This one is for my daughter…

Ever since my elder daughter became a Formula One journalist, I have kept a growing eye on developments in the sport, which had previously been of no interest to me. She has taught me of France’s rich motorsport heritage, of the value of F1 to winning manufacturers, and the importance of F1′s global reach when it comes to sports marketing and brand awareness.

Last week, Bernie Ecclestone confirmed the return of the French Grand Prix.

According to the Formula One boss, discussions with the French government have reached their conclusion and France will be back on the F1 calendar from 2013. The race will take place at the Paul Ricard Circuit, originally owned by the liquor family responsible for my favourite early-evening tipple, and now part-owned by a company managed by Ecclestone.

I found this footage of French Formula One driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille lapping Ricard in 1978, which my daughter assures me is a period of great historical interest, as it was the beginning of the turbo-era, which saw French manufacturers lead the charge to turbo-aspirated engines.

This is the time of year when thoughts begin to turn to the first meals made from the vegetable patch, which – although far from mature – is beginning to show signs of the produce that will feed me for much of the summer.

My vegetable patch may not yet be operating at anything like full capacity, but the local markets are beginning to sing with the brightly-coloured fruits and vegetables that signify that the start to summer isn’t far off. There will be guests to look after, meals to cook, and entertainments to plan.

While doing research into local farmers’ markets to recommend to my visitors I came across the below video, which shows some of the range of foods available in the Dordogne.

With the first round of voting in the French elections now behind us, I thought it would be interesting to show the electoral split in the Dordogne.

Turnout, %: 84.84%
Francois HOLLANDE, Socialist: 83,050, 32.09%
Nicolas SARKOZY, UMP: 59,347, 22.93%

Others
Nathalie ARTHAUD, LO: 1,480, 0.57%
Francois BAYROU, MoDem:20,898, 8.07%
Jacques CHEMINADE, SP: 610, 0.24
Nicolas DUPONT-AIGNAN, DLR: 4,847, 1.87%
Eva JOLY, Green: 5,525 votes, 2.13%
Marine LE PEN, National Front: 44,034, 17.01%
Jean-Luc MELENCHON, FDG: 35,489, 13.71%
Philippe POUTOU, NPA: 3,533, 1.37%

Data and image from The Guardian.

According to a report by AFP, organic wines are increasing in popularity in Aquitaine, where some 300 vineyards carry organic certification.

But according to a local organisation of organic growers in Aquitaine, that statistic is somewhat misleading.

“There are people who grow organic but don’t say so,” an anonymous association representative told AFP, while “others, who aren’t certified, say they are doing it, but forget to mention they are just testing a few rows of vines.”

Xavier Planty, whose Chateau Guiraud 2011 has become the first Sauternes grand cru to be issued with the official AB logo (France’s answer to the Soil Association), has been passionate about organic methods since a friend of his died of cancer believed to be linked to the chemicals with which he had worked throughout his career.

“Rather than feed the soil with fertiliser we feed it with bacteria, traditional underground fare. It’s easy to go bio,” Planty told AFP. “Illnesses such as mildew (a mushroom which nearly wiped out French vineyards in the 19th century) are closely monitored, and with weather conditions known up to a week in advance treatment can be giving preventively.

“It’s incredible to see how the fauna and flora have returned.”

In case you couldn’t afford last week’s chateau, here’s a more reasonably-priced way into the Dordogne property market.

A borderline 1960s/’70s architect-designed modernist house might not be the Perigord dream, but at £180,000 it’s far more affordable than the beautiful ruins of the Chateau de l’Herm.

And it’s quite a bargain, with six bedrooms, multiple reception rooms, full cellars, and a large tract of land with the option of buying more. In location terms, it’s in the village of Lanouaille, in the heart of Aquitaine.

Of course, the real fun of properties for sale isn’t the buying of them, it’s the looking around them. And on www.immofrance.com, you can do just that…

Via retrotogo.com.

In Bruno-land we have been unusually warm in late March and unusually cold for the past ten days of April. It is not yet clear whether this year’s weather in the Perigord will continue the trend of the wine harvest coming earlier each year. Last year some growers began picking in late August, which is very early indeed. My neighbours’ journals suggest that 60 years ago, late September was the usual time to start picking and back before 1914 many growers began in the first week of October.

This chimes in perfectly with evidence from across the Atlantic, where the 19th century writer and naturalist (and anti-war campaigner)  Henry Thoreau kept careful records of when plants around his home at Walden pond near Concord in Massachusetts would begin to flower in the 1850s. The highbush blueberry always flowed in early to mid-May. These days it flowers in mid-April, according to a group of naturalist scholars writing in the New York Times. And this year they began to flower on April 1; that is quite a shift. Even allowing for annual variations, the trend seems evident.

Richard B. Primack, professor of biology at Boston University, and Abraham J. Miller-Rushing of the Acadia National Park. write:

“Over the last 160 years, April temperatures at the nearby Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory have warmed by around five degrees, because of a combination of global warming and warming associated with the expansion of paved surfaces and buildings in metropolitan Boston. Plants on average flower two days earlier for each degree increase in Concord — thus, the town’s plants are generally flowering about 10 days earlier than when Thoreau made his observations. With temperatures predicted to rise by four to eight additional degrees this century, plants could flower 8 to 16 days earlier than they do now.

Of the species that Thoreau noted in the mid-19th century, a quarter seem to be missing. A further third are now rare, with only a few plants remaining in the area. Some of the most charismatic wildflowers, like many species of orchids and lilies, have disappeared from the area entirely….We discovered that the plants whose flowering times were most responsive to temperature — the ones more likely to bloom early in warm weather — were the very ones most likely to survive the changes in climate. They maintained healthy population sizes or even increased in abundance. In contrast, plant species that were unable to “track” changes in temperature in this way tended to decline or disappear, and have been replaced by non-native invasive species.”

As Thoreau wrote, “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”

Just added to the site: a page of short videos produced by German publishers Diogenes, all featuring Bruno, Chief of Police author Martin Walker.

The videos are also available on Diogenes’ YouTube channel.

[by site admin]

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been accused of bringing shame upon the nation with his increasingly desperate attempts to secure re-election in the forthcoming presidential election.

Sarkozy’s big blunder came about when the incumbent chose to use video footage of a discussion with US president Barak Obama in an attempt to use the American’s popularity to boost his own appeal. In the footage, which can be seen in the clip above, Sarkozy attempts to forge a link between Obama and his own campaign.

“It must be a busy time,” Obama tells Sarko. “I admire the tough battle you are waging.”

Sarkozy’s controversial reply? “We will win, Mr Obama. You and me, together.”

According to the socialists, Sarkozy’s use of the footage is a violation of diplomatic protocol. In a statement released by the Socialist Party, Sarko was accused of “weaken[ing] France’s credibility in Washington and across the world.”

SNJ-CGT, France’s union for journalists, has also criticised the move.

In the evening, at least one of the neighbours will invariably call round for a drink. And while I don’t object to a chat over a few glasses of wine or Ricard, it can be nice to have a bit of variety lest you get sick of the same old options.

While the kir is traditional, and the kir royale a wonderful treat, there is a third option that’s particularly good on a hot summer’s day – the kir Normade. In a tall glass, with ice if you prefer, add creme de cassis to taste, as you would for a standard kir. Then, top up with chilled Normandy cider.

My daughter insists it’s little different to a noxious concoction called a snakebite and black that she remembers from her teenage years, but I can assure you it’s far more sophisticated, if along similar lines.

For the non-drinkers among you, there is little better than a citron presse, which you again mix to taste.

While you can make citron presse using ordinary granulated sugar, if you have gomme to hand it mixes far more easily. You can make gomme by melting granulated sugar in water over a low heat, then allowing the mixture to cool before pouring into a bottle and storing in the fridge. Precise quantities are readily available online.

Take a jug of chilled water, a bottle of gomme, and the juice of four freshly-squeezed lemons. Combine to taste in a small glass.

It’s been unseasonably warm in recent weeks, with afternoon temperatures climbing into the 30s. It’s not quite too hot to eat, but it’s certainly time to put aside the heavier foods of winter and think of more summery fare.

Last summer, my daughter discovered a fantastic Jamie Oliver recipe for elderflower and prosecco jelly with summer fruits. It uses beef gelatine, so is not suitable for vegetarians as-is, but a vegetarian gelatine substitute should work as a replacement.

The jelly makes for a perfect spring or summer pudding, with the fruits altered in line with what’s ripe. It’s light and sweet, but the bubbly prosecco makes it feel like a real treat.

The recipe below has been copied unedited from www.jamieoliver.com.

• 8 punnets of mixed soft fruit (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)
• 4 leaves of beef gelatine
• 140ml elderflower cordial
• 2 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
• 425ml prosecco (sparkling Italian wine), chilled

First of all, decide whether you want to make one big jelly or small individual ones. If you are making a big one, it’s a good idea to line the bowl with clingfilm first. Put your ripe fruit into your mould or moulds and refrigerate. Put your gelatine leaves into a bowl with a little cold water to soak for a minute, then drain and add the gelatine back to the bowl with the cordial. Rest above a pan of water over a medium heat and stir constantly until the gelatine and cordial become a syrup. At this point you can add your sugar, stir till dissolved, then remove the bowl from the heat and let it sit at room temperature for a minute or so.

Take your fruit and prosecco out of the fridge. The idea being that your fruit, moulds and prosecco are all chilled, so the bubbles stay in the jelly when it sets and they fizz in your mouth when you eat it – beautiful! Pour the prosecco into your cordial mix, and then pour this over your fruit. Some of the fruit might rise to the top, so using your finger, just push the fruit down into the jelly mix so that it is sealed and will then keep well in the fridge. Put back into the fridge for an hour to set.

To serve, dip your mould into a bowl of hot water to loosen the outside of the jelly, then turn it out on to a plate. Great served with a little crème fraîche but just as good on its own.