So Christmas Eve dinner menu 

ideas so far ……….

Entrée:

Seared Scallops with Parmesan & Rocket Risotto and Parmesan crisp

Marinated Duck Breast with a warm salad of Puy Lentils and Bacon

Onion, Shallot and Sage Tarte Tatin

Classic Freshly Opened Cancale Oysters with Shallot Vinegar (oh and maybe a sliver of Sizzling Chorizo)

Plat:

Beef Wellington with Celeriac Mash and Sugar Roasted Carrots

Caramelised Baked Gammon with Dauphinois Potatoes and Garlic Haricots Vert

Apple & Garlic stuffed Loin of Sanglier (Wild Boar) with Sage & Onion Mash and Roasted Roots

Classic Game Pie with a Flaky Crust sautéed Cabbage with Bacon and Onions

Dessert:

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Pecan Toffee Sauce

Chocolate & Hazelnut Roulade with Cinnamon Cream

Spiced Poached Pears

Cranberry & Orange Tart with Lemon Ice Cream

Of course there will be a suitable amuse bouche, possibly a sorbet and certainly cheese and we can only choose one for each course obviously (shame) but what do you think so far ……..?

Anyone care to vote???

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas ......

While Amy Winehouses’ ‘they tried to make me go to rehab’ and Adeles’ ‘someone like you’ aren't immediately thought of as jolly ‘Christmas Music’ they do feature heavily in the selection of festive tracks which are piped gently through the increasingly busy shopping streets here in St Malo. 

It’s eclectic to be sure but …how we love Christmas here ………..

The Christmas lights were turned on last week (yes, just last week and not in October as is so often the case in the UK), the small wooden huts are arriving en mass to create the pretty Christmas village market and the seasonal beverage of choice ‘Vin Chaud’ is now readily available for consumption almost everywhere you look!

Every evening at 6pm throughout December, excited children gather with their parents at a pre-determined window location within the walls to hear the voice of ‘Pere Noel’, to listen to a suitably festive story (usually concerning pirates – it is St Malo after all!) and to collect a small token gift that is provided by the town.  This wonderful little local tradition of ‘les fenetres d’advent’ – ‘the windows of advent’ only serves to heighten the children’s’ excitement at the arrival of Christmas and provide the adults with a suitably festive reason for additional socialising (not that they need one!).

And of course Christmas food …… but what to cook?  France is awash with excellent food as we all know (that’s one of the main reasons we are here) but with no really set traditional dish for Christmas, so it’s ‘carte blanche’ as they say.  We are hosting good friends and family chez nous for ‘le reveillion de Noel’ or ‘Christmas Eve, the very traditional main event for the French and there is much discussion and debate on menu selections …………

…….. any suggestions from anyone???

Public Holidays in France

The main difference between British/American and French public holidays is that while most of the British/American holidays are pushed around each year to fall on a Friday or Monday, most French holidays are on fixed dates.

Bank holidays are usually taken on the day on which they fall. However, if a bank holiday is on a Sunday, the Monday afterwards will often be considered a work-free day, instead so it's worth checking if you're making a special trip.  It takes a bit of getting used to and they can catch you unawares especially when they fall in the middle of the week in May (because there are four!)

When a holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, a large percentage of the working French take the extra day off work to have a long weekend. This is referred to in French as faire le pont (literally 'make the bridge' from the week day to the weekend).

Be warned however - holidays in France are adhered to strictly, which means in certain places you may find it difficult to find a supermarket, pharmacy or baker open on such a day.

French public holidays:

2012                      

Dec 25   Christmas Day (Noël)     Tuesday

2013                      

Jan 1      New Year's Day (Jour de l’An)                    Tuesday

Apr 1     Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)              Monday

May 1    Labour Day (Fête du Travail)                       Wednesday

May 8    VE Day (Fête de la Libération)                    Wednesday

May 9    Ascension Day (Ascension)                         Thursday

May 19 Pentecost (Pentecôte)                                   Sunday

Jul 14     Bastille Day (Fête Nationale)                       Sunday

Aug 15  Assumption (Assomption)                            Thursday

Nov 1    All Saint's Day (Toussaint)                             Friday

Nov 11  Armistice Day (Fête de l’Armistice)               Monday

Dec 25   Christmas Day (Noël)                                  Wednesday

Always best to be prepared!!!

France consistently features as one of the top ten global property hotspots.

Despite the regular gloom about property, with dipping prices and slow markets it is sometimes important to remind ourselves of the price increases that have been achieved over periods longer than just 2 or 3 years ……

So perhaps it’s a good idea to take a look at how global property prices have fared over the last 10 years …

According to a survey carried out by AOL money and finance this month there is a distinct top ten list when it comes to global property hotspots - some surprises perhaps but pleasing to note for us that France is up there and has performed well in its usual consistent and secure fashion.

League Table Position:                                  %age Average Price Change

                                                                                In last 10 years:

India                                                                           284%

Russia                                                                       209%

South Africa                                                              161%

Lithuania                                                                    143%

Hong Kong                                                                125%

Bulgaria                                                                     106%

FRANCE                                                                     82%

New Zealand                                                               79%

Australia                                                                       76%

Norway                                                                         72%

The UK was recorded at 50% and came fairly low down in the rankings

France remains a safe bet and as it equally fares well in ‘best places to live’ surveys, a sound property buying decision both financially and for 

quality of life …..