Arrazat's Aubergines


Book Description

In the sequel to Virgile’s Vineyard, Patrick Moon explores the world of Languedoc food and cuisine. Returning to his challenging home in southern France, Patrick could easily fill the days protecting infant vines from marauding wild boar and hiding baby truffle oaks from unscrupulous neighbours. However, the local campsite café has just been transformed into an ambitious new restaurant and he is intrigued by the talented young chef’s determination to achieve perfection on a shoestring. Patrick soon finds himself pitching in, sleeves rolled up, to spend a year 'backstage' and share the triumphs, disasters and sheer hard work in a small but serious French restaurant kitchen. But will the VIP diners guess that he has never made mayonnaise before? Or that he put the wrong sauce on the starter? Not content with all this, Patrick also embarks on a wider exploration of the Languedoc’s finest produce for the table, from mighty household names to eccentric peasant smallholdings. Throughout the seasons, his quest uncovers the secrets of olive oil and salt production, the mysteries of Ricard and the Roquefort caves, and the miracle of the sparkling Perrier spring. He even finds time to visit some of the region’s top chefs for more 'behind the scenes' discoveries. But there are always the vines and olives, not to mention aubergines, demanding attention at home… First published in 2005, Arrazat’s Aubergines, Patrick’s second book, is a great stand-alone read for any Francophile, food-lover or armchair chef, deploying a colourful cast of entertaining characters and a rich vein of humour to deliver a wealth of fascinating information. For fans of its predecessor, Virgile’s Vineyard, it also continues the story of many favourite figures, including Virgile himself.




Virgile's Vineyard


Book Description

How did a region, so long notorious for mere quantity, transform itself into one of the world’s most exciting vineyards?And what does it take to make a great wine – even on a shoestring?In Virgile’s Vineyard, Patrick Moon explores the world of Languedoc wine. Among the cast of characters that Patrick meets during his year of discovery is Virgile, a young local wine-maker who offers to initiate him into the mysteries of each season’s work in the fields and in the cellar. Virgile is passionately committed to perfection, even though his limited means afford him just a handful of hectares and the smallest cellar imaginable.At the other extreme is Manu, Patrick’s dipsomaniac neighbour, a diehard traditionalist producing a private wine-lake of unspeakable rouge. With Manu as his self-appointed guide, Patrick embarks on a quest for the revolution’s leading lights – a succession of lively encounters with growers as diverse as the wines themselves – interwoven with entertaining digressions into the history of the region’s wine-making. Meanwhile the author struggles to deal with his long-neglected French home – an unfamiliar and unpredictable world where the brambles have grown as tall as the olive trees, the water supply has just dried up and there is a ferocious animal under the roof tiles...First published in 2003, Virgile’s Vineyard is now back by popular demand as a new and extended edition. As rich in humour as it is full of fascinating information, this book is a great read for any Francophile or wine-lover.




Book Review Index


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Every 3rd issue is a quarterly cumulation.




What Else is there for a Boy Like Me?


Book Description

Patrick Moon abandons a successful career as a city solicitor and heads for India. Where better, he thinks, to come to terms with the opportunity he has created for himself: the chance to reinvent his life... But how much of his old self and his old view of the world will survive this watershed? How should he best "fill in the blank sheet of paper" in front of him? And how will he deal with his other reason for travelling to India? He wants to try to reinvent another life: that of Mohamd, a talented young Indian from a primitive village in the Rajasthan desert, whose potential is blocked by the twin obstacles of poverty and caste. But Patrick underestimates how much of the weight of Indian society will be stacked against him, and how difficult it will be to pluck an individual out of India’s crowd. In the end, neither of these twin efforts to change a life works out as Patrick expected. But, while one can be counted a success, the other ends profoundly unhappily. A tale as rich in comedy and affection for India as it is full of sadness, love and regret, What else is there for a boy like me? is a compelling read, not only for ‘Indiaphiles’ but also for anyone who has ever felt the impulse to try to change the fortunes of someone from a less privileged part of the world. It will also appeal to anyone who has ever fantasised about changing careers in middle age, as well as all those who have an interest in the issue of arranged marriages.




The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon


Book Description

The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon is the most comprehensive guide to this beautiful and varied corner of southwest France. Written by a renowned historian with more than 15 years' experience in the region, it's packed with insightful accounts, detailed practical information and clear maps. You'll find everything you need to know to make the most of the region's highlights - with information on accommodation, places to eat and much more - whether in the vibrant city of Toulouse, the magnificent fortress of Carcassonne, the picturesque beach town of Collioure or the sleepy hamlets of the Orb valley. The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon includes thorough coverage of outdoor activities, from boating along the Canal du Midi and hiking in the Pyrenees to rafting or canoeing down the Ariège. Plus, there's insightful historical and cultural background information and two lavishly illustrated colour inserts introducing you to the legacy of the Cathars and the food and wine of Languedoc and Roussillon. Make the most of your time on earth with The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon.







Hot Sun, Cool Shadow


Book Description

More than a decade ago, Angela Murrills and husband Peter Matthews began their love affair with the Languedoc, an area in southern France near the Mediterranean coast and the Pyrenees. One of Europe's oldest and most historic regions, it is rich with wonders including castles, wild white horses, Roman ruins, and Carcassonne, Europe's greatest fortified town. What really drew them to this area, however, was the locals' love of food and wine. As their visits to the region became longer and their dream of owning a home intensified, they began to discover another way of living—a slower one based on gastronomic pleasure and the really important things in life: hunting for mushrooms, morning trips to the bakery, long lunches, and heated debates about the best way to make cassoulet. Including mouthwatering recipes and delightful duotone drawings, this wonderful memoir is for the fans of Peter Mayle and Frances Mays




The Publishers Weekly


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A Year in Provence


Book Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this witty and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs. He endures January's frosty mistral as it comes howling down the Rhône Valley, discovers the secrets of goat racing through the middle of town, and delights in the glorious regional cuisine. A Year in Provence transports us into all the earthy pleasures of Provençal life and lets us live vicariously at a tempo governed by seasons, not by days.




The Last Days of the Bus Club


Book Description

It's two decades since Chris Stewart moved to his farm on the wrong side of a river in the mountains of southern Spain and his daughter Chlöe is preparing to fly the nest for university. In this latest, typically hilarious dispatch from El Valero we find Chris, now a local literary celebrity, using his fame to help his old sheep-shearing partner find work on a raucous road trip; cooking a TV lunch for visiting British chef, Rick Stein; discovering the pitfalls of Spanish public speaking; and recalling his own first foray into the adult world of work. Yet it's at El Valero, his beloved sheep farm, that Chris remains in his element as he, his wife Ana and their assorted dogs, cats and sheep weather a near calamitous flood and emerge as newly certified organic farmers. His cash crop? The lemons and oranges he once so blithely drove over, of course.




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