Marlene van der Westhuizen
AT HOME IN CHARROUX

Marlene van der Westhuizen, author of the
best selling cook book, ‘Delectable’, is a Francophile
and passionate about her adopted country!  

What Marlene is offering at beautiful Charroux, set in the rugged Auvergne region deep in the heart of Bourbonais near Vichy, is more than simply a cookery course rather a miniature taste of France in a country devoted to all things culinary. Marlene interprets this message with warmth, charm, humour and tremendous energy. Their culture, their food and their style, demonstrating a way of life that is alive and well in this remote medieval village, officially one of the most beautiful in France. 

Cookery classes, for small groups of seven,
form part of this jam packed week. Learn how to
prepare simple classics including local rustic
dishes, all with the contemporary touches that
are typical of Marlene’s style.  

 

The day begins with a French breakfast; crisp buttery croissants with preserves; ‘la gelee de framboise’ and ‘confiture de fraise’, all homemade, and large cups of café au lait. After Marlene’s demonstrations and talks, preparation starts and is shared by all in this hands on course that encompasses many facets of food, customs and table etiquette. For those that love to cook, Marlene inspires, for those that are learning to cook, this is a delightful way to begin!

 

Showcook enjoyed Madam Marie Chantal’s warm hospitality in her charming adjoining house, where you will experience one of the highlights of your stay - dining with Madam and enjoying a regional specialty; a rich cassoulet, a regional dish of the south west around Toulouse, using confit de canard, pork, a Toulouse sausage and usually another, and of course beans, haricot tarbais. To finish,  sprinkle with bread crumbs, which forms a melting crust. Marie Chantal is a fountain of knowledge and chatting to her about history and life in France today is insightful.

 

Cook’s note from Marie Chantal: "For my mother it used to be a torturous procedure , but now with a juice extractor it is simple!"  For the ‘La gelee de framboise’; use the same amount of sugar as the juice, cook until a few drops on a saucer solidify in a few seconds and it is done. However, it does depend on the ripeness and amount of fructose in the fruit. To make the strawberry jam; use 2 kg strawberries remove the hull and slice. Add 1.7 kg granulated sugar and leave overnight. The next morning slowly warm to a light boil, remove scum and continue cooking for 30 - 40 minutes test on a cold saucer. 

 

 

Fascinating field trips visiting nearby Vichy, famous for its spas and taking the waters - increasingly fashionable. Excellent shopping, popping into little patisseries and sampling chocolates from the gorgeous little chocolatiers where you will find some of the smoothest and most coddled bon bons. 

 

You will meet lovely Lynn and Olivier Chaulieu who have created their own oasis of charm,  ‘Aux Jardins des Thévenets’. Here they have renovated an historic home surrounded by aromatic and medicinal plant fields, farmed by Lynne who has an organic agricultural background. 

 

 

Absorb the atmosphere of Charroux, which is one of the prettiest heritage villages in France. Lined with stone houses, flowering window boxes and quaint little shops where you can buy everything from piquant mustard to olive soaps and pâtés of the region.  

To market, to market at Bellenaves.

Supermarkets and travelling, well-organised markets live side by side in France, where they are a fundamental part of life in a country that reveres and rhapsodizes about food and whether in the countryside or town, these are an excellent starting point to share some of the local seasonal bounty from surrounding farms and absorb the bustling and vibrant atmosphere.

The trucks roll in and within a short
time they are open for business,
refrigerated counters and all. 

When the warm summer days arrive so do exquisite peaches, apricots, deeply scented melons, large plump cherries and berries of all description; strawberries, sweet wild blueberries from the forests, blackberries and tart raspberries.

 

 

 

Savour fine young green beans with an incomparable taste and texture! Tiny crisp little radishes, which the French so enjoy with a pat of sweet butter and crusty baguettes.

Smooth purple brinjals, artichokes and an array of colourful leafy greens; some sharp and pungent, others feathery and delicately flavoured. Choose fresh herbs; parsley, chives, tarragon, basil, mint and dill. Mushrooms are always a source of pleasure; wild morels, chanterelles, cépes and the delicate parasol mushroom known as cocherelle.  

Select salmon, trout, sardines, loup (sea bass), cabillard (cod fish) or merlan (whiting). Fresh fish from Brittany are trucked in overnight - most efficiently.  

All the fun at the fair, a rare glimpse of a French ritual!

L’Escargot des Gourmets, snails are to be found and bought prepared in every shape and form; Mousse d’Escargot and Terrine d’Escargot, to enjoy on the spot or later at home with a glass of chilled white wine. In France, snail hunting is a national sport and wherever there are vines there are snails. Leaves are there to be fed on and in winter snails keep snug under the roots to escape the frost.  

 

Sit in the square under a vast umbrella and relax over a ‘Salade de Soleil’; tomatoes, green beans, mesclun (a heady mix of salad greens) and olives, or enjoy ‘Jambon d’Auvergne’ or an ‘Omelets de Pommes de Terre’. For a touch of sweetness try a ‘Clafoutis of ripe Cherries or Apricots’, in their cold winters it is unctuous made with prunes.

 

  

Markets are where you meet the hardy and down to earth men and women who pick the grapes, smoke the ham and nurture the cheese. People for whom producing food is not merely a job but a passion!

 

 

Among the fragrant cheeses you can buy during your early morning’s stroll are; Savaron, Ralochon Fernier, Tomme de Montagne, St Nectaire a fairly soft cheese and the Bleu d’Auvergne, rather like a Roquefort using cow’s milk instead of sheep’s and the cylindrical blue Fourme d’Ambert.

It took over two years for Marlene
to transform and equip the 11th century home
into the cooking school as well as
the holiday home it is today. 

 

 

Enter into the spirit of things, Marlene’s enthusiasm is infectious. At the market baskets and bags are filled with all the good things ready to be unpacked and quickly transformed into a leisurely lunch enjoyed in the sunny garden under the trees. 

 

Marlene’s mantra is keep it fresh,
keep it simple, follow the seasons
and respect the integrity of ingredients.