We were shown to a room with the bounciest bed in the world a patches of wallpaper touched up with paint. As we were only paying for the room the same as we paid at the gite yesterday plus another 16 € for our evening meal and breakfast, we were prepared to accept our lot. How wrong we were!
After the usual session of showers and laundry we went to the church to say evening prayer (sadly it was locked) so we sat in the sun and said our prayers and watched a lizard climb up the church wall.
We returned to the hotel and had a drink before our meal while we blogged, happily discovering that there was free wi-fi access (a rare commodity so far on our trip) and so were able to post on both blogs.
Our host beckoned us into the dining room where a gastronomic treat ensued.
The meal started with a salad of chick peas with beetroot, tomato & lettuce drenched in a fantastic French dressing. And we ordered a very fine local Rose to wash it down.
Then our host brought in a large slice of quiche for each of us which was even better (by a very, very slim whisker) than my sister-in-law Liz, who I had always thought made the best quiche in the world.
We both commented that with new potatoes and some green beans or salad it would have been a fantastic meal. At that stage we expected the cheese course (not Lesley's favourite).
However, what appeared was half a poulet each in delicious gravy with frits and runner beans. The bird was extremely tender and just fell of the bone. By this stage we were in gastronomic heaven, and dived into our phrase books for more and more words of praise to lavish on our host's wife the chef.
Suddenly his grin got wider and wider and words of English escaped his lips, he was a very happy man indeed!
The cheese board arrived with cheeses that even Lesley found acceptable! (skinner family take note). This was followed rapidly by a lovely chocolate moose.
The meal wad so good that I decided to have an Armagnac, and a coffee. And so I ordered a cafe au lait and an Armagnac, no no said our host you can't have a cafe au lait with an Armagnac it's got to be a cafe noir! I reminded him that I was English and couldn't cope with French cafe noir to much laughter from both of us. the coffee and Armagnac duly arrived and were the icing on the cake of a fantastic meal.
In future particularly were eating is concerned in France I will try to remember that all that glitters is not gold, and that the real pearls beyond price can be hidden behind the most unlikely exterior.
And if you are ever in this part of France do pop onto the Hotel-restaurant Gasc La Tablee at Salgues.
The Village of Salgues from across the valley.
On the Camino in France
2 comments:
Glad it's going well and that you have at last had a shorter day - so much for easing in gently! I hope they removed the moose's antlers before dunking him in chocolate - tee hee!
I am getting hungry by the minute.
Tanya
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