S is for a Cold Soup: Honeydew and Cucumber Soup

Cold Honeydew and Cucumber Soup. 

A  blend of melon, cucumber, lime and a drizzle of basil oil and black pepper, it was the most refreshing and delicately flavoured cold soup I have yet experienced. 

A thing of beauty from Les Petites Tables in Manosques.

I am going to trawl and find recipes to test until I can replicate the soup - thinking ahead to Christmas!

C is for a Chateau: Plessis-Bourre, Maine-et-Loire

Built between 1468 and 1473, Chateau Le Plessis-Bourre is a hidden gem in the Maine-et-Loire, reflecting both the end of the Medieval period building style and the dawning of the Renaissance architectural style along the Loire.

Off the beaten track, in a tranquil setting, it was a lovely way to start our day. We have driven across France, from the hot, hazy days in Province to the Maine-et-Loire region, just north of Angers.

The weather here is cooler, crisper and the buildings are imposing and glow white with blue slate roofs.

The Chateau is privately owned and used as a place for displaying some impressive collections of furniture, art and books. We enjoyed the tour, especially seeing an original chateau door from the 15th C with all sorts of secret carvings and encoded messages - alchemy and royalty woven together by Jean Bourre who was Louis XI's Finance Minister.

This was a place of intrigue at the highest levels.