When we had a couple of our neighbours round
for lunch a few weeks ago, it was mentioned that on Saturday 5th
July there were planning the 1st annual hamlet ‘soiree’ –
essentially a pot luck dinner in a central location in the hamlet (bear in mind
there are literally only about 6 families in the hamlet and all seem to be
related somehow so we really are true ‘outsiders’) – anyway – my understanding
was that our neighbour, Claudie, would be calling me nearer the time to let me
know timing and what we might bring etc.
Having heard nothing from the neighbours
since our lunch party, we assumed perhaps it wasn’t happening so were a little
taken aback to discover this evening as one of our neighbours popped by with a
package that was delivered for us earlier in the day when we were out and made
a point of saying he was looking forward to seeing us at the soiree tomorrow
evening…….eeek!
Thankfully it was only 5pm on Friday so I
still had 2 hours until our local supermarket closed and so when I couldn’t get
an answer from Claudie at home I thought I’d better run to the supermarket so
that I could make something to take – what to take to a pot luck dinner – I’ve
absolutely no idea but figured a Delia Smith Cottage Pie would at least be
something filling that a few people might share and a Rum Cake for afters and
so having been caught weeding in the veggie patch when our neighbour dropped
off our package, I dropped my weeding gear and ran to the supermarket to buy
the necessary ingredients for a large cottage pie – I’ve continued trying to call Claudie
and am not getting an answer and so figure worst case scenario I will have a
large cottage pie to put in the freezer for a later date and best case scenario
I shall be introducing the entire hamlet to another classic English dish!
It is important to find out some details (i.e.
what time it all kicks off) and also figure out what else we may need – we
received an invitation in our post box the other week for a lunch party at the
Mairie as a thank you from the current Maire who was voted back in – given we
didn’t actually vote him back in (not yet being voters) and given we were in
Barcelona, we didn’t go but I was amused that at the bottom of the invitation
it said in order to cut back on adding waste to the dump, they would ask
everyone to bring their own, plate, knife, fork, glass and napkin but that
everything else would be provided – with that in mind it would be nice to know
what we’re supposed to turn up with in order that we don’t look really silly
showing up with our own plates, cutlery and glassware or equally that we don’t
look really silly for showing up without!
Saturday 5th July dawned and we
were still no wiser about the order of events and so still unable to get the
main host on the telephone, we wandered up into the hamlet to check with
another neighbour to see if she might clue us in and sure enough, we were
expected along with 2 dozen others at 7pm.
We arrived at 7pm and although initially this
was supposed to happen outdoors in the centre of the hamlet, due to a threat of
rain, one of the couples in the hamlet had transformed their barn into ‘party
central’ and tables were set up indoors for the meal with tables for aperitifs
set up outside (choice of pastis, whiskey, kir or walnut liqueur to start the
festivities).
We gave our offerings upon arrival – there
was some shock and surprise that I’d brought a main dish (which remained under
cover and off to the side), grateful thanks that I’d brought some melanzana
(aubergine dip) for the aperitifs as well as rum cake for dessert and so it all
seemed to kick off quite well.
The melanzana was enjoyed with all the other
nibbles – in France aperitifs are taken very seriously with trays upon trays of
pate and cured meats and mini quiches constantly appearing all of which must go
before you’re allowed to sit for dinner!
We then sat for dinner and had tabouleh and
pasta salad all with the obligatory bucket of lovely fresh French bread – Tony
and I weren’t sure if this was it so tucked in to the tabouleh and pasta only
to discover that the next course was plates of cured meats including pork, ham
and duck again with more bread…….to be followed by roast beef (all were amused
when Tony pointed out it was ‘rosbif for the ‘rosbifs’ – us – ‘les anglais’),
roast pork and roast lamb…….this was followed by the cheese course which was
followed by the dessert course which consisted of pear tart and chocolate
mousse and a tiramisu type dessert – the rum cake never made an appearance!
(Photos below of the neighbours barn converted into the party venue!)
What did make for an interesting topic of
conversation that we got to introduce was that first thing on Saturday morning,
we heard the cows in our field making a terrible noise – something was
definitely wrong with them and so we rushed outside to see what was going on
only to see a ‘sanglier’ chasing the baby cows (there are now 4 ‘babies’) and
of course the mothers all getting very irate and chasing the sanglier – suffice
it to say, the sangliers apparently won’t attack the cows but can certainly get
them worked up! Everyone in the hamlet
heard the noise and the cows belong to one of the farmers who is from our
hamlet and was at the ‘soiree’ so they were interested to learn the source of
the noise that disturbed the hamlet on Saturday morning and we were thrilled to
see our first wild boar – more so because we got to view it from a safe
distance!
Towards the end of the evening, the host
called me over and pointed to the cottage pie I’d brought still sitting on the
table covered under foil and said ‘what is this?’ – so I explained as best I
could and said I hadn’t known what the protocol was and whether it was pot luck
or not and was told that normally these things would be pot luck where everyone
brings something and everyone serves themselves but that because we have quite
a few older people in the hamlet they didn’t want to ask everyone to bring
something and so decided to simply take care of the meal themselves but they’d
very much like to enjoy the cottage pie with us and could we return at noon
tomorrow for lunch.
Being left with very little choice but to
agree and given it was now midnight on Saturday night, we said our thank yous
and goodbyes and wandered home.
And so here I am at nearly 10am on Sunday –
both Tony and I feeling a little tired from the excesses of last night –
thrilled to have been involved in a soiree where we met everyone in the hamlet
(I’m pleased to report that we already knew just over half of everyone that was
there last night) but a little nervous about having to repeat another day in
French today – with events such as these, if we’re not totally fluent by the
end of the summer there really is no hope for us!
So I shall leave you as I promised to bring a
salad to accompany our lunch and so I am going to pick 3 different varieties of
our heirloom lettuces from the garden and make a salad which will presumably
accompany my cottage pie and rum cake for our lunch after which I envisage we
will be good and ready for a siesta!
Bon apetit!
