Fete du Marbre

Sat 20 May

Barbara & Graham had a good nights sleep and enjoyed a breakfast of freshly baked chewy bread with jambon (ham), figs, tomato and avocado. Side plates included fresh cherrys (from our tree), strawberrys and, a selection of three cheeses with Graham becoming very fond of Roquefort. Filtered Italian coffee provided the finishing touch.

Roquefort has hit the mark and we art seriously considering a trip to the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. Legend abounds about the cheese however, in short, caves in the area of Combalou produce a natural mould, Penicillium roqueforte. Ewe's milk is produced in very defined boundaries and is first made into a cheese in which the curd is mixed with the mould. After a minimum maturation period of three months on oak shelves in the especially adapted cellars, the cheese takes on its characteristic blue-green veining.

We walked the streets of C-M with Graham enthusiastically taking every photo opportunity until lunch. Lunch met the same standard as breakfast only including a touch of wine for our stomach's sake. Barbara ponders this idyllic style of nourishment and suggests that food cooked over a heated stove may very well become a rarity in her household.

The artists and sculptors have set up in the Abbey carpark as part of the 'Fete du Marbre' and, refreshed with wine from one of the exhibitors, we tour the demonstrations and temporary galleries. Included in this is a visit to the 11th century Abbey which, even whilst undergoing restoration, is impressive. Particularly so is the 8th century Apse of the very first church built and only recently discovered under the existing building. A picture of the Chevet of the Abbey is above.

Donna has put together one of her splendid spaghetti dishes for dinner and which provides a great accompaniment to Graham's and my comparative critique of a Chateau Donjon and a Chateau Parazols-Bertrou red. Both are Minervois AOC and hard to split.