{"id":220,"date":"2011-08-21T13:50:38","date_gmt":"2011-08-21T13:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/suppersfromscratch.wordpress.com\/?p=220"},"modified":"2013-04-21T20:55:27","modified_gmt":"2013-04-21T20:55:27","slug":"a-certain-joie-de-vivre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suppersfromscratch.com\/?p=220","title":{"rendered":"A certain joie de vivre…."},"content":{"rendered":"

I currently have the luxury of writing my blog in 30 degree heat with a light breeze in the kitchen of a very petite medieval French house in the Languedoc Roussillon \u2013 well, more 3 rooms stacked on top of each other but you get the picture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Writing in the shade on a sunny day, filled with a dappled glow of a truly From Scratch lunch, life couldn\u2019t be better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I was trying to work out, what makes it so good? Is it the holiday or is it the From Scratch food? \u00a0I am well over half way through my year now and, as holidays always seem to provide, I am starting to get some perspective on the project so far.<\/span>
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\n Holidays are technically off limits to ‘From Scratch’ as I am forced by my lack of true isolation e.g. sharing meals with 3-5 other people to eat what is provided. But here – right here – you couldn\u2019t get closer to the idyllic dream of a From Scratch existence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here a potato salad is made from potatoes dug minutes earlier from the ground, served with a handful of freshly picked herbs and a glug of zesty dressing. This, accompanied by giant Coeur de Boeuf tomatoes, freshly baked bread, and a roast chicken completes a lunch fit for kings (summed up clearly by the word \u2018fresh\u2019). This is only to be surpassed by my raspberry stained lips that are the by-product of picking fruit for pudding \u2013 alas, most of those poor raspberries never made it to the table.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This week so far has been the utter encapsulation of the spirit of summer food I was so excited by a few months back. I couldn\u2019t be happier.<\/span><\/p>\n

You could argue it\u2019s easy here, and it is. The appreciation for good ingredients, the amount of produce grown in the region, the soil, the sunshine…..<\/span><\/p>\n

But just because it\u2019s easier here doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s impossible back home.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the question is how do I return to London with a similar joie de vivre?<\/span><\/p>\n

I think one element is time. Often the best thing about a holiday is there is no agenda, no prescribed times, and no set routine; if you want to spend three hours making and then eating a meal nothing is there to stop you. So instead of fumbling around for excuses, you just get on with it and you\u2019re truly in the moment enjoying every taste, texture and flavour.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other part is ingredients and being able to pick things fresh from the plant. Whilst we might not always have the sunshine, (so chillis might be out) or even a garden,\u00a0 potato\u2019s, herbs, raspberries, strawberries, green beans … I could go on, all grow quite happily on our island with it\u2019s slightly less desirable climate. So whilst I might not be able to stay on holiday forever, I am definitely going to try and bring some back with me, probably in the form of recipes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is one of my favourite meals so far:<\/span><\/p>\n

Gambas and Meatballs In a Tomato Sauce<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n