Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to one and all, we killed and plucked this years Christmas dinner on Friday, I can tell you, it tastes delish !! You will just have to take our word for it but you can take a peek. This morning, the view across the valley was magnificent, the first hard frost of the Winter with a deep blue sky and full sun, have a lovely day, wish you were here !!

Boargers

‘Boargers’

Grind up the red chilli in a pestle and mortar.

Mix it in a bowl with the onion, tarragon, egg, breadcrumbs, mustard, Parmesan, nutmeg and
wild boar coarse mince.

Shape into manly boarger shapes and refrigerate for half an hour or so to give them a
chance to firm up slightly.

When you're ready to cook the boargers, get a frying or griddle pan nice and hot.

Brush the pan with a little oil, season the boargers generously with
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook them until they're well done (Wild Boar can carry Trichine).
Make sure they don't break up as you turn them.

Le Manoir

We have been extremely busy planning and negotiating our future, and here it is, a French Manor house set in its own private grounds with tree lined drive and outdoor swimming pool, everything we have ever dreamed of. There is also a natural spring source which is potable, well established fruit trees and a view across the valley.

Where the hell have we been

Well where the hell have we been? we are asking ourselves the same question, how time flies when your having fun. It's that time of year when we are so so busy in the garden and kitchen, Autumn gives up so many wonderful ingredients for the kitchen and of course the hunting season has opened and the game is arriving thick and fast thanks to the steady hand of Chris, 3 wild boar 32kg-38kg and yes 60kg (the big boar charged him down but without injury) Roe deer 19kgs, 3 pheasants and 1 hare. When Chris kills he gets the best cut of the meat, when another kills, he gets a cut so you can imagine, Joanne is in overdrive in the kitchen.
The cider has been fermented and bottled with the second pressing due in a couple of weeks or so, the cider vinegar has been jugged and is now fermenting nicely.
Chestnuts are plentiful, chestnut jam is maturing in the cave, we roast the rest each evening, imagine?
The bees in the 3 hives have been carefully prepared for the Winter and will not now be disturbed until Spring, they have a good supply of honey to see them through.
The weather has been glorious and Chris cut the lawns yesterday in shorts no T shirt, we continue to eat lunch on the terrace looking over the valley admiring the leaf colour that is Autumn at its very best, back soon, PROMISE, just off to butcher a haunch of Venison and a rib roast of Sanglier xx

Healthy Chicks

The chicks are still following mother hen around the garden and the village, suprisingly, she still cares for them which is unusual, however, she has always been a bit of a loaner and perhaps enjoys the company of her own family. They are growing day by day and are the healthiest looking chicks we have raised.

Fruits of a Forage

A hedgerow forage can prove bountiful in Autumn and is the favourite time of year for Joanne & Chris, always lots of choice and of course, unlike in the shops, you can taste before you pick ha ha ! Joanne has already made pear and walnut chutney, Chris has his mind on Cider, nothing changed there then!

Last Fresh Water Swim

Who would have thought we would still be swimming in fresh water lakes on the 4th October, the weather is always good well into November and we often take lunch on the terrace, but Chris was over the moon that the water was still at a reasonable temperature, he loves swimming with the dogs.
However, due to cooler night temperatures that will be the last of it for 2011, we look forward to the Autumn and the wealth of free food that a hedgerow forage will bring.

Morning has Broken

Daybreak in Chassaing Cheval, just so worth the while is that early morning rising, you just never know what the sky will look like, sometimes that glorious orange glow as the sun pops itself over the horizon, sometimes the valley is shrouded in mist as the nocturnes hide themselves away for the day, just splendid!!

Time to pick the Walnuts

It' that time of year again when Walnuts are plentiful and we stock up for the forthcoming season. Fresh walnuts are a delicacy in their own right, however, they conserve really well. Joanne will prepare 5 or 6 kgs so she has them to hand in the country kitchen, Chris will box up the rest so that they will be safe through the cold Winter months. We love collecting the walnuts, especially in this years glorious October sunshine, they are smaller this year yet in abundance. First find a walnut tree, look underneath and collect the ones that have dropped their cases, pass them through quality control, that would be Jess & Bonny, take the basket home and enjoy your free lunch, foraging at its best don't you think?

Time to pick the grapes

The grape vine has yielded a good harvest this year, as with the rest of the garden produce, it has been shall we say, a BUMPER year. The combination of a warm dry Spring, wet July and sunny August and September has been the perfect 'melange'

A Day At The Beach

What do we do when it's 30 degrees plus ? We swim, that's what. With Lac de Vassiviere just 40 minutes away, it is the ideal replace to relax, unwind and swim in the crystal clear fresh water lake. A choice of beaches to suit all with retaurants serving a choice of menus from 'a la carte' to 'take away' makes the location suitable for families and couples alike. Jess and Bonny just love to swim with Chris !

Alastair Sawday's Acceptance

Joanne and Chris were delighted to be informed that La Petite Maison has been accepted as one of 'Alastair Sawdays special places to stay' and rightly so, they celebrated with a champagne and oyster lunch !!

Satisfaction, yes that is what it is!

 A morning spent in the garden resulted in Chris & Joanne trying to find words for what they had harvested and how they felt, just one word came to mind and that was SATISFACTION. Life is good at the smallholding that is 'La Petite Maison' ingredients for 'Passata' are roasting in the oven along with 2kg of beetroots in preparation for another batch of 'Roasted Sweet Beet Relish' definitely Chris's new favourite. A wonderful end to a week when we were given the news that we have been accepted as one of 'Alastair Sawdays Special Places to Stay'

Want to Hunt in France

Hunting in France-How to get your licence

How to become a fully registered Chasseur

So You Want To Hunt?

So, you are English, you live in France and you want to hunt, you want to be a ‘Chasseur’ well then, read on.

A simple introduction to me Chris, and my wife Joanne, we bought our house in France back in 2005, an idyllic spot deep in the heart of the Creuse, we made the permanent move here in April 2009 and opened our house as a Chambres et Table d’hôte in July 2010, ‘La Petite Maison’

I am pleased to say we had a successful first season, I will be posting an article soon with regard to how to open a Chambres d’hôtes post the legal reform in April 2009.


Back to the ‘Chasse’ if you, like me are a keen hunter, you will no doubt want to make the most of what hunting in France has to offer, an abundance of game, both fur and feather, I can only describe France as a hunters paradise.


However, when I moved out here and tried to find out what I needed to do to be able to shoot, everybody I spoke to had a different tale to tell, some said I needed nothing, off you go, Gung Ho! every man for himself, some said I could shoot nuisance species such as Fox and Ragondin without informing anybody, some said I just needed to register my shotguns with the local Gendarme, some said you can shoot on your own land without a permit, and so on and so on.



Well, now I have obtained my French ‘Permis De Chasse’ I thought that I would share the process with you, set the record straight and help you remain on the right side of the law.

What is required?

You cannot shoot in France without a validated permit, end of!!
To obtain your ‘Permis de Chasse’ you have to take both a theory and practical exam, before each of the exams, training is obligatory, for the theory exam, the training program consists of one full day 08.30hrs – 17.30hrs this takes place on a Saturday, and two evenings 18.30hrs – 21.30hrs, these take place on a Friday. Depending where you live will depend on where you have to go, here in the Creuse, training takes place at the Federations HQ in Gueret, please find contact details at the end of the article.

You have to pass the theory exam before you can take part in the practical training, this involves two half day training sessions, you are given the dates once you pass the theory exam, again, depending on where you live will depend on where your training takes place, for the Creuse, it is at the Centre de Tir in Margnat, Commune Ste Feyre La Montagne.


To enrol, you must first apply to the Federation for your personal dossier, when you receive your dossier, dates for the next session will be included, there are four sessions each year, just to give you an idea of timescale, I applied in June of 2010, commenced my training in July and obtained my permit on the 6th October. You must complete and return your dossier, to do this, you must fill in the application form and send it back complete with, a copy of insurance for civil responsibility, this is free from you insurance company, a certificate of medical health from your doctor, you may have to pay for this, if so, it will be the price of a normal consultation, that being 22 Euros, a cheque for 46 Euros which covers all your training and of course your permit should you pass, two passport size photographs signed on the rear, a photocopy of a proof of identity that verifies your age. This is all straight forward and there is a tick box sheet to ensure you have included everything. When you post off your dossier, some days later, you will receive confirmation by post that you have completed it correctly (or incorrectly) and the dates to commence your training.



The theory training involves safety, law, identifying game, ballistics, do’s and don’ts etc etc, I strongly advise you to buy the DVD that accompanies the theory training, it is available from the federation at a cost of 15 Euros and I found it invaluable, it includes every question that the examiner can ask complete with the answer. How many questions are there in the exam you may ask? Twenty one in total, having said that, the examiner can select these twenty one multiple choice questions from any one of four hundred, you must get seventeen or more correct from twenty one to pass, one question from the twenty one is an eliminatory question usually to do with safety or protected species, get this one wrong and you automatically fail, exam conditions are very strict and if you don’t know your stuff, you will fail.


I studied the DVD every evening for a month and knew every answer to all four hundred questions before I took the exam, I advise you to do the same, it is not as difficult as you may think and of course improves your French, by the way, I scored twenty one from twenty one along with another English gent, having said that, six French candidates failed, one wasn’t able to take the exam because he arrived one minute after the scheduled start time so DO NOT BE LATE.


The practical training and exam involves safety zones, general comportment, shooting both blank and live rounds from a 12 gauge at clays, shooting plastic rounds from a rifle at a moving polystyrene wild boar target, identifying protected and non protected species by way of red and black clays, shoot a red one and you automatically fail, dismantling arms, mounting arms etc etc. You will also have to decide when and when not to fire, both for safety reasons and for protected or non protected species. In this exam you start with zero points and collect points along the way, again, you must gain seventeen points in total, it is possible to collect twenty one points, I scored twenty.


If you pass, you will be given your permit there and then, you must however validate it afterwards at Federation HQ, for all game it is half price in your first year, 66 Euros, and it must be validated each year if you want to hunt. To join your local communal hunt you must also have insurance, the federation can provide the minimum you need at the very reasonable price of 17 Euros. If you want to shoot game you must also purchase your communes hunting card for each season, prices vary. Small game such as pheasant, hare and rabbit can be shot solo, but only on your communes specific hunt days, big game such as wild boar and deer is a team event and can only be shot at weekend.


I must say that I found the whole process very interesting and informative, much better than in England, yes, you are thinking what a long drawn out process, however, once you have been through it, your whole hunting experience will be enhanced. Join your local Chasse now, tag along each weekend for the experience, I did this for a full season before applying and the experience I gained helped me no end.

Good Luck and ‘Bon Chasse’ should you wish to contact me for further information, please do so via our website or French Entrée- Limousin .


Federation Departmentale des Chasseurs de la Creuse
18, av. Pierre Mendes
BP254
23006
Gueret
Cedex
France

05.55.52.17.31
Fax 05.55.41.01.43
e.mail fdc23@wanadoo.fr

You can find the contact details for the hunting associations of each department here

Article kindly provided by Chris Spencer

Monsieur et Madame Spencer

Luxury Chambre D’Hotes
Chassing Cheval
St Avit De Tardes
Creuse
Limousin
23200
France
Telephone 0555664907 (0033555664907 for international)
Portable (Mobile) 00447733373160

Simply Honey

It's complete, yes the Honey has been safely potted, much different than last year, a stickier consistency, golden with the slightest hint of mint. Place your order quickly, it's selling fast!!

And So The Sun Sets On Another Perfect Day

As we take a tour of St Avit de Tardes with the night vision, we take a minute or two to marvel at yet another beautiful sunset, are we spoilt? Yes we think so, Bon Nuit!

Perfect weather

After a soggy July, the good weather has certainly returned, we are not complaining about the rain last month, we were desperate for it. Now, all the fields are green again and the garden produce is of a quality not seen before here at La Petite Maison, just excellent, so so tasty. Our guests are enjoying good wholesome food, all sourced from the garden, surrounding forests, rivers and lakes, why not join us?

Now that's a Cep

Every now and again you have the luck of the Gods, you know, when your golf ball is the size of a tennis ball, when the clays are like dustbin lids, in other words, it all falls into place, A mornings mushroom forage, can be the same, wherever you look you find, and just as the rain began to fall, I found an umbrella size cep !

Rabbits Rabbits everywhere!

Our Belgian Hare cross kindled 12 kittens just 8 weeks ago, tomorrow they will be sexed and put in their new cages, phew, things were getting cramped in there!

Tomato Fest !

Once again our tomatoes have cropped heavily and now the work begins, ketchups, passatas and chutneys will be the order of the coming weeks. Tomatoes grown in your own garden are just delicious, why don't you try yourselves, a little work for a big reward!

First of the Ceps

At last, the ceps are pushing through the leaf cover on the forest floor, last year we found ceps as early as 13th June, this year, due to the very dry conditions they are almost 2 months behind schedule. History lesson over, after a storm last night we had an inkling it could be the day today, and sure enough, there they were, as if by magic, pushing through the leaf cover. Conditions are now perfect and we will forage each day. Tonight we will have a side of fried cep with our venison fillet, once again, another dinner without the need to pay for any ingredients, apart from a 2001 grand vin de Bordeaux from 'Le Vieux Moulin' what drives us, quality of life, that's what!

Harvest Festival

It has been a worrying time for the local farmers Marcel, Francis et Dominique Legros with regard to a good wheat and hay harvest. Following drought conditions from March through to end of June, July saw non stop rain for near on 3 weeks making it impossible to harvest the crops. Notre Dieu saw it fit for the sun to return just in time, and as you can see from the photo's, the crop is safe and on top of that, we are all once again enjoying the glorious sunshine.

Miel (Honey) Harvest

It's that time of year when our thoughts turn to the harvest of that most wonderful liquid we refer to as 'liquid gold' yes it's Honey Harvest time. We took the supers from our 3 hives late on Friday evening, they were heavy, a good sign, they were left overnight deep in the cellars beneath the house. Saturday morning couldn't come soon enough, we decapped the combs and manually spun the cards to extract the honey, it's a great job, all that honey on your hands, you just can't help gorging yourselves. The honey tastes wonderful this year with a hint of mint, each year is always different and the suprise is always in the

tasting. We harvested 25kgs and will transfer it into the honey pots in another 15 days, it will be on

sale here at La Petite Maison form the 15th August onwards.

The 3 key health benefits of honey are related to the fact that:

1. Honey is nature’s energy booster.

2. Honey is a great immunity system builder.

3. Honey is a natural remedy for many ailments.

The benefits of honey go beyond its great taste A great natural source of carbohydrates which provide strength and energy to our bodies, honey is known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting the performance, endurance and reduce muscle fatigue of athletes. Its natural fruit sugars play an important role in preventing fatigue during exercise. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy. It is known that honey has also been found to keep levels of blood sugar fairly constant compared to other types of sugar.


Amongst the many health benefits of honey, what is most impressive to me – it can be a powerful immune system booster. Honey’s antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties can help improve digestive system and help you stay healthy and fight disease. Start every brand new day with this cleansing tonic if you want to see this health benefit of honey: before breakfast, mix a spoonful of honey and lemon juice from half a lemon into a cup of warm water and drink it.
Honey does not cure cancer but what many people don't think enough of or have overlooked is - honey possesses carcinogen-preventing and anti-tumour properties!

Tip of the week:

When you get a hangover from drinking too much alcohol, combat its effects by applying honey remedy. Honey is gentle on the stomach and contains a mix of natural sugars such fructose which is known to speed up the oxidation of alcohol by the liver, acting as a 'sobering' agent. Follow this recipe: 15ml of liquid honey with 80ml of orange juice and 70ml of natural yogurt. Blend them together until smooth.

First of the Haricot Vert

Joanne has been busy in the kitchen bottling the first of the Haricot Vert, we have had a superb crop this year with a second sowing already flowering. They are delicious, bursting with flavour and goodness, because of their rich green color, we don't always think about green beans as providing us with important amounts of colorful pigments like carotenoids. But they do! Recent studies have confirmed the presence of lutein, beta-carotene, violaxanthin, and neoxanthin in green beans. In some cases, the presence of these carotenoids in green beans is comparable to their presence in other carotenoid-rich vegetables like carrots and tomatoes. The only reason we don't see these carotenoids is because of the concentrated chlorophyll content of green beans and the amazing shades of green that it provides.

Legumes

Can you imagine not having to buy anything and preparing an evening meal that is so fresh & wholesome you just don't want it to end? Well then, join us at La Petite Maison to savour the fresh vegetables and meat prepared by Joanne in the country kitchen.

The perfect end to a perfect day

With the guests well fed and tucked up in bed for the night, Chris & Joanne share a well deserved supper of cheese and French bread washed down with a nice bottle of Bordeaux, a perfect end to another perfect day.

Mont D'or Puy du Sancy

A recent visit to Mont D'or found us once again marvelling at the scenery, from the summit at 1885 meters (6184 feet) you feel like you are on top of the world and can see for miles and miles. The area is volcanic and the rock formations are stunning. The summer months find walkers and hikers of all ages and capabilities, the winter months are for skiers, the slopes range from green to black, Joanne and Chris will learn to ski this year, Mont D'or is only 50 minutes away from La Petite Maison, why not take a Winter break with us? watch out for the Christmas specials http://www.lapetitemaisonlimousin.com

Such a long time since the last post

So sorry to our faithful followers for not posting anything for a while, we have had a telephone and internet outage for nearly 2 weeks following a direct hit during a real humdinger of an electrical storm, everything in the junction box was fried, we still have neighbours without any service. It's been a real mare trying to manage the business here at http://lapetitemaisonlimousin.com our luxury chambres d'hotes.
Anyway, service is resumed and the posts will continue on a regular basis, what have we been doing whilst we have been away you may ask?
As usual, enjoying ourselves !

Mother Natures Miracles

Tiny miracles of Mother nature in all parts of the garden, here at 'La Petite Maison' we have no shortage of natures gift. The goldfinches (Chardonnerets) are busy making sure there is enough to eat for the five tiny fledglings in the nest they call home. Our Belgian hare cross has given birth to an astonishing twelve bundles of joy, Chris and Joanne are making regular visits ensuring she has everything she needs in order to feed them all. The Swallows (Hirondelles) underneath the woodshed have three fledglings to safeguard, this is their second successful year at this nesting site. The hen chicks are doing well and are in good health. Oh what a joy and education to watch them all bring up their young, indeed, a tiny MIRACLE !