Food, Wine, Photography Cycling & Gardening. Discover more about Life in Burgundy on The Hungry Cyclist Blog
2016 hasn't been the best of years in Burgundy for the wine production, but in the garden we have been blessed with a fine year for tomatoes. The late frosts of April that devastated the vineyards, didn't get a chance to attack the tomatoes vines. A soaking wet June was followed by a searing hot summer, and with little rot and plenty of dry heat our tomatoes have thrived.
Read MoreOn August 6th we had the honour of hosting Lauren and Adam Richardson’s for their wedding at The Hungry Cyclist Lodge. Arriving from all over the world, seventy of the bride and grooms family and friends, came to Auxey-Duresses to celebrate Adam and Lauren’s special day in the heart of Burgundy wine country.
Read More"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run; To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells."
Read MoreHere at The Hungry Cyclist Lodge we keep our grilling simple and this summers' favourites are 'magret' of duck and the smoky rib of Charolais slow-cooked over 90-year-old vine stocks, both washed down with plenty of local pinot noir.
Read MorePeaches from the south of France cover the tables in the local markets at this time of year, and the secret in this heat is to eat them as fast as you can before they turn. While there are few greater pleasures in life than taking on a peach whole, juices pouring down your shirt this recipe is a little more elegant.
Read MoreThis culinary tool kit of ingredients make up the famed French dish Choucroute (cooked cabbage). A Sunday lunch special in these cold winter months it hails from the proud mountain region of the Alscase. In this corner of France the pig is king and every morcel is utilised.
Read MoreAfter a glorious morning cycling in Burgundy, you arrive at your picnic spot and it's time for lunch. A rug is laid out on the ground, crusty bread is cut and the cork is pulled from an excellent bottle of wine. In the shade of of a tree you rest the legs, enjoy the view and refuel on healthy salads and local produce.
The best cycling picnics are made from the best seasonal ingredients and are prepared in minutes. In the late summer in Burgundy succulent figs hang on their branches and it is a crime not to enjoy them. These jammy-sweet sacks of goodness, pair perfectly with a well -aged Comte from the mountains of the Jura, that lie to the east of Burgundy.
Good Comté should have a nutty flavor, which becomes more pronounced the older it gets. Most Comtés are sold having been aged a minimum of four months, and those that fall between six and twelve months have a milkier, creamier flavour than the older, slightly dried cheeses. For this salad I like to use a cheese that has been aged for at least eighteen months. It breaks up easily and the nutty 'twang' of the cheese pairs with the super-sweet flavour of the figs and the salt of the ham.
serves 4
1. Add the salad leaves to a shallow bowl. Add a little olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and a cap full of vinegar and turn through with your hands,
2. Cut the figs into quarters and place on top of the salad.
3. Loosely tear up the ham in your fingers and add to the salad, making sure to discard any chewy pieces of rind.
4. With a sharp knife whittle away at the cheese so that thin slices fall over the salad.
Nothing betters eating outdoors in the summer months in Burgundy and wether we are enjoying a gourmet cycling picnic or a bbq in the garden, we eat outside as often as we can.
Read MoreThose red currants that make it back to the kitchen are perfect for a quick cycling picnic. Their sharp tang pairs perfectly with the creamy mascarpone and sweet meringue.
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