Le Couvent Diary

Guest Maryellen writes again 

On Monday I went with Lizzie and some others up to "Chateau Mal au Dos" to see Ali and Lizzie's potager and vines up there. It is a 7 minute drive from Le Couvent or a 40 minute stroll.

After a walk around the block which took in some of the forest up there, Liz showed me how to pallisage the vines, bringing their young shoots and branches through wires that run parallel with the ground and clipping them against it to keep them safe from the strong winds that occur. I pallisaged away until Lizzie made me get in the car to bring me home - it was so relaxing and enjoyable to be gardening in such a meaningful way. Mon mari and I went back yesterday to do some more pallisage - the block is in an amazing location that has views in almost every direction. Mon mari was convinced that when we come back to Roujan we must stay up there!

Other treats through the week were a visit to St Guilhem le Desert - a beautiful stone village on the side of a gorge north from here and dinner at L'Entrepots at Pezenas (again!). The service and food at that place is exceptional!

I am dreading leaving here tomorrow - I have had a wonderful time. I have watched other guests sadly leave over the last 2 weeks and been thankfully spared up until now. Lizzie and Ali are wonderful hosts and are genuinely happy to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Their garden and home is spacious and welcoming and their dogs and neighbours are happy to make you feel at home as well. Quel domage - we have to go!

Fresh from Australia via Paris, new guests arrived yesterday.  They're on their honeymoon and over a glass or two of Le Couvent rosé they were telling us of their short but magical time in Paris. In particular they'd been impressed by the wonderful display of multi-coloured macaroons in Ladurée .

Yesterday morning, by absolute chance, I had skidded into one of the two Roujan baker's seconds before they closed and bought up the last of their special of the day. What was it? Yes, a pretty box full of colourful macaroons hand-made by the baker that morning. So, as I presented the plate to our guests I looked like the most accomplished magician ever to have lived.

The weather's been disgusting today, dull, wet and dismal. Perfect for cooking up a storm or making a sorbet for supper tonight. This sorbet is soooooooo good I thought I'd share it. Don't be put off by the fact that it looks uncannily like school mashed potato, it really has an absolutely stunning flavour. Oh, and I've made twice as much in the photos as there'll be lots of us for supper.

You need: 150 ml water; 150 gms sugar; 6 limes zested; 1 glass of juice from the limes; 1 large bunch of basil

Method: In a saucepan chuck the water and sugar and bring it to the boil. Turn it down to a simmer and lob in the lime zest leaving it to simmer for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile pound the basil to a pulp.

Remove the water/sugar/lime mixture from the heat and let it cool a bit. Throw in the lime juice and basil puree, stir it and let it infuse for about ten minutes.

Sieve the mixture into a bowl and squeeze out the remnants. The remaining liquid will look like the stuff below. Don't be tempted to throw it away even though it looks so awful.

At this point you can put it into the freezer for about 3 hours, stirring it every 30 minutes, or if you're lucky like me and have a sorbetiere or ice-cream maker you can hand it all over to that. Mine takes about 50 minutes to be ready.

The finished product - not a great look, but a flavour you'll never forget. As they used to say at the Hungry Monk in Jevington - 'Serve with a smacking of lips'

P'raps we'll make some for weary travellers when they arrive at Le Couvent, Roujan - in our opinion the best bed and breakfast in the Languedoc! Biased? Us? Surely not.

What’s interesting for us about going on holiday is not just the place one visits, but the experience of being a guest. Each year we receive hundreds of bed & breakfast guests at Le Couvent, Roujan, each one more or less stressed than the next. Both Ali and I love to watch people unwind during the course of their stay. It can take different forms; some people find recuperation in doing lots of things that are completely different from their normal lives. They go everywhere and see everything. It works for them. There are others who arrive overstrung with stress and who spend their time by the pool, or on Mother Superior’s balcony just reading or snoozing. They obviously tear about every day of their working lives and all they need is to stop.

Ali and I spent the past week in Marrakech, a noisy, bustling, hustling, vibrant and colourful city. We couldn’t have done it immediately after our season ends - we’d never have had the strength. But after a winter’s rest we were up for a bit of hectic madness, battling in the souks and being suckered into buying trashy things we didn’t need for many times their value. It was huge fun and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. But towards the end we found ourselves spending longer and longer just reading in our riad. Gearing ourselves up for a busy season ahead. It was lovely watching other people do our job - watching them welcome new guests, gently finding out what they’d need to make their stay in Marrakech perfect. It was good to remind ourselves of how it feels to arrive somewhere that’s little more than a promise. It takes faith to book a holiday. Your time is preciously saved up for those days away. You just pray your hosts recognise what it is you need.

We’ll do our best to remember that when you arrive.

Yep, it's time for our hols and we're not going on the Marrakesh Express, but with rotten-ryan-air. We're off for a week and lovely Jamie & Tara are coming to look after the house and menagerie.

I'm taking my darling Mac laptop (who's called Scipio) so I can check mail - this is the time when lots of bookings come rolling in. But that won't stop us having a good time. I'm looking forward to taking hundreds of colourful photos, sleeping longer than Kit-the-labrador usually allows and catching a glimpse of the Atlas mountains. It'd also be good if I could find a jelabah in one of the souks suitable for throwing on after a dip in the pool.

I'm sure we'll update the blog in the next few days so do come back in a couple of days.