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?