Manoir des Rosiers - Le Petit Pavillon

Looking for a tiny gîte that is very very French in style but with all the things that make your life comfortable?  The Manoir des Rosiers has recently renovated one bedroom gîte 'le Petit Pavillon' for two that fits the bill perfectly.  Hidden away in the Anjou countryside it has a kitchen/living room with wood burning stove for chilly nights late in the season, a contemporary bathroom and one double bedroom.  In the garden there is lovely pool for cooling off in the summer (fat chance this year but I live in hope), hot tub (no excuse for not getting the costume on even if it's chilly) plenty of secluded shady areas for hiding with a good book and a great home cinema room in a converted barn that has a massive screen for watching films.  

It's just the kind of place that we would choose to stay.  The owners, Maïa (a former tour guide) and her husband Frédéric moved to the Loire to escape the bustle of Paris and are wonderfully welcoming. Maïa can even arrange a light supper on the night of your arrival to take away the stress of having to dash out shopping on your first evening.

They also have le 'Maison du manoir' a lovely gîte with 2 bedrooms (to sleep 4).  

A perfect place for a short break in the Loire valley and only 20 minutes from us here in Cumeray so why not build in a little Loire wine discovery while you're here.

www.lemanoirdesrosiers.com

Maïa & Frédéric Moreaux
4 rue du Pavillon
49700 Noyant-la-Plaine
France
mamoreaux@yahoo.fr
00 33 (0)2 41 83 05 25
00 33 (0)6 12 17 17 00

Le Patio Saumur - a delightful B & B in the centre of town

We stayed at this B & B in Saumur on Thursday night. Located on the river front just next to the Hotel Anne d'Anjou, this B & B is a delightful find. Rooms are accessed via an old stone spiral staircase and are quirkily furnished with antiques and brocante finds. There is a pretty hidden courtyard, a lovely place to share a glass of wine early evening or have breakfast in the summer. A little wine bar is also part of the business and is for residents only - this is where breakfast is taken in the morning during the cooler months.

La chambre Loire - one of three bedrooms and two suites

View from the bedroom window over the river

Pretty courtyard where you can enjoy breakfast during the summer months

The little wine bar where we enjoyed a digestif after an excellent dinner in town

Le Patio Saumur
31 Quai Mayaud
Saumur
02 41 51 20 22
06 09 94 84 55
www.lepatiosaumur.fr

Quick Apple Tart

A quick apple tart that I make regularly for our Loire Wine Discovery lunches. Almost a storecupboard dessert as I normally have some ready made and pre-rolled puff pastry in the fridge and apples are normally in the fruit bowl.

Ingredients
One circle of pre-rolled puff pastry (or make your own if you dare)
2 Granny Smith apples
Sugar for sprinkling
melted unsalted butter for brushing
Apricot jam/redcurrant jelly

Method

Take the pastry out of the fridge about 10 mins before you want to make the tart. Pre-heat the oven to around 190-200(Gas 5/6).

Unroll the pastry and put it onto a baking sheet using the provided greasproof as your base. Cut a thin strip off the circle and having moistened the edges of the remaining circle, stick this around to form an edge about a centimetre thick (this keeps your apples inside).

Decore the apples and cut into fine slices - I use a mandoline but you can do it by hand. Lay the slices on the pastry disc in concentric circles so they look pretty. Use a pastry brush to paint a layer of melted butter on the top.

Sprinkle with sugar and then bake until starting to brown on top and the pastry is cooked (about 20 mins or so).

When you remove it from the oven you can do one of two things. Either, dust with icing sugar, or if your prefer the glazed look, warm up a couple of tablespoons of apricot jam/ redcurrant jelly and then paint over the apples. Either way it's extremely easy and looks brilliant.

Best eaten straight away but fine cold the next day. Serve with cream, creme fraiche, custard or vanilla ice cream.

Sorry there is no photo - it was demolished before I could get out the camera.

We enjoyed it with a half bottle of Les Quarts de Juchepie 2006 from Eddy Oosterlinck-Bracke. A lovely balance between the sugar and acidity, not too sweet. Lovely dried fruit and marmalade aromas with a touch of butterscotch and caramel - excellent with the browned caramelised sugar and apples on the tart.