Within just 20 minutes drive from us you will arrive at the fabulous ‘Jardins d’Eau’, located between Gourdon and Sarlat on the D704. From our first visit many years ago when the project was in its early stages, we have seen these gardens grow into a beautiful array of vast flowering lily-covered ponds that greet you from the entrance with ornamental fish who swim in special 'open-view’ tanks. You then walk across a ... [ More ]
News
The Bales are cut for the Summer !
Following a Winter with unprecedented rainfall that continued well into May (although very patchy), the resulting growth from the valley seemed like a jungle. When an occasional shower would flatten everything then a stiff breeze would bring all back to attention again. The obvious advantage of possessing such a natural hillside meadow is that it becomes replete with Orchids and an armada of Butterflies in the early ... [ More ]
An ocean of Orchids in the valley
As soon as the weather breaks free from its Winter shell into the azur blue of Springtime, flowers both from the blossom of the fruit trees in the garden and those that carpet the fields, fill our view every day. The proportion of countryside in comparison to urban areas within the Lot region is so high, that due to the incredible clarity of the air quality, the surrounding woodlands (and especially our valley) are ... [ More ]
Recipe: Apple tarte-fine
An extremely simple, yet impressive dessert, that will make your guests think you are a master Pâtissier! With just a very few ingredients and a little patience you can create one large tart or individual pastries. They may be cooked ahead and simply passed through an oven for a few moments to heat up. Ingredients 225g Butter Puff Pastry 4 - 6 Granny Smith Apples Unsalted Butter Icing Sugar ... [ More ]
The Daily Telegraph ~ our review
“A haven of comfort, charm and bonhomie - La Métairie des Songes feels like home the moment you walk in the door. What makes it truly exceptional is the cuisine: if Michelin awarded stars to B&B’s, La Métairie’s would be in the bag.” As reads the introductory paragraph to our first major daily newspaper inspection that highly recommended our house and gave immense praise to our level of culinary ... [ More ]
Parasols in the fields
Within our meadow and the surrounding pastures, these tall fungal ‘umbrellas’ seem to appear almost overnight. From tiny club-like drumsticks they emerge broad and elegantly into their adult form. The Parasol mushroom (Coulemelle in French), is abundant and easy to identify. Its cousin, the Wood Parasol, that prefers to dwell within its namesake environment is much more ragged and oval and is something to avoid as ... [ More ]
