ACTIVITIES - 2 extra guest rooms in guesthouse

We opened up our home at La Vudèle as a B&B about four years ago, with a spacious double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, overlooking our garden. Since then many people have come to stay with us and enjoyed the calm and our vegetarian organic breakfast.

Starting this year we can offer two more bedrooms in our guest house which is also part of the old farmhouse La Vudèle. Two modern bathrooms were installed and the entire house restored whilst keeping its original charme, dating back to 1880. Built using traditional methods with solid stone; in front of the house is a large sun terrace, and behind the house you can enjoy the shade on a hot day, with a beautiful view; the Pre-Alpes and Mont Lure are within plain view, and on a clear day the white top of the Mont Ventoux is visible.

La Chambre Bleue
This double bedroom is called "La Chambre Bleue" because of its ancient walls in faded blue and views onto the Provencal blue sky. From the large iron bed measuring a comfortable 2mx2m you have beautiful views toward Provence's tallest mountain, the famous Mont Ventoux.

La Chambre Bleue with awesome skylight in the shower

La Chambre Blanche
This double bedroom is called "La Chambre Blanche" because of its vaulted white ceiling. It offers space and tranquility and beautiful views over lavender and wheat fields. If booking for 3 or 4 people there is connecting room with 2 single beds.

La Chambre Blanche

The rate for each room is € 85 including our copious breakfast with freshly baked sourdough bread

Happy holidays
&
à bientôt!

ACTIVITIES - truffle market

The truffle market. Every village in this region has one! And one is more important, has the better truffles, than all the other ones around. 
Riez, a small village nearby, holds its annual truffle market the last weekend of January, and then every Wednesday morning during market hours.
This year I happened to be outside the "Café de France" where the official opening ceremony was about to take place. Surrounded by the earthy scent of this subterranean fungus, people scurrying past with cloth-lined basket and shopping bags, and all around this atmosphere of busy-ness, quite unusual for this quiet town.

Varying slightly in size some of the goods were displayed on a table in the middle of the large central room, and the mayor of Riez gave a very brief speech along the lines of "I declare this truffle season open". The scent was even more intense but there was no touching allowed, this is serious business!

 

This year is not a good year for truffles which has been reflected in a slight increase in the price, between €70 and € 80 per 100 g. The truffle makes for some delicious meals or simply shaved over spaghetti - simply delicious!

In former times specially trained pigs were used to find this brown gold but since they would eat the truffles themselves they have since been replaced by dogs

back in the old days

nowadays

 Things to do in winter in Provence...

EXTRA - new retreat: yoga & vegan cooking

Based on the success in running our yoga retreats for several years now and on the positive comments we received from our guests dining with us at our table d'hôtes we decided to combine our two passions, yoga & cooking, and will offer 3 dates in 2016 for yoga & organic vegan cooking weekends:

20.- 22. May * yoga & organic vegan cooking *
1. - 3. July * yoga & organic vegan cooking *
16. - 18. September * yoga & organic vegan cooking *

Here is the program for these weekends
Friday arrival after 17h and installation in your rooms
18h workshop on healthy, clean, organic vegan cooking and introduction of this weekend's menu
19h classic Provencal apéritif dinatoire: a dinner with several different dishes, to explore the flavors and aromas of Provence
Saturday 7h30 - 9h energizing morning yoga outside in nature, followed by a copious organic vegan breakfast
10h visit of the local farmers' market in Riez with guide to our organic producers
16h -18h preparation of dinner: cooking course with fresh ingredients from our own vegetable garden and purchased at the market in the morning. Practice of mindfulness, kindness & ahimsa, nonviolence, one of the yamas of yoga. Awareness meditation: the love we place into the preparation is the love which nourishes us
18h30 gala dinner presenting the bounty of our cooking experience accompanied by wine tasting of local organic wines from Quinson, cultivated right behind La Vudèle
Sunday 7h30 - 9h energizing morning yoga practice outside in nature, followed by a copioous organic vegan breakfast
9h workshop on ideas for a healthy breakfast and recipe book
afterwards departure or possibility to extend your stay in our B&B

2 nights accommodation in our organic B&B or guest house including our copious organic vegan breakfast and 2 dinners including wine tasting € 580 / € 770 for two

These workshops will give every participant the opportunity to learn how to prepare delicious vegan food using fresh, organic local products which are in season at that moment. Learn how to include healthy seeds and herbs and make a delicious meal. Claudia is very creative in using all kinds of ingredients and loves to share; likewise this will be an opportunity for foodies and hobby cooks to share their knowledge with the group.

***

Of course we will also hold our regular yoga weekends and two 5-night/6 day retreats. For these the meals will be prepared for you by Claudia but of course you are free to watch or participate in the preparation and even learn how to bake your own sourdough bread!

dates for 201620. - 22. May: yoga & organic vegan cooking
12. - 17. June: yoga retreat
1. - 3. July: yoga & organic vegan cooking
4. - 9. September: yoga retreat
16. - 18. September: yoga & organic vegan cooking
7. - 9. October: yoga weekend

We are very  much looking forward to hosting
individuals from all walks of life: omnivores, vegetarians, vegans

Bon appétit & namasté!

ACTIVITIES - spring at the café

Spring has arrived in Provence when the street cafés start to get busy again. With the (fairly) mild weather here we are fortunate to be able to make use of this quintessential Mediterranean pastime every Saturday morning where we meet up with friends and acquaintances, sometimes bringing guests along. 

at the café

 At the bar Le Central we try to get a table in the sun, and since the branches of the plane trees, platane in French, were trimmed the end of February it is nowadays possible to enjoy the warming sunshine the entire time. 

This is also where we swap ideas, exchange stories, plan excursions or simply sit together and watch the world go by.

RECIPES - winter ratatouille with couscous

La Ratatouille is as typical Provencal as lavender and the blue sky. It is the quintessential summer dish, of using what's in season, in the garden, at the farmers' market, and creating a delicious slow-cooked blend of flavors. And naturally vegan!
The same principle can be used to make a winter ratatouille: using vegetables which are in season now, and making a delightful and colorful stew, warming and nourishing. Taking in what nature offers us and loading up on vitamins A & C and essential fatty acids before the difficult time of year begins, March and April, where nature has shut down for the winter and spring has not really arrived with the new year's crop.