The Spekko France Trip
Tapestries, Bistro Fare and a Famed French Chef (DAY 2)
No holds barred. After a breakfast of home-baked croissants and chocolate pastries in the La Creuzette grey dining room, the group set out for a day full of history, art and both peasant and gourmet dining.
On the first outing into the French countryside, the Spekko Kokkedoor group visited the famed town of Aubusson where tapestries have been woven from as early as the 15th century. Where only men belonging to the guild were allowed to work the looms, today many women can be seen in the studios. A major part of the business is the restoration of historic tapestries and a highlight of any visit is the museum where the tapisserie “cartons” or patterns are preserved.
After an engaging visit to the Aubusson museum the Kokkedore ate their way through a four course meal inclusive of a “veal crustillant de vaux” – or as one would describe it, a meltingly soft veal braise encased in featherlight pastry wrap. Craft beers from the nearby town Felletin were served with the food.
After spending too many euros on antique teacups and some French clothing, the group returned to La Creuzette where Chef Thierry Finet – famous for his 2 Michelin starred restaurant “Le Piet a terre” in Chateaumeillant – prepared a four course gourmet meal of puree of pigeon heart and liver, parsnip soup, roasted and hay-steamed pigeon and a lime souffle, followed by a goat’s cheese digestive.
The Le Creuset summer kitchen, which was newly decorated with cockerel paintings and statues, also hosted a hands-on cooking class led by Chef Thierry. Despite him not speaking a word of English and most of the audience understanding no French, the food experience served as the perfect translator. With a thunderstorm arriving late afternoon over Boussac, the setting was perfect. Straight from a French novel, the meal was served by candlelight, complimented by hand-dyed and embroidered damask serviettes in colours ranging from dusty pink to darker shades of patina and shale.
