La Vie Francaise

To enjoy the true French lifestyle you have to experience a meal en famille. It seems that all French housewives are superb cooks. At any rate, our friends in Pereille d’en Haut in the Midi-Pyrénées region certainly come into that category.

Marcel and Pierette often invite us into their home for a meal. This usually takes about 5 hours! We start with an aperitif, sitting round a table in the kitchen so that Pierette can enjoy our company while she makes her finishing touches. Marcel always has a Ricard and we settle for vermouth.

We move into the dining room for the first course – usually something like homemade mushroom pate or salade de gesier (giblets). Marcel dispenses a light wine such as Sancerre. When the bottle is empty the first course is cleared away and we are brought a dish of vegetables, or maybe a green salad. Marcel produces another bottle of white wine.

When that is finished it is time for the main course. This is filet steak, cooked by Marcel on a barbecue outside. So he trots off to cook the steaks and returns bearing a plate of steaks cooked to perfection and deliciously pink inside, Pierette brings in a bowl of pommes de terre sauté and Marcel opens the red wine.

By the time this is finished we are all beginning to look a bit flushed. Marcel talks nineteen to the dozen in French and we are all struggling to understand. It seems to be about French politics. Pierette looks long suffering – she has obviously heard it all before.

Now comes the cheese course, a mouthwatering selection. But where are the biscuits? Richard is determined to stick to his English ways and wants biscuits but has to make do with a slice of baguette. The rest of us eat our cheese on its own, with a knife and fork. More wine is offered, but Pierette and I decline. The men broach another bottle of red.

We all sink back in our chairs, replete. But it’s not over yet - we still have to sample Pierette’s pièce de résistance, a special dessert of profiteroles accompanied by a sparkling wine. Richard and I stagger home 5 hours later – fortunately we only live at the end of the drive.