Food and Drink

Slap on Some Slurry, Make Lotsa Money

The Story of Caudalie

by John Sherwin

I’m guessing most of you weren’t privy to the changing room banter of amateur football teams in the 80s and 90s. But I’m also pretty sure that you think you have a good idea of the limited topics that banter centred on. You’re thinking of them now, right? Wrong. Only when we emerged from the inner sanctum would we obligingly confirm your preconceptions by hitting each other with our kitbags, shouting coarsely of beer, curry and girls. Within, having quickly exhausted the habitual topic of the unknown male parent of referees, under cover of the staccato bashing of studs against tile to dislodge mud, and the heavy steam of ancient showers, talk would turn earnestly to exfoliation and the latest skincare products. Which brings me nicely to Caudalie. If you haven’t heard of it, stay with me cos it’s a pretty neat story. In the heady 60s, Daniel Cathiard was an up and coming skier, in fact so up and coming that he was part of the French Winter Olympic ski team headed by the legendary Jean-Claude Killy. Daddy had founded a small group of supermarkets, GentyCathiard, so no doubt young Dan was indulged in his passion for skiing. He also had a passion for one of his Olympic ski teammates, a certain Florence. They got married. Daddy died unexpectedly. Dan and Flo had a supermarket chain to run. (Note how I slalom gracefully past the poles of history.) This could go one of two ways: either they fritter it all away (giving new, poignant meaning to SKIing – Spending Kids Inheritance), or they make a go of it. Turns out that Dan was pretty smart, and (I suspect) Flo was even smarter. The small chain became a much bigger chain. They founded the sports chain Go Sport. By 1989, the whole group had an annual turnover of €9bn (that’s bn, no typo). At which point they had a conversation which went roughly as follows: “Look Flo, do we want to carry on flogging legumes and trainers to the hoi polloi for the rest of our lives? Not likely, Dan, my dear. Well there we are then. Let us follow our dream, nay our destiny, and flog wine to a more discerning clientele. Sounds like a plan, Dan.”

So, after Dan, at the age of 45, had had a crazy mid-life crisis year of sailing across the Atlantic, rallying in Mexico, and running the New York marathon (like you do), they sold everything, lock, stock and barrel, and bought Chateau SmithHaut-Lafitte in the Graves region of Bordeaux in 1990. Once upon a time, the chateau had been well regarded and produced pretty good wine; now it was a dump, or, as the Cathiards saw it, a blank canvas. They invested, they transformed, they did a bloody good job. They now produce some of the finest wines in Bordeaux. the top Bordeaux producers, the young couple invited a certain Professor Joseph von Cauteren, head of the pharmaceutical department of Bordeaux University, to visit the chateau. Why, I have no idea, but it proved to be a cataclysmic encounter. They were trolling through the vat room when the Prof noticed that the slurry left at the bottom of the vats after fermentation was being raked out and thrown away. I picture him stroking his beard (and yes he did have a beard) before uttering the words which would start a cosmetic empire: Savez-vous que vous jetez des trésors? Do you realise you’re throwing away gold? [Cod-scientific interlude. Grape pips, part of the aforementioned slurry, are an important source of polyphenols which are known for their antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. When processed appropriately they can help damaged skin and restore elasticity to prematurely aging skin. In short, the ultimate skincare product, and all natural to boot.] Mathilde and Bertrand were a) not dumb and b) no slouches. Just two years later, after proper pharmaceutical testing and approval, they launched their first three skincare products. It did their cause no harm at all when Victoria Beckham tweeted she adored ‘L’Eau de Beauté’. The Caudalie ship continues to sail full steam ahead. Find their ever increasing range at your local pharmacie or, naturellement, on line. They’re not cheap, but if my fairy stories come with a price tag I don’t really mind.

Why the name “Caudalie” I hear you ask. Good question. The young entrepreneurs were looking for something feminine but which also doffed its hat to the vinous roots of their business. I daresay they rejected ‘Barrel’ or ‘Spit’ or ‘Bunch’ pretty quickly before coming on a word that’s used in wine tasting. A ‘caudalie’ is the time in seconds that a wine persists aromatically in your oral cavity (ie the whole mouth and nose combo). A 5 caudalie (second) wine persists longer than a 2 caudalie (second) wine. ‘Cauda’ is the Latin for a ‘tail’, ie something tapering away. Besides which, they wouldn’t have called their range ‘Seconds’, right? It also seems to have a whiff of science about it, but maybe that’s just me. What of Alice, I also hear you ask. You remember, the other daughter. After meeting her future husband, Jérome Tourbier, at business school in Bordeaux, she was casting around for business opportunities, as business school people do. She stayed close to home and put two and two together: Daddy’s’wine business and sis’s skincare business. So was born Les Sources de Caudalie, a five-star spa and vinotherapy facility in the grounds of the chateau. You can of course visit both the chateau and the spa (with its own accommodation, restaurant etc etc), and what better way to do it than with French Wine Tours?

They also, along the way, produced daughters Mathilde and Alice. Mathilde married Bertrand Thomas. In 1993, by which time Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte had established itself as one of

John Sherwin, French Wine Tours 07 50 90 02 00 or www.french-wine-tours.com www.facebook.com/bestfrenchwinetours

Saugé Vintage Tea Room Château de Saugé

79400 Saivres 06 29 15 36 55 Info@chateaudesauge.com

A couple of my favourite recipes this month

Given we are always busy around the Chateau I find myself using my slow cooker more and more. It’s wonderful to stop work and tea is ready A hearty meal at the end of the day. and waiting. Here are a few tried and tested recipes perfect after Slow cooker vegetable stew with a hard day.….Donna cheddar dumplings

This pudding is wonderfully rich and indulgent perfect to sit down to after a hard day.

250g pitted dates, chopped 100g butter, plus extra for the basin 4 tbsp treacle 1 tsp vanilla extract 250g light brown soft sugar 300ml double cream 2 eggs, lightly beaten 200g SR flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda vanilla ice cream, to serve. Put the dates in a bowl and cover with 150ml boiling water - leave to soak for 30 mins. Butter a 1litre pudding basin and line the base with parchment. Tip half the butter, half the treacle, the vanilla, 75g of the sugar and the cream into a pan set over a medium heat. Cook for 4-5 mins, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat, bubble for 3 mins, then whisk in a pinch of salt. Pour a third of the sauce into the basin. Beat the remaining butter, treacle, sugar and the eggs together, then fold in the flour, bicarb, ¼ tsp salt, the dates and their soaking liquid. Spoon into the basin and smooth the surface, leaving a 1cm gap from the top. Cover with a double layer of parchment and foil, making a pleat in the middle so the pud can expand. Secure with kitchen string. Set the slow cooker to low. Sit the basin inside, then add boiling water so it comes halfway up the basin. Cover and cook for 7-8 hrs. Run a knife around the edge of the pudding and turn out onto a plate. Reheat the remaining sauce and pour over. Serve with ice cream.

Apple & Gin Autumn Cocktail Tart, slightly sweet and downright delicious

4 oz Gin 4 oz Apple Cider 1 oz Lime Juice 2 oz Honey Simple Syrup Dash Cinnamon Honey Simple Syrup: ¼ Cup Honey ¼ Cup HOT Water

Make the honey simple syrup: Add the HOT water and honey to a mason jar and shake vigorously until the honey dissolves. For the cocktail: Combine gin, apple cider, lime juice, honey simple syrup, and cinnamon in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until chilled. To serve: Fill two glasses with ice and matchstick apples. Strain cocktail to glasses and garnish with sprigs of thyme. Enjoy!

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Every Friday, Saturday & Sunday other times by appointment @ Château de Saugé Buy all your UK Food and Drinks locally

2 tbsp olive oil 200g carrots 3 leeks , cut into thick slices 3 garlic cloves , crushed 3 tbsp plain flour 400ml vegetable stock 2 courgettes , large chunks 2 x 400g cans butter or cannellini beans 1 bay leaf 4 thyme sprigs 200ml crème fraiche 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 200g broad beans or peas 200g spinach ½ small bunch of parsley

Dumplings:

100g SR flour 50g Suet 100g mature cheddar ½ small bunch of parsley , finely chopped

Set the slow cooker to low. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and fry the carrots for 5 mins until just golden, add to slow cooker. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and fry the leeks with a pinch of salt for 5 mins until soft. Add the garlic and stir in the flour. Gradually add the stock, stirring, until the flour has dissolved and there are no lumps. Bring to the boil, then add to slow cooker. Add the courgettes, beans and herbs, topping up with water to cover the veg, if needed. Cover and cook for 4 hrs. To make the dumplings, tip the flour into a bowl and stir in the suet. Add the cheese, parsley, ½ tsp cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix in 3-4 tbsp cold water with your hands to make a soft, slightly sticky dough (add a little more water if needed). Divide into six and roll into balls. Add the crème fraiche, mustard, broad beans or peas and spinach to the slow cooker and turn it to high. Arrange the dumplings over the stew, cover and cook for 1-2 hrs more until firm and doubled in size. Scatter with parsley and serve. Will keep for up to three days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to three months.

SEPTEMBER IN THE GARDEN Stock, Zinnias. Iris. Lillium Stargazer. Orchid Cymbidium. Snap Dragon.

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MY OLYMPIC GAME

by Jacqueline Brown

With the Olympics now over and done with for another three years, I have to admit the time differences meant I didn’t watch as much velodrome action as I did for the last two games, but I have been practising a new event of my own. It involves a bit of risk, luck and planning, plus some sprinting and a bit of lifting. If I do say so myself, I’ve become rather skilled at it this ‘summer’ and am sure I’d pick up a gold medal if it ever came to the Olympics. I’ve called my event the washing hurdle. It starts with the same question every day, should I put the washing machine on now, or later? Then I have to factor in the risk of it still being dry by the time the fifty-minute Eco wash has finished, so I can hang it outside. If luck is on my side, the washing will be pegged out onto the airer, a cunning device that can be picked up, at speed, when I sprint outside as yet another grey cloud rolls in and the rain starts to fall once more. The airer and I then spend the afternoon dancing together between the lounge and the garden, dodging the downpours in my desperation to dry the clothes. I may be gold medal standard, but I feel cheated out of a summer this year.

At the risk of sounding like a real weather-whinger, has anyone else noticed that as the evening approaches, the wind dies down, the clouds part and if you are brave enough to try sitting out, the stars give a magnificent display? Every time, it raises my hopes that dawn will be accompanied by a clear sky, the sun will rise high and hot, and summer will do its thing. The reality of opening the shutters to low, grey cloud that promises rain and more rain, hits me hard.

There are some in the garden who, although they weren’t too keen on the slow start to summer, have thrived in all this rain; the courgettes. We might have only picked three ripe tomatoes, but I’m certainly pleased with the kilos of monster courgettes I’ve gathered in so far. The special cupboard I have for chutneys and relishes is filling nicely, as is the freezer, where my bags of roasted courgette purée are stacking up, ready for soups and stews. I’ll be prepared for anything winter can throw at me with my reserves of bone broth stock and courgettes. September is my birthday month and this year it’s a big one. From a young age, I’ve always coveted a bike with a wicker basket, so when a Pashley Princess Sovereign came up for sale locally, the Rolls Royce of basketed bicycles, I knew it was fate and a great addition to our wheeled family. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate turning fifty than having my own bicycle, with wicker basket full of books, to cycle into the library every day. I’m living my dream.

www.frenchvillagediaries.com Email: frenchvillagediaries@gmail.com

MEGAN’S KITCHEN

Gluten Free Recipes

by Megan Like

Gluten and Lactose Free Crepe Style Pancakes

Makes 3 large, crepe-style pancakes Delicious served sweet or savoury

Ingredients:

100g gluten-free plain white flour 1 egg 250ml lactose-free milk A dash of oil for the pan Toppings of your choice

Equipment:

Frying pan, large bowl or jug, spatula

Method:

1: Combine the flour, eggs and half of the milk into a large jug or bowl. 2: Beat into a smooth paste. Slowly add the remaining milk, stirring until you are left with a thin batter. 3: Add a dash of oil to a frying pan and heat. 4: Gently spoon or pour about 100ml of batter into the heated pan. Rotate the pan gently until the batter covers the base. 5: Allow the pancake to cook for one to two minutes, until it loosens easily from the pan and is golden-brown underneath. 6: Flip or toss the pancake and cook for another minute, until both sides are golden. 7: Add your favourite toppings and enjoy (I recommend chocolate and nut spread with fresh strawberries but the traditional strawberry jam or sugar and lemon work just as well).