L i ving magazine
It's Great
Outdoors !
Business Directory
Find the best local companies
feb
march
2021
beach art explore the loire Visit Brouage & much more...
~ Passionate about life in south west France ~
4 | living contents
22 16
50
38
28 5
SUBSCRIPTIONS
33
42
Kathryn Dobson explains the latest developments for British citizens here in France
All about ageing wines with wine-grower Caro Feely
Citizens’ Rights
6
Snippets
34
Local news from around the region
16
Practical Advice
A Salty Tale Roger Moss discovers the remarkable history of the citadel of Brouage
22
Our experts answer questions on legal and money matters
36
Between Seasons
Big River Join us as we begin our two-part trip along France’s longest river, the mighty Loire
28
The first signs of spring help entice the family outdoors after a difficult year
37
Puzzle Break Our unique crossword by Mike Morris
Art’s a Beach Jessica Knipe meets a local artist who is creating quite an impression along the Atlantic coast...
38
Nikki Legon’s Cuisine Pick-me-ups for dull winter days
For all editorial & subscription enquiries:
editorial@livingmagazine.fr or phone + 33 (0)5 49 87 29 71
For all advertising:
contact@ammfrance.com or phone Jon on +33 (0)5 49 87 29 71
www.livingmagazine.fr
Handle with Care
44
Living Property Pages A profile of Ribérac in Dordogne
50
Super Grass They include the fastest-growing plants on Earth, but chosen wisely, bamboos can still find a place in most gardens
65
Music: DIY Time? If you have time on your hands perhaps now it the opportunity to learn an instrument
66
Pardon! Emma-Jane Lee on the joy of French euphamisms
54-64
Business Directory The best local services & suppliers waiting for your call!
living subscription | 5
subscription offer Prices start at 30€
Get LIVING magazine delivered to your door all year round
L i ving L i v i n g on Roll g n i v Li 2021! magazine
agazine
m
We pack every edition of LIVING with informative, beautifully illustrated features celebrating our region. That’s why they disappear so fast from all our stockists!
ace Begins
feb
march
2021
It's Groearts !
Outdo
dec jan
21 The20 R
magazin
e
oc no t 202v 0
inside: residency: what you need to know delicious Gift ideas local news & views
Le Petit Prince
By subscribing, you will get LIVING delivered to your door and help secure the magazine’s future.
Business ry Directo
t beach ar ire Vendée gl e lo timeless tale an aviator’s ob exPlore th e time traV e sit brouage..about el Vi life in south west france ~ ~ Passionate or . ski safe m h uc m & & much m ~Passion ore ate abou t life in so uth west france~ france ~ uth west t life in so
st Find the beanies local comp nate abou ~ Passio
Visit our website at www.livingmagazine.fr and place your order directly OR scan the QR code on the right.
Addresses in France 30€
Addresses in EU 45€
Addresses elsewhere (excluding UK) 50€
We are very sorry but we cannot accept subscriptions to UK addresses for the moment due to the new VAT rules. Alternatively, send in the completed form below
"
Priority SUBSCRIPTION Order Form Yes! I would like to subscribe to Living Magazine.
PAYMENT DETAILS
OFFER CODE LMFM21
Card Number:
6 issues (1 year) for
CVS:
France: 30€ EU: 45€ Rest of World (excluding UK): 50€
Please debit my
Expiry Date:
Visa
Mastercard
CB
(the 3-digit code on the back)
/
/
Surname ..............................................................................
I enclose a cheque made payable to LIVING MAGAZINE (must be from a French bank account. Please write your name and address on the back if they are different from those on the front).
Address ...............................................................................
Signature:
YOUR DETAILS First name ...........................................................................
............................................................................................. ............................................................................................. Postcode.............................................................................. Town ...................................................................................
Date:
Home tel .............................................................................
SEND TO: SARL AMM, 2 rue Buffefeu, 86400 LINAZAY
Mobile..................................................................................
CLOSING DATE: All orders received before 15 March will be sent the April/May issue.
Email address ......................................................................
16 | living places to visit
www.livingmagazine.fr
The ramparts offer commanding views of the surrounding marshland
Brouage celebrates enduring links with Québec
living places to visit | 17 Installation art beside the Halle aux Vivres
We reveal the remarkable history of the citadel of Brouage, in Charente-Maritime. PHOTOS & Words: Roger Moss
he setting, amid flat and nearfeatureless marshland, is both haunting and puzzling, particularly after the disorienting approach on roads which twist and turn sharply between a network of drainage channels. We might be just a few kilometres southwest of the bustling former naval port of Rochefort, but already there’s a sense of remote detachment which heightens the drama of glimpsing for the first time the brooding stone ramparts of Brouage. What now seems like an unlikely location for a substantial fortress was once much less so, as medieval history reveals. From the 11th century the marshes were exploited as a source of sea salt by monks from the village of Hiers, which was then just one of several small islands set among the
waves in the Golfe de Saintonge. The salt’s exceptional quality was widely appreciated and eventually generated a lucrative international trade, huge quantities being exported to northern Europe (particularly Flanders and Germany). To cope with increasing shipping movements a new port was constructed in 1555 on a nearby shingle bed at what is now Brouage, with moorings for up to 200 vessels, some of which departed laden with cargoes of ‘white gold’ to supply the cod fishing communities of Newfoundland. As the trade flourished the formerly wild expanse of marshes changed dramatically, as the network of salt pans, canals and mounds of soil expanded to keep pace with demand. All the while the port of Jacopolis-sur-Brouage and its outlying communities (and particu-
larly the clergy and local nobility) were prospering handsomely from the taxes and duties generated by Europe’s most important exporter of sea salt. Such conspicuous wealth made it an obvious target. Sure enough, the port was attacked several times during the Hundred Years War, in response to which it was hurriedly fortified. In 1578 Brouage lost its Jacopolis prefix and was accorded ville Royale status by Henri III, who was determined to resist the covetous intentions of both French Protestants and the English. Some years later the nearby Protestant stronghold of La Rochelle responded by scuttling twenty or so redundant warships in an attempt to render the port of Brouage unusable. The cat-and-mouse game would continue until 1627, when Cardinal
Subscribe today > see page 5 for info
Riverside calm in Orléans
22 | living places to visit
The Château de Sully at sunset
Big River
The mere mention of our longest river seems to evoke the very soul of rural France, so we cast off on a two-part
voyage in the company of the mighty Loire. WORDS & PHOTOS: ROGER MOSS
www.livingmagazine.fr
living places to visit | 23
L
ong before becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the area we refer to as ‘the Loire Valley’ had enjoyed international celebrity status stretching back centuries, thanks to dazzling Renaissance chateaux like Azay-leRideau, Blois and Chenonceau. The area in which they’re concentrated is surprisingly compact, while the river itself flows for over 1000 km from its source in the Ardèche all the way to the Atlantic coast. Following it can require several visits but you’ll be rewarded by what you encounter along the way. The Loire springs into life on the wild volcanic flanks of Mont Gerbier de Jonc and ambles uncertainly roughly northwards, bypassing both
"The river itself flows for over 1000 km from its source in the Ardèche" Le Puy-en-Velay and Saint-Étienne. By the time it reaches Roanne it’s looking like a major waterway, before drifting through a series of meanders which will take it to its liaison with the River Allier just beyond the cathedral town of Nevers. Now into its stride, the Loire begins to display the kind of character which we’ve come to expect, among a landscape described by
Balzac as “a series of small mountains”. Draped across their billowing contours are the productive AOC vineyards of Pouilly-sur-Loire and the ancient hilltop town of Sancerre, where our own journey begins. Sancerre’s fine wines have made it world famous, something which is celebrated at la Maison des Sancerre (a restored 14th century townhouse) and you’ll find lots of opportunities for tastings and purchases in and around the town. Behind Nouvelle Place stands la Tour des Fiefs, a 14th century circular tower whose viewing platform offers panoramas of the town and the surrounding vine-clad landscapes, among which you can find authentic farm-produced Crottin de Chavignol fromage de chèvre.
Subscribe today > see page 5 for info
28 | living in profile
For one extraordinary artist thinking big comes naturally, on the sandy shoreline of the Atlantic Coast WORDS: JESSICA KNIPE, PHOTOS: Jben
www.livingmagazine.fr
© Photo & design by Jben in collaboration with Les Huîtres Marennes Oléron
Art’s a beach
living in profile | 29
At low tide the clock is ticking
A celebration of Marennes oyster farming
A
rmed with just a rake and a drone, Jben has been creating stunning sand drawings in his natal Pays du Royannais (17) for almost a decade. As the tide goes down, this self-taught beach artist begins transforming the sandbanks near his home into massive, arresting artworks that disappear just as quickly once the tide rolls back in. And although most of his time is
now reserved for his clients – who range from individuals looking for the present of a lifetime to companies communicating for an event – Jben still finds time to develop his own ideas and leave his ephemeral stamp on the beautiful landscapes where he grew up. LIVING had the opportunity to talk to this seaside wizard about how a growing passion turned into a full-time profession.
Living: So, how did it all begin? When did the beach start looking like a huge canvas to you?
Jb: I grew up by the beach, and it has always been my playground, but in 2013 I discovered an American beach artist online. I thought his work was incredible – and I knew that, on my doorstep, I had what I needed to try it out myself. I was already into drones at the time, when they weren’t that
Subscribe today > see page 5 for info
38 | living nikki legon’s cuisine
Delicious dishes packed full of flavour and colour provide a pick-me-up on the dullest of winter days...
Nikki Legon's
cuisine Goat's Cheese & Red Onion Squares
Goat’s Cheese & Red Onion Squares 500g block of flaky or short crust pastry large round goat’s cheese cut into 6 slices pine nuts to sprinkle thyme leaves to decorate onion marmalade 1kg red onions, peeled 2 garlic cloves 70g butter 2 tbsp olive oil
www.livingmagazine.fr
Lentil Quinoa Burgers
70g golden caster sugar ½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves ½ bottle red wine 175ml sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar 100ml port Method Halve and thinly slice the onions, then thinly slice the garlic. Melt the butter with the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Tip in the onions and garlic and stir well so they are covered with butter. Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves and some salt and pepper.
Give everything another good stir and reduce the heat to low. Cook uncovered for approx 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all the juices have evaporated and they are soft and sticky. Pour in the wine, vinegar and port and simmer everything, still uncovered, on a medium heat for a further hour. Stir every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. It is ready when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice. This red onion
living nikki legon’s cuisine | 39
Mediterranean Baked Cod Can be served with crusty bread, but it can equally be enjoyed as a main course with a baked potato and broccoli
Mediterranean Baked Cod
2 thick pieces of cod - make sure there are no bones 5 good quality black olives 2 tbsp olive oil juice of 1/4 lemon ¾ tsp paprika pinch of cayenne pepper
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes ½ tsp small capers rinsed 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley salt and pepper METHOD Season the cod pieces and place into a casserole dish. Mix the paprika and cayenne pepper into the tomatoes. Add the capers, olives and lemon juice and mix in the olive oil. Pour over the fish and bake in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve.
Rustic Vegetable Soup 3 tbsp olive oil 3 carrots, chopped 2 onions, chopped 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped 3 parsnips or half a celeriac, peeled and chopped ½ savoy cabbage, sliced thinly and chopped
METHOD Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. When hot, add the carrots, celeriac or parsnips, and onions, fry gently for 8 minutes to intensify the flavour. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook a further 8 minutes stirring gently. Add the tinned tomatoes. Mix the stock cubes in the boiling water to dissolve and pour over the vegetables. Cook a further 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Rustic Vegetable Soup marmalade will keep for 3 months. Heat the oven to 200°C. Roll out the flaky pastry and cut out six 10cm squares. Make an incision around the edge of each, about 1cm in. Prick the base and bake blind under baking parchment for 10 minutes. Remove baking parchment and bake for a further 5 minutes until crisp and dry. Place the caramelised onions in the base of each tart and top with a slice of goat’s cheese. Sprinkle on the pine nuts and bake until the goat’s cheese begins to bubble and brown. Decorate with thyme leaves and serve with a salad.
450g potatoes, peeled and chopped small 250g mushrooms, cleaned and quartered 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp dried oregano 1.5l water, boiled 4 vegetable stock cubes
Lentil Quinoa Burgers 225g quinoa 2 small cans of lentils, rinsed 100g breadcrumbs 2 eggs, lightly beaten 4 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tbsp cumin powder small bunch of coriander, chopped (stalks as well) juice of 1 lemon 115g walnuts, chopped 500g mushrooms salt and pepper
Method In a saucepan, combine quinoa and 450ml of water. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 12 minutes, set aside to cool. In a food processor, combine half the lentils, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, eggs, garlic, cumin, coriander, lemon juice and cooked quinoa, season with salt and pepper. Process until well combined. Add remaining lentils and walnuts, pulse until they are incorporated. Form into small patties and place in the fridge to set. Brush the burgers with oil and cook for a few minutes each side. Serve with crème fraîche and chopped mint.
Show how much you
Living at ko-fi.com/livinghq
50 | living in the garden
in the garden
Irrigation taken seriously, La Bambouseraie en Cévennes
Super Grass A useful and plentiful building material
www.livingmagazine.fr
They include the fastest-growing plants on Earth, but chosen wisely, bamboos can still find a place in most gardens
Canes have a multitude of uses in the garden
living in the garden | 51
Some varieties are multicoloured
T
Bamboos can provide screening and shelter
he landscaping aspect of garden design is nothing new. We might never know whether or not the Hanging Gardens of Babylon ever actually existed, but we do know that the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans devoted much time and effort to creating gardens as expressions of their social status and aesthetic awareness. Here in France when the occupying Romans departed they left behind them a host of abandoned villas, many of whose enclosed gardens would live on as monastic cloisters. In time, when the constant threat of invasion gave way to relative stability, gardens could finally escape their secretive walled settings and begin to make their mark on the landscape. Inspired by the efforts of the aristocracy, wealthy landowners seized the opportunity to add elegantly
landscaped areas within their hunting estates. The Renaissance chateaux of the Loire Valley and their showpiece formal gardens were obviously the result of Italian influences, but owners and garden designers eventually started to look further afield for more exotic species to spice up their planting plans. They found just what they were looking for in the Far East, particularly China and Japan, many of whose most striking plant species were also sufficiently frost-hardy to make them perfectly viable in the French climate. Particularly promising were bamboos, since many varieties were not only fast-growing, but also had the potential to head skywards to 3.5m or more, given the right conditions. After all, what gardener could resist the appeal of near-instant results?
HOMME VERT Garden design, hard landscape construction and planting service based in Montmoreau (16). Kew trained, RHS show garden contractor & designer, 30+ years’ experience. Full references available. Richard 07 88 29 54 37 richard@boisbourdeau.fr www.boisbourdeau.fr Siret: RCS Angoulême 851 973 198 00019
Fast-forward to present times and we find bamboos everywhere, not least since there are now so many varieties available that just about any garden can accommodate them. Hillier’s Manual of Trees & Shrubs describes them as being “among the most beautiful and elegant of all evergreens”. That said, selecting a variety which will suit our situation is something which needs careful thought, if we’re to avoid a decorative asset becoming an invasive liability. You might not be too surprised to learn that bamboos are members of the grass (Gramineae or Poaceae) family. They’re therefore lime-tolerant, and most are dependably hardy – in fact, any plants which appear to have taken a hit during an exceptional cold-snap should simply regenerate from beneath the soil. With that in mind, if you plan to plant
TREE SURGEON ARBORIST
Covering all areas
Siret: 808 903 074 00017
All aspects of tree care from planting and pruning to reductions and removals. Hedge cutting, ground clearance and maintenance. Fully insured & registered. 27 years’ experience.
GARDEN SERVICES
05 45 30 61 41 / 06 45 90 30 67 | tree-fairy@hotmail.co.uk
05 45 25 05 37
DOMINIC LUNN
www.homme-vert.com Facebook: @hommeverttreesurgery
Show how much you Living at ko-fi.com/livinghq www.livingmagazine.fr www.charenteassistance.fr