Renovating a French Country House & Gîte

I met my neighbor Jane Williamson after she found my blog.  She and her husband Jim live a half hour away in the beautiful Clunyois area of Burgundy.  They've renovated a farmhouse and a gite which they rent to guests.  For anyone who has dreamed of doing the same, here is their story.  AND Jane shares a beautiful spring French recipe.

We had been looking for a holiday and retirement home for some time and as we drove into the courtyard at Aux Tetes, just off the Route Touristique between Cluny and Charolles, we tried not to show our excitement.  It was the end of February and very cold and had snowed recently, but the sky was blue and the view was magnificent and we fell in love with it.  

The property, surrounded by its own land and actually being two houses divided by farm buildings, was usable for holidays and ticked more than enough boxes for us.  We had a second viewing then drove back to Cluny, negotiated the price and made the appointment with the notaire to sign the compromis de vente (initial contract) and pay our deposit.  The system is totally different from the UK.  Christiane, the lady vendor, was there with her family, estate agent and the lady who accompanied visits for English clients.  Two months later we were all back in the notaire’s office to sign the acte de vente (final contract).  Christiane, who had lived all her life at Aux Tetes, took us for a celebratory drink at the Brasserie du Nord.  We also changed our marriage regime to circumvent the French inheritance system and I was very disappointed that we did not have to go to the Mairie (mayor's office) for a proper cermony! 

We engaged the architect son of a French friend to make sense of the layout and draw up the plans, obtain the planning permission and estimates.  Not being in France, we felt we were at the bottom of his list and we made little progress until we came over to live in 2009.  We have been environmentally friendly installing good insulation, geothermal heating and solar panels.  The heating is also used for the pool.  We hoped not to renew the main roof, but inspection revealed the beams had been eaten by Capricorn beetles, although we have managed to retain the splendid A-frame beams in the bedrooms.  Seeing workman on the walls with no safety gear was terrifying to us!  It took us over a year of being invaded by workmen until we were ready for Jim to hand build the kitchen in the gîte and lay the oak flooring in the salon and both bedrooms.  We are now delighted with both of our houses and welcome guests, friends and family, who enjoy the warm welcome, comfort, heated pool and those marvelous views.

Regular readers know of the outstanding wines and gastronomy in this part of Burgundy, its historic buildings, walking, cycling and leisure activities which make the Clunysois such a wonderful place in which both to live and holiday.  You can find us at www.oneoffplaces.co.uk .

For our guests who have made a long journey, we can provide a supper ready and waiting for your arrival.  An example of one of our delicious tarts is this recipe which comes from Good Things to Eat by Lucas Hollweg.  The taste of Spring into Summer.

Merci and a big bisous (that's a kiss on the cheek) to Jane, for sharing her story and this yummy recipe! 

RECIPE: Pea, Asparagus and Parmesan Tart

• A blind baked shortcrust pastry case for a 23 cm – 9” tin.
• 150g 5 1/2 oz thin asparagus
• 125g 4 1/2 oz spring onions, thinly sliced
• 200ml – 7fl.oz crème fraiche
• 1 small garlic clove crushed and finely chopped
• 25g- 1oz Parmesan cheese
• 2 medium egg yolks
• 100g-3 1/2 oz150g peas, defrosted if frozen or cooked for 3 – 4 minutes until tender if fresh
• A knob of butter
• Salt and pepper
• A big handful of mint leaves 

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and cook in boiling water for 4 – 6 minutes until tender.  Drain and keep to one side.  Melt the knob of butter gently and add the spring onions until soft and keep to one side.  Mix together the crème fraiche, garlic and Parmesan and egg yolks.  Season well and add the spring onions and peas.  Retain five or six mint leaves for the garnish and tear the rest and add to the mixture.

Spread the mixture evenly over the base of the tart case and arrange the asparagus stems on top, pressing them gently into the mixture.

Put in the oven at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and cook for about 30 minutes until the top has puffed up.

Splash the top of the tart with a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and leave to cool.  Scatter the remaining mint leaves just before you eat the tart.

Favorite Reads:  I've discovered two more authors in our midst–our readers are a literary lot!  Please check out two books by Kim Defforge:  Solitary Desire: One Woman's Journey to France follows Kim's personal voyage from Paris to the Riviera. Her newest book is Sun, Sea & Savoir-Faire: Travel Focus on the French Riviera.  And we can all relate to this title: Falling in Love with France, by Jo Anne Marquardt.

Ebook authors, I'll be doing a post soon on tips for publishing your own ebook.  If you want to contribute a tip, something that helped you, or surprised you, or confounded you in the publishing process, please email me.

In The COMMENTS on the state of French cuisine: When restaurant soufflés are made from a mix, as Natalia discovered, there is for sure a problem.  Cynthia makes a good point–kudos to Jean-Marc, for calling out a fellow Frenchman.  Heather of Lost in Arles has proof of industrial cooking, she's checked the garbage cans!  Note Nicole's tip on how to pose the question:  "Dites-moi ce qui est frais et cuisiné sur place par le chef."  But as many pointed out, there are still places to get great meals in France. Look for an open kitchen as Jetagain and Katie at French Cravings both suggest.