The French idea of Living Well

Today we went to a Fair of Wine and Cheese which was held at a village on the banks of the River Lot, about 40 minutes from us.  We had thought that we might see a friend of ours selling the wine that he produces for a small vineyard, but he wasn't there.  However it was full of other stalls selling wines from Cahors, Bergerac, Bordeaux and Champagne !

And there were lots of opportunities to sample cured meats and pates ... and heaps of oysters.

We were attracted by an extrovert man selling cheeses and giving out tasters.  His sales pitch worked and we bought 2 lumps of cheese.   Then further along I bought a 'tin' of cepes pate.

 But then we saw the stall selling Champagne.  It was a small producer ( an old couple, their daughter and her husband ... a real family affair) and it reminded us of a visit we made to the Champagne region some 25 years ago when we bought wine from a couple at their kitchen table.  This time we were in a large 'tent' but we naturally had samples before we bought at what we thought was a very competitive price !  We were impressed by their service; they even stuck a handle onto the box of bottles to help us carry it out.

It was interesting to see venerable Frenchmen taking their wines very seriously and leaving the fair with a quantity of boxes on their sack-barrow.  We'll have to remember to take ours next time!