One website I absolutely love is http://www.a-castle-for-rent.com/ - mind blowing beauty! If one can stay in a true castle and play the master/mistress even if only for a week or two, why bother with hotels? I wouldn't. I only wonder if purchasing different dining sets for the outdoors has ever been considered. Somehow these plastic ones do not correspond with the rest.
www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p413628 - this is the house I had chosen for this year's summer vacation before it became clear I wasn't going there. I love the grounds and if you have small children, they have playground too. The location is golden and the house is super comfortable. I find the price reasonable as well.
For those of you who, just like me, can not separate culinary pleasure from travelling, here are a few must-eats from the Loire Valley:
- Potted meat - it is made from pork baked in fat. It may sound terrible but it's absolutely delicious! There are different kinds in the different subregions - Le Mans' is thin and not flavored; Tours' has less fat, rougher texture and forms little cubes. The origins of the potted meat are not completely researched but in the 16th century Rabelais used the term to describe pork cubes;
- Geline de Touraine - the old unique breed of chicken also known as Dame Noire du Lochois - prepared in any possible way, it will make you rethink the meaning of "chicken";
- Farci from Poitou - it was originally produced in the Civray area between Poitiers and Confolens but can be found in Charente as well. It is usually sold in the butcher's. The Farci is a mix of vegetables, herbs, bacon, egges and flour, cooked in cabbage leaves. It is equally yummy either as a starter or as a main dish. The Farci from Poitou about two centuries old;
- Lamb's lettuce - super fine;
- Green lentils with haddock - served in every better restaurant with traditional cuisine;
- Goat cheese - the Loire Valley produces more than fifteen kinds of goat cheese. Some of the best known are Chabichou du Poitou (Chabis) - creamy when young and crumbly as ageing; Bougon - with a very specific soft skin; Sainte-Maure de Touraine - existed as far back as the 10th century and must be eaten from the farthest end, no clue why but I always follow the local customs; Crottin de Chavignol - sold in a perforated container, well complemented by herbs, soft when young, dryer as ageing, and hard and crumbly when old;
- Butter from Poitou-Charentes - never miss this at breakfast! Spread on a freshly baked croissant, this special, cream-colored, hazelnut scented butter is a delicatessen. It is produced under strict control any artificial coloring, preservatives or deacidifying substances are forbidden;
- Angelica from Niort - a plant with a fluted stem which is assigned many medicinal properties (digestive, tonic and antispasmodic). It is sold in the patisserie in the form of sugared green sticks but is also used for jam, liquors and in cooking to flavor omelets, fish, etc.
- Poitou broyé - simple and very crumbly cake;
- Cornuelles - very special small cakes with three horns and a hole in the middle, made from a pastry by only one confectioner (recipe remains secret) - the Chizé cornuelle or the cornuelle made in pastry shell, or the cornuelle made in donut pastry, and the cornuelle made in sweetened shortcrust pastry, all are filled with confectioner's cream or chantilly cream and vanilla-, lemon- or orange flower-flavored - a must!
- Saint-Michel galettes - very simple but healthy (as much as possible for such food) and crazy popular bisquits, made od wheat and malt flours, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, yeast, glucose syrup, lactose and natural flavors;
- Macaroons from Lusignan, Montmorillon, Lussac and Cormery - my sin - insanely delicious, made of almonds, little round cakes, macaroons don't contain any flour but enough sugar to make me feel guilty for the rest of the year; there are also big ones (God forbid!) called macaronés and you can even visit the Macaroons Museum in Montmorillon - http://www.museedumacaron.com/
- Cheese crab - a specialty cake from the Poitou-Charentes area made with goat cheese and vanilla oil;
- Tarte Tatin - the well known apple tart with caramel topping which is baked upside-down - the pastry put on top of the apples.
A very friendly and informative website is http://short-breaks.by-loire-valley.com/art-de-vivre.htm - it will offer you more about food and wine in the Loire Valley plus will give you some ideas of where to stay and what to do. Another one is http://www.epiculinary.com/ - especially for good life lovers with tendency to eat and drink often. ;) This is a blog I personally always check when thinking of a Loire Valley vacation: http://lagrandemaison.blogspot.com/2009/04/selection-of-loire-restaurants-from.html Enjoy!
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