frogsider blogs

The Pas de Calais region of France is determined not to be put in the shade by the forthcoming Olympic Games just across the Channel in London, and has come up with a new Non-Olympic Games event of its own.

By the look of it the Pas De Calais event will be far more spectacular and entertaining than the London one which mostly involves running round in circles.

Here is a team training for the Anti-Gravity Marathon.  (photo: Pas De Calais Tourisme)

Olympic Anti-Gravity marathon training

And some competitors training for the difficult Extreme Skydiving (Freestyle) which is like Skydiving but without parachutes.

Olympic Extreme Skydiving practice

Click this link to download the latest Boulogne region Anglican Church Newsletter.  As well as news about the congregation, and some history about the chapel where services are held in Boulogne, it includes details of forthcoming services and a variety of  not-to-be-missed social events.

Following up on our recent post about the “Welsh Festival” in Boulogne,  The Pas De Calais Tourist Board has published a recipe for the local version of this famous dish, together with a very helpful explanation of the history of its name.

Here is the recipe:

And here is our translation of their explanation of the name’s derivation:

The dish was originally named Welsh Rabbit in order to signify its nature as a low quality substiute for rabbit meat.

In fact, during the 17th and 18th centuries, “Welsh” was the term commonly used for any counterfeit or substitute goods of a lower quality then the real thing.

In Wales the dish is called, “Caws-Wedi-Pobi” (meaning cooked cheese).  it is known in many countries on the European continent, where it is usually called “Ramequin”, or “Käseschnitte“.

The Little Book of Cheese Tips, £2.99

According to the experts of the Pas De Calais Tourist Board, this Welsh dish was originally made with “Chester” cheese (what we Brits call Cheshire), but is now made with Cheddar, since, they say, Cheshire is not so easily obtainable.

by Ian Blackshaw

Those of you who are avid and attentive readers of my wine articles will have noticed that I have not written very much about the wines of the Burgundy region. That is not because I do not like or appreciate these wines, which are some of the finest in France, but because I prefer the more robust Bordelais wines.

Wines of Burgundy ~ IGN Wine Region Map (Carte Touristique)

There is also another reason and that is cost of them. The finest Burgundies do not come cheap, but, from time to time, I treat myself to some of them.
Of the reds, I particularly like Gevrey-Chambertin, which, incidentally, was my late mother-in-law’s favourite tipple, who was a regular visitor to France in her nineties. When she died, it was pleasing to find some good examples of this fine wine, which she had not got round to drinking!

Gevrey-Chambertin is in the northern part of the Cote d’Or wine region of Burgundy, whose south-facing vineyards stretch from Macon in the south to Dijon in the north, the birthplace of the very popular Kir, a cocktail of a lesser white Burgundy wine and a measure of crème de cassis (a locally produced blackcurrant liqueur), and named after Felix Kir, a former Mayor of Dijon who lived from1876-1968. Obviously wine was good for him!

Michelin Green Guide Burgundy Jura, 6th Edition (Michelin Green Guides)

And, talking of Macon, between 20 and 22 April (this coming weekend in fact), the famous Macon International Wine Fair is due to take place, during which you can sample a whole range of Burgundy wines, for an entrance fee of €5. The organisers, however, warn you not to drink too much, purely on health grounds, but, of course, to buy as much as you want!

Gevrey-Chambertin is made from the Pinot Noir grape, which gives the wine its distinctive raspberry after taste. As I mentioned, the wine does not come cheap and the 2009 is drinking well at the moment, although earlier vintages, such as 2006, are very good wines, but more expensive. For example, the 13.5% 2006 Premier Crus Lavaux St Jacques from Domaine Maume, with its kirsch-scented fruit. This is a wine that needs to be decanted to enjoy it fully, especially as it retails at €54 a bottle! A pleasure to drink by itself, the wine also goes down particularly well with guinea-fowl.

Further south on the Cote d’Or you will find some fine white burgundies, such as Mersault and Montrachet. In fact, the Puligny-Montrachet is my favourite, described by Hugh Johnson, dubbed ‘the world’s most popular wine writer’, as “potentially the greatest white Burgundy!” This is an elegant minerally and luscious wine and may be drunk as an aperitif or with food, especially with roast veal and chicken. It also goes down well with wild salmon. According to the Wine Society, the 12.5% 2007 Puligny-Montrachet Premier Crus Folatieres, produced by the Chateau de Puligny, is ‘scintillating’ and so also, it may be added, is the price at €70 a bottle!

So, as I said, the Burgundy region is not to be overlooked when choosing and enjoying French wine as it produces some very fine wines indeed; and I only wish that I could afford to drink more of them!

The restaurants around the Place Dalton in Boulogne are putting on a Festival of “Welsh”.  It’s a mystery how this dish has become a local speciality in this part of France, but it’s true that if you’re stuck for choice in a brasserie or cafe, you can always go for a Welsh and you’ll rarely be disappointed.

We’ve just received details of the full programme of events that is planned by the 7 Valleys Social Group. In case you’re not on their mailing list, we’re reproducing their newsletter here:

Line Dancing.
We are pleased to announce the start of our regular Line Dance evenings – the first being on Wednesday 25th April. Our Line Dance teacher Suzi will be in attendance to show you the steps and organise the dances. The cost of participation is 4€ pp to be paid on each night. The evenings will comprise two one hour sessions starting at 7.30pm with a break at 8.30pm. Doors open 7pm. Why not make a night of it and bring your friends too!
All our Line Dance dates until the summer holiday break are:
Wednesday April 25th
Wednesday May 9th
Wednesday May 23rd
Wednesday June 13th
Wednesday June 27th
Did you know? … Line dancing is not only a huge amount of fun, but very good exercise too!

Club summer opening arrangements – Every Wednesday evening through July & August.
For the convenience and enjoyment of our members and their family/guests the club will be open every Wednesday evening during July and August. All the club facilities will be available including games, pool table and bar.
(Special dates within this period are: July 11th BBQ and August 27th BBQ.)

Murder Mystery Night at the 7VSG Club Room — Saturday May 5th (hurry – only a few places left)
A chance for you to figure out ‘who dunnit’ and enjoy a fun filled evening into the bargain. At various times throughout the evening our drama group will be unfolding a Murder Mystery. Someone in the room is the murderer, but who? Only the ‘murderer’ him/herself will know. This event will be strictly limited to 30 places, so do please book and pay for your places early. The meal will be a cold carvery including wine, starter, main course, dessert and coffee. Vegetarian available by prior arrangement. 10€ pp inclusive … Contact Sandra on sanclarke22@yahoo.co.uk

Drama Group.
It’s all systems go for our drama group who are at present rehearsing for an Old Time Music Hall which will be performed in the summer. They are also engaged in preparations for our next Panto which already looks like it will be a lot of fun. It’s not too late for you to join our drama group. People are always needed for on stage, back stage and techies. No previous experience needed.

Local Brocantes.
Thanks to Sandra our website ‘local brocantes’ page is now updated for 2012: http://www.ourfrance.net/brocantes.html

Club information and 7VSG programme for 2012 (plus events and special summer holiday opening times)
http://www.ourfrance.net/2-7vsg1.html

by Ian Blackshaw

In these economically-challenged times in which we are living, it is difficult to know where to invest any savings or surplus funds you may have in order to get the best return on them. Gold springs to mind as possibly a safe investment – often referred to as a storage of wealth – if you have that sort of money to spend – or, indeed, to risk. Investments, of course, go up and down.

Fine wines – especially vintage clarets – have also proved over the years to be a good investment. Andrew Lloyd-Webber is reputed to have a collection of fine clarets now worth millions of pounds.

But beware of wine investment companies offering fabulous returns on money invested with them, using such persuasive selling techniques as ‘get there before the Chinese do!’ It has just been reported that some 50 such companies based in the UK have gone bust in the last four years and that investors, as a result, have lost around £100m!

For example, one woman invested an inheritance of £180,000 in one such company, only to be told recently that the company had gone into administration and the liquidator estimated that she would only receive 15-20 pence in every pound that she had invested in the company concerned. That is one way of losing a fortune!

You invest your way - and I'll invest in mine! We could both end up on this bench

However, there are some reputable and financially sound companies that deal in wine and can offer good returns to their investors. Of course, it is a case of finding them. Here, your stockbroker or financial consultant may be able to help and advise you. Also, Berry Bros, the Mayfair fine wine company, established in 1698 and still in the same family, may be able to point you in the right direction, if you wish to invest in wine. In fact, in 2010, Berry Bros introduced their on-line broking exchange (BBX), which enables customers to sell and buy privately stored wines in their UK Bonded Warehouse (website: www.bbr.com/fine-wine/bbx).

Investing in wine is like any other kind of investment: you need to know what you are doing or, at the very least, seek professional advice on how to go about it.

But, perhaps, on reflection, rather than investing in fine wines, it may be better to build up your own collection of them and actually drink and enjoy them, instead of treating them as purely assets!

You have been warned!

by Ian Blackshaw

My eldest son and his fiancée and her parents have been staying with us for the Easter weekend and all of us enjoy a dessert wine to go with our pudding. So, I introduced them to a Loupiac, produced by Chateau Loustalot, which my brother-in-law recommended. It was a 2003 vintage and was a great hit all round!

Loupiac has its own appellation controlee (AOC) and is produced in an area located on the northern bank of the Garonne river, about 18 miles south east of the City of Bordeaux itself. In fact, it is bang in the middle of the Bordeaux sweet wine region, between Cadillac and Sainte-Croix-du-Monte, which produces some excellent dessert wines. Loupiac is made from a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, the most popular ones for the Loupiac wines, so, due to the Sauvignon Blanc component, it is not a sweet cloying kind of wine, which actually puts a lot of people off dessert wines generally. (photo Loupiac, Chateau Loustalot 2009 – Auchan)

It goes well, therefore, not only with puddings, but also with French cheeses, especially blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auverne and St Agur. In fact, as Hugh Johnson always says, save some white wine for the cheese course!

As a matter of fact, as the wine is grown on soil comprising clay and limestone, the wine has a flinty character which comes through on drinking. It also makes, therefore, a very good aperitif wine and, of course, goes particularly well with foie gras, which our eldest son can eat until the cows come home! He has always had very expensive tastes!

The Loupiac wine region has been producing wine since Roman times and so much tradition there, as elsewhere in France, goes into its production. The wine is fermented and aged in barrels, which adds a certain complexity or interest to the wine, and its alcohol by volume is 13.5%, so it is not too heady.

Chateau Loustalot Loupiac wine is a versatile wine and the 2003, which we sampled, is now drinking very well indeed, with its rich warming amber colour and its fragrant nose. A good end to a meal!

This year’s spectacular week of kite flying. Demonstrations, Competitions, Exhibition stands and lots of other attractions -  AND the World Sport Kite Championships. This show is worth a visit!  Just head for the beach!

Here’s a video of the kind of precision flying you’ll see.