Wednesday 18th June
Luck was shining on us this morning like the summer sun and, thanks to quick thinking from our driver Ian, we caught an early ferry so had time to unpack at the Hostel before heading to the Goat Farm.
Madame made us feel so welcome in the oak-framed barn of her idyllic farm deep in the countryside. The children made pain au chocolate in the shape of a billy-goat's head before experiencing the goats, chickens, rabbits, geese, guinea pigs and iguanas (one of those is made up) and tasting the wood oven-baked bread, cheese and apple juice. She encouraged us to milk the goats as they feasted on oats mixing English and French in her explanation of the process of raising livestock to produce the artisan cheese she sells in local markets.
This evening, after a delicious meal of cheese pastry, chicken (or omelette) and chips and chocolate eclair, we enjoyed the sunset on Boulogne beach. Then we settled in for a well-needed night's sleep.
Thursday 19th June
After our continental breakfast, we went to the market in Le Touquet Paris-Plage. The children perused the eyeful of wares in small groups. Some successfully haggled prices down.
The visit to the snail farm was a new addition to the itinerary this year and it did not disappoint. Monsieur amazed us with astonishing facts in French and English under the welcome shade of a walnut tree:
- How many teeth does a north African Gros Gris snail have? 13,000!
- Who is their top predator with an insatiable appetite for their livers? rats
- What quantity of snails do seven people manage to harvest in September? 4 metric tonnes
- What was special about the shells of only three snails out of all they have reared in the last 25 years? they spiral anti-clockwise
- How many mph do these imported snails travel at? 10 metres per hour
Afterwards, a number of intrepid children and the adults were given the chance to taste the snails, cooked in a biscuit shell with three different recipes: traditional garlic butter, feta and tomato and goat's cheese with paprika. They were a new, very French, experience for many.
Tonight we enjoyed pizza slices for a starter followed by turkey kebabs with couscous and ratatouille (or stuffed tomato) and chocolate doughnuts. The fashion houses of Paris will be quaking in their Jimmy Choos after Pound Hill's parade of evening wear for dinner.
Look away now if you are going to watch Match of the Day... but the pictures below reveal the top four in tonight's tenpin bowling.
Friday 20th June
We packed a lot into today, including some packing. After breakfast we went to Le Portel where the children ordered their own drinks in a cafe. Madames Singleton and O'Connor also managed to persuade another cafe on the beach to open for us and serve ice creams which were very welcome in the morning sunshine.
Our next stop was the swimming pool where we jumped off the diving board and lazed in the river. After eating a lunch of sandwiches provided by the hostel in the shade, we went into the countryside again to the Chocolaterie de Beussent. Madame and Monsieur guided us through the chocolate-making process from bean to bar. (Did you know that a chocolate panda has fewer teeth than a snail?)
With our chocolate purchases safely labelled and stowed in cool bags, we went in search of an artisan bakery to add pain to our chocolat. Monsieur Bruno once again mixed knowledge and skills, English and French to give the children a first-hand experience of the traditional French breadmaking experience and all as if it was the first group he had spoken to.
We left with chocolate croissants to eat on the beach as the sun set.
Our final dinner was probably the best: a sausage role / omelette; followed by a main with sauteed potatoes and petit pois and an ice cream to finish. Before we sat down for dinner, we lined up for a photo in our evening dress with the owners of the hostel.
We just had time at the end of a busy day to go to Boulogne beach again at sunset. The children played football, dug holes in the sand and wrote MERCI in shells.
