A Tasteful Experience

Michel Roux Jr, Marcus Wareing, Atul Kockhar - the food gods were out in force at the eighth Taste of London Festival in Regent's Park. The beauty of the Taste Festival - whether it is in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Belfast or Norwich - is that everyone gets a chance to try food prepared by some of the best chefs in the UK, and in many cases the world.




Marcus Wareing explains how to boil an egg

When a snack involves a Wagyu beef burger or a soft-shelled crab, or a suckling pig with black truffles, then it really is foodie heaven. The top London restaurants - Le Gavroche, the Cinnamon Club, Petrus, Maze, Skylon - you name it and the chance is that it is there. The chefs also put in appearances (with the exception of Tristan Welch who was missing from his own masterclass), and are very happy to talk to visitors. The biggest crowd of adoring foodie fans were to be found hungrily hanging onto every word offered by Michel Roux.
And it is not just the chefs and restaurants. Also on display were a number of producers - bread, honey, mozarella, cup cakes, ice cream - all on display and handing out generous free samples. My favourite was the black and white pudding supplied by Irish company Clonakilty.




Where there is food there is drink, and there really was plenty. From rum enhanced by Angustura Bitters to Laurent Perrier Rose champagne - there was something for everyone. We went to a Laurent Perrier tasting class, hosted by a slightly seedy-looking journalist, whose claim to fame was his marriage to a top executive from TK Max. The tasting was okay, although in no way comprehensive, but the food matches for the champagne quite briliant. Carpaccio of Sea Bass with an endive to go with a 2002 brut, grilled prawns with the Rose.

The high end of the UKs culinary world was very much on display and will have done themselves no harm by their presence for the four day festival but the far bigger beneficiaries are the small local producers whose hard work and dedication to local food and ingredients is getting recognition at events such as these.



Enjoying the festival despite the rain

A new religion for Roujan

Photos by kind permission of Gail Parker


Nestled in Languedoc is the village of Roujan. It is not a place that a traveller is likely to put on their 'must-see' place list unless he or she gets a recommendation from a friend, but it is a place that once visited makes a return trip almost inevitable.

Not everyone 'gets it'. Not everyone would see the charm in a village with one restaurant, one cafe, two boulangeries and a pizza takeaway joint. But then that is what makes travel so special, no one person's journey is the same.

For me the of the greatest pleasures in travel is sharing an experience, such as a visit to Roujan, with people that I know will understand its essence. Among my friends are those that would enjoy the bright city lights of Paris, Rome and Barcelona; there are those that want to be besides the sea; and there are those that would want to be climbing mountains and jumping off cliff-edges. All of these things I love to do, but I also love the life and ambience of Roujan and its surrounds, and that is what this blog entry is about.

A trip to Roujan starts and ends with the accommodation. Le Couvent is an old convent that has been converted to a six-bedroom bed and breakfast. A madonna surveys the scene from the roof top and when the sun is making shadows dart against the old stone brickwork and the jasmine is spreading its scent across the gravel in the driveway there is no more peaceful place in the world.

Shade from the southern French sun is provided by an ancient tree at the front of the Le Couvent, and the thick stone walls means the rooms are cool and refreshing. Once inside, the guests will fall in love with the huge kitchen. This is where breakfast is served, and that in itself is a reason to visit. A groaning table of fruit, pastries, croissants and home-made jams hold visitors hostage each morning - there really is no such thing as a quick meal around here.




Wines weigh in on world stage

The owners of Le Couvent also own a vineyard and this provides a neat segue to the next reason people visit Languedoc - the wines. Once reviled as an alternative for water for the agricultural workers, the wines from the region are fast gaining a worldwide reputation. Nearer the coast, Picpoul de Pinet is the wine of choice. This is grown on sandy soil and is the perfect accompaniment to sea food dishes served in local cafes. Further inland it is reds and roses that dominate, and it is worth popping into a number of the wine caves and trying a selection. Due to the sunny weather and heat, the reds are deep and fruity, but the main attraction of these wines is their individuality - it is possible to taste the figs that line the fields, the lavender growing in the hedgerows and even the fennel that springs up wildly on the roadsides.

Food is the third delight associated with Languedoc. And it is true to say that even the small, family-run bistros in the tiny villages would be close to Michelin star standard in the UK. Local produce, seasonally-available and cooked with simplicity and skill means that every meal is both a pleasure and a surprise. Beef cheek is the dish that springs to mind when I think about my last trip - succulent, textured and tasty left me determined to try this one at home.



So, along with seven friends, I spent a few days in Roujan. Le Couvent was a religious place, the madonna serves as a constant reminder of its Catholic past, and I believe that these days there is a new religion, or spirituality, among people who journey there. Le Couvent is the place of worship, the hostesses are the mother superiors, the kitchen table is the alter and the chatter of friends as they enjoyed a feast of food and copious wine made this Roujan experience one worthy of some new religiosity.