding and absolutely brimming with enthusiasm for Premier Inn. We broke the long trip to the West Country  with a night at the Premier Inn, Folkestone. Literally 5 mins drive from the Eurotunnel terminal and 5 mins from some great beach action. This was frankly genius (all my idea of course!). The hotel (in fact all their hotels) is clean, welcoming and comfortable. The staff are absolutely amazing and clearly beautifully trained and the restaurants cater 100% for kids. So rare to find a varied and nutritionally balanced (oh what a yummy mummy) kids menu. The boys absolutely loved their dinner and breakfast experience, complete with activity booklet and ’ Eton Mess’ and their parents got to relax.  Highly recommended !

. . . as Roo gleefully descended the snow covered chateau path on a quest for the season’s best sledging action yet I watched in horror as he was hotly pursued by a loose charolais (cow). Her kicking hooves literally inches from his head. Finally my frantic screams got his attention and he sat up. She stopped in her tracks. Game over !

On our return from the uk last night after a 12 hour drive, I lug one very well loved tent into our ‘cave’ (cellar) and am greeted by frankly the longest courgette known to man. In fact it wasn’t the courgette that stunned me but the fact that a neighbour had prepared a veg basket boastfully brimming with all manner of colourful beauties for our return. She had even included some milk – now that’s why we moved!

…that was the shout that went around the centre of Flavigny sur Ozerain last Friday, and everyone did go silent, including me. I was an extra for a day on a TV film shoot in the absurdly picturesque hilltop town, where “Chocolat” was also filmed. JMP productions were filming some outside scenes of a France 2 production of “L’affaire Blaireau”. Its a fascinating sight to see a film crew in action. Myself and around 40 other extras arrived at 7am for costumer fitting, hair and make-up dahling. In the meantime a whole market had been constructed in the road next to the church and it really did feel like taking a step back in time to 1898, the time of the story. After a briefing on the story from the assistant director we were given two firm rules, do not speak and never look directly at the camera. Seems easy enough but actually its really hard. This shoot had a camera on a small truck on a track with the cameraman and his assistant perched on stools as part of this contraption. I hard to work very hard to convince myself that I wasn’t at all interested. but as soon as a take had ended I had to go over and have a good look at it. It’s like being a kid all over again in this strange world. I’m 44 and I desperately wanted a ride on the camera truck, but felt that asking might have resulted in a stern gallic glare or swift curtailing of my ‘Extra’ status. Anyway, to cut a long story short, we shot three scenes over the course of 12 hours, all in all about 50+ takes. It was a long but fascinating day, only made uncomfortable by a pair of trousers that were hoisted eye wateringly high with a stout pair of braces. Though I was somewhat better off than the female extras playing bourgoise ladies in their super tight corsets. You could see them holding their sides and dabbing their foreheads as the temperature soared to over 30 degrees in that breeze free alley. Fortunately an army of make up artists and hairdressers fluttered around, powdering, lipsticking and tonging them into perfection every few seconds. It’s a different world.

The director shuffled round in straw hat and slightly ill fitting jeans and I’d like to say that he really looked in charge, but in reality it was his two assistants and the cameraman who got most  of the job done.  Anyway, it’s a great way to spend a day getting a window onto France and french film making, and of course you earn a few euros into the bargain.   Genial !

Well what a fantastic sight. Semur en Auxois as it must have been in medieval times and oh how it suits it. All manner of sack cloth and bad teeth to behold. A market oozing rustic treats. A rare chance to enter one of the towns magnificent towers – the tavern for the weekend complete with wenches. BUT the absolute star of the show has to be the collection of medieval games for the kids (and childish adults) set out on the remparts. Where else could you climb into a hobby horse and give jousting a try and how hilarious to strap the entire family to a pair of four footed skis and pathetically attempt to move forward. SUPERB FUN! Off to enjoy La Bague tomorrow (France’s oldest horse race and equivalent of Sienna’s Palio). What a place ! See you soon Lorna x

Ever lazed over a morning coffee with a huge slab of buttered Brioche and strawberry jam?

Ever wanted to recreate this buttery delight but thought it best left to the Boulangere?

The day I baked my first Brioche was a very proud and satisfying day indeed. You’ll be amazed how quick and simple the following recipe is and how fantastic it tastes.

Bon appétit

Lorna

Ingredients (1 brioche)

·         375g flour

·         20g yeast

·         200g (20 cl) milk

·         65 g sugar

·         65 g  butter (softened and beaten)

·         1/2 dessert spoon salt

·         1 beaten egg and 1 egg for glazing

Preparation 

1.   Mix the yeast with 4 dessert spoons of warm milk and leave to act (froth). (I used dried yeast and it worked fine)

2.   Sieve flour into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt and combine. Make a well in the middle and slowly add the yeast & milk mixture, one egg and the remaining milk..

3.   Beat the dough until it leaves the sides of the bowl. (This is the hardest bit – arm breaking work. I am sure you can probably do this in a mixer – mine’s still in storage – that’s another story !)

4.   Cut the softened butter into pieces and add. Beat the dough again.

5.   Leave to rest for 1hour, the dough should double in size.

6.   Beat the dough again. Cut into quarters and shape into oblongs. Put them side by side in a loaf tin. (If you fancy cutting corners at this point I discovered that just forming the dough into a ring on a baking sheet works and looks great!) Leave to rest for another hour.

7.   Make a deep and angled cut in the centre of each oblong with a knife (or scissors) and glaze the top with the remaining egg (beaten)

8.   Cook in a moderate oven (200 °C) for  35 min

Et voila !

Hope you feel as smug and as I did when you dig in.

February 2009 and London is just emerging from the bitter shock of the most snow it has seen for 18 years. Who would want to get on a bike, who even wants to think about getting on a bike ? I never expected to be so keen on bicycles. Until a couple of years ago, my bike had been efficiently gathering satisfying layers of dust, rust and disinterest. Then we moved to rural France to start a new and simpler life.  It’s wonderful to drive through the vast, green, undulating landscape characteristic of Burgundy. Even better to stop, perhaps by the side of the Canal de Bourgogne and after a short walk, a cup of strong coffee and maybe a chocolate biscuit you realise that you have covered only a fraction of the view around you. We began to wonder what it would be like if we had a bike with us. We could quickly immerse ourselves deeper into the view. With more than a little struggle we dug out the bike rack and attached it to the rear of the car. Thirty minutes later, a couple of adult bikes then a child’s bike and a bike seat for our boys and we were ready. With just a little effort, Burgundy was beginning to unfold itself before us. Later a trailer-gator, double chariot and finally a tagalong and we were deep into the whole smug fit biking family look, but we were able to cover a few kilometres rather than just a few hundred metres. We discovered glorious views, each a secret to treasure. We kept saying to each other with a barely suppressed childish joy, “we live here”.  Now, I’m sitting at the kitchen table listening to news on the radio cursing that we were smartly bypassed by the snow.  Each day there are new ideas to adapt routes and make them better. I’m itching to get back on the bike to try them out. The sheer childish pleasure of a glorious descent down a magnificent hill is a life enhancing feeling. The joy of sitting by the towpath after a few kilometres, with a drink and a baguette stuffed with Comte, ham and a splurge of mayonnaise being overwhelmed by the silence is a far cry from the life we left behind. We moved to find simplicity and our bike tours extol the virtues of slowing down and giving youself time to look and marvel at the abundance of nature and the landscape it inhabits. I can’t think of a better way to spend a warm spring day than gently cycling en famile through this teroir and thinking that if there was a God, he really got it right here. Vive la France, Vive la Vie et Vive le Velo.

Andrew K

At the France Show in January this year, we set up a stand to display the delights of Hidden Burgundy with our friend  Katherine from Frelon’s Fabulous France. One of the many attractions at the stand was a draw to win a hamper of Burgundian treats including; Bottle of Cremant de Bourgogne, 1/2 bottles of Chablis and Mercurey, Pate de Sanglier (wild boar) Tinned snails, Miniature bottles of Cassis and Peche, vine corkscrew and a cd from the very wonderful Charles Aznavour. We were lucky enough to persuade top chef and very attractive bloke with a firm handshake, Jean Christophe Novelli to draw the winning entry on Sunday afternoon. With a flourish he picked out the entry which belonged to …a lady from Street in Somerset. The hamper of goodies should be there by now. Thanks to all of you for entering and congratulations to the winner. Look out for more competitions and promotions on this website soon.

We’ve just got back to Burgundy after a fantastic three days in Earls Court at The France Show 2009. Thanks to all of you who came to visit us at the Hidden Burgundy stand. We’ve been busy sorting through feedback and photos. Some of the photos will appear on this website very soon. If you have tried to e-mail in the last couple of days using our enquiry form, you may have had a slight problem. We have fixed this now but you may need to re-send any enquiries as I fear they may now be lost in cyberspace.

Andrew and Lorna – Velo Velo

Its all hands on deck at the moment. We’re getting ready for the France Show and putting finishing touches to this website before it goes fully live in a couple of days. Never has so much been fitted into so few days by so few people. Big thanks to Phil for his sterling work building the site.