11 Comments

Snap! I was just finishing off reading my subscribed Substack posts when yours popped into view, I’m reading away and there is the exact recipe I was going to look up when finished, stuffed capsicums which I bought the other day, although you used gourgettes this time. Thank you! I actually thought of you the other day after I had bought the yellow and red capsicums, plus one each of a yellow and red Grandma’s (huge) tomato, and took a photo of these items surrounded by cherry tomatoes. A painting waiting to happen.

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What a thrill to the soul the Market Haul is - you know how much I pour over it taking in every detail . . . . we could do with some direct producteur here! Thank you for taking the trouble to photograph and report

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Gosh I really wish you could buy chair a farce here in the uk. Such a great idea. I really enjoyed this post, such a lovely sense of neighbourliness.

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I love the sound of chair a farce. I would love to use my local butcher more but they don’t mince anything other than beef! Sad.

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I always love your market haul. It inspires me when I go grocery shopping (just a little - it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere but you know what I mean I am sure).

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The Millau Viaduct! We go over it frequently, and I remember seeing it being built, which was exciting. Did you know that before it, all that summer traffic went right through downtown Millau? It was home to the worst traffic jam in all of France.

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I’m going to try this too . I am enjoying your decluttering book , the one I bought in honour of the new regime, and so far have tackled my pantry shelves and about to make some proper office space. The thing I like most about it is that I keep finding really useful stuff, (pine nuts! Almonds!) that I didn’t realise I had. Also have been to the tip and had the deeply profound thought that whenever I go to the tip everyone looks happy to be getting rid of their stuff ,which is not the same in a clothes shop.

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PS: Should have said - I highly recommend that Simon Hopkinson book, it has lovely recipes that really lend themselves to summer eating.

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Those tomatoes look wonderful and that rice that always catches just slightly on the bottom of the dish is my favourite bit of that kind of dish. Have you tried Simon Hopkinson's paella-style tomatoes from his book, The Vegetarian Option? It's such a lovely dish for this time of year, as you can make it earlier in the day and it is best just slightly warm or at room temp. (I like to separate the time between cooking and eating when it's very hot, otherwise I get fractious and grumpy, then don't want my dinner - plus the electricity tends to go off in the evening when everyone is using their ovens and air con, so that adds to the general air of fractiousness. A swim followed by a glass of Turkish bellywash rose is a much better idea at 7pm). Doesn't need much with it, except some nice leaves and maybe something yoghurty. I had to laugh at your comment about French people not expecting Brits to cook. Our Turkish neighbours always look very surprised when I give them something delicious (though after 20 years they're getting the hang of the idea that something nice is on its way when tthey see me approaching with something underneath a tea towel). If you want to try it, the recipe was republished by Country Life as 'Roman Tomatoes' but the recipe is exactly the same except it uses carnaroli instead of bomba rice. https://www.countrylife.co.uk/food-drink/roman-stuffed-tomatoes-130584

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I adore stuffed courgettes 😍

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I’m going to give those courgettes a go as they are also part of my market haul! PS: I may have just had an offer accepted on a little house…and a cherry orchard. 🍒🇫🇷🙈

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