Fish Pie

 The fish, vegetable and white sauce filling for the pie.

 

We love a good fish pie, ideally with a mixture of smoked and oily fish with veggies in a white sauce, and topped with mashed potato. So when I found some smoked haddock at the supermarket, I quickly put together the other ingredients and made fish pie. Smoked haddock is a treat which I don't see very much here, so I was delighted. And when I do come across it, it is generally artisanal rather than industrial, so even more of a treat.

 

Ready for the oven.

 

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes, scrubbed, peeled (optional) and cut into 5 cm chunks

125 g butter (50 g for the mash, 50 g to sweat the veggies, and 25 g to dot on top)

1 tbsp olive oil

100 g cream

 500 ml milk (for making the sauce, but use 3 tbsp in the mash)

A pinch each of salt and ground white pepper

150 g smoked haddock

200 g salmon

An onion, sliced

A bay leaf

A leek, cleaned and sliced

A large carrot, cut into dice

100 g frozen peas

3 tbsp flour 

1 tbsp chopped fresh herb (optional, whatever you fancy, eg parsley)

A few drops of bottled lemon juice

Method

1. Turn the oven on and heat to 190°C.
2. Boil the potatoes, drain and mash with butter, cream, milk, salt and white pepper.
3. Skin the fish.
   
4. Bring the milk to boiling point in a large saucepan and add the fish, fish skin, half the onion, and bay leaf. 
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6 minutes.
6. Heat butter and oil in a large pan and soften the remaining onion, leek and carrot for 15 minutes, on low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
7. Using a fish slice remove the fish from the milk and set aside.
8. Add the flour to the veggies and mix it in well.
9. Cook on a low heat for several minutes.
10. Gradually strain the warm milk into the veggies, stirring constantly.
11. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
12. Add the frozen peas to the veggies in sauce.
13. Break the fish into chunks and gently incorporate into the veggies and sauce.
14. Pour the fish, veggies and sauce into a large deep oval pie dish.
15. Sprinkle herbs and lemon juice over the fish mixture.
16. Carefully cover the pie with mash, a spoonful at a time until the whole surface is thickly covered.
17. Go over the top with a fork to both even it out and ensure rough bits which will brown in the oven.
18. Dot the top with the remaining butter and place the dish on an oven tray because it will bubble up and over.
19. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
20. Serves six, with steamed broccoli.

 

Mash ready to dollop on top.

Hairy Curtain Crust

Hairy Curtain Crust Stereum hirsutum (Fr. Stérée hirsute) is an abundant and widespread bracket fungus species in Tourangelle forests. Sometimes grey in colour, but most often yellowy orange, with a white edge and the top surface covered in short greyish hairs that create a nap like velveteen cloth. The wavy edged semi-circular brackets are leathery and about 5 cm across. The spores are colourless. The species grows on the dead wood of deciduous trees. It is not the sort of mushroom anyone would eat unless they are into cardboard.

 

The smooth orange underside.

The species has a number of lookalikes and it is necessary to examine the underside carefully. It should be smooth and orange, and not change colour when bruised (an indication it is a different Stereum species). If the underside is creamy white, has pores, or little warts then think about alternative identifications such as Aleurocystidiellum, Trametes or Eichleriella. It is very tough and can be very visible all year round, even during droughts. Many mycolologists have observed that it is particularly abundant after a fire.

One sure way of identifying both species is if there is Golden Ear Tremella aurantica in proximity to Hairy Curtain Crust. The Golden Ear is a parasite of the Hairy Curtain Crust, and will slowly envelope and consume it.

A Descartes Memorial

There's a plaque in Descartes, in a slightly out of the way car park, that we have noticed, but never stopped to read.

In the 1930s, André Goupille was a veterinarian living with his family in La Haye-Descartes (now Descartes). When France was divided during the Second World War, the German demarcation line passed close to their home. Because of his profession, André held a permanent pass allowing him to cross the line. From 1940 onward, he organized a clandestine network to help people cross, involving his wife Jeanne, their four teenage children, and their housekeeper, Odette Metais. Together, they assisted approximately 2,000 individuals, including Jews fleeing persecution, escaped prisoners of war, Allied pilots, and members of the Resistance. They also transported messages and intelligence to London and sometimes sheltered refugees for several days.

Their courage is documented by letters of gratitude from those they helped, including Jewish refugees who had escaped from Drancy. In January 1942, André was arrested for carrying incriminating documents but managed to secure his release by claiming they were linked to black-market activities. He then continued his work from the southern zone, joined later by Jeanne. After the German invasion of the southern zone, their resistance activities expanded to include receiving parachute drops.

In February 1944, the entire group was arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps. Remarkably, all survived. In 2000, Yad Vashem honored André and Jeanne Goupille, their children, and Odette Metais as Righteous Among the Nations.

Pierre and Denise Renard also lived in La Haye-Descartes during the Second World War. Pierre was involved in the French Resistance and helped escaped prisoners of war and downed Allied airmen cross into the southern zone. His actions expanded when a local hotel owner informed him that the Freudman family, Belgian Jews seeking refuge in France, had been abandoned by smugglers after being robbed of their money.

Pierre rescued the family—two parents and their two-year-old twin daughters—and brought them to his home, where they were temporarily hidden in a small hut in the courtyard. Denise, a schoolteacher, cared for them and ensured they had food and basic necessities. One morning before dawn, she provided the family with supplies and forged identity papers before bidding them farewell. Pierre then guided them by indirect routes across the demarcation line and placed them on a bus bound for Vichy. The following day, he visited them to make sure they were safe.

Pierre Renard sought no reward for his actions, motivated solely by resistance to the occupation and compassion for the persecuted. In 1944, he was arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Dachau. Though he survived the camp, he died shortly after the war due to illness and suffering. In 1969, Yad Vashem recognized Pierre and Denise Renard as Righteous Among the Nations.

Luminescent Panellus

Luminescent Panellus Panellus stipticus (Fr. Panelle astringente) is a small creamy brown mushroom that grows in groups on the wood of dead deciduous trees, typically on beech, oak and birch, but also sometimes on alder, hazel, chestnut and ash. The individual fruiting bodies are no more than 4 cm across, fan shaped on short horizontal stems, and quite leathery. The cap surface is dry and the mushrooms do not have a distinctive odour. The spores are white (useful for distinguishing them from similar looking Crepitodus spp, whose spores are brown).

It's considered toxic if you ingest it, and very bitter, leading to its alternative English name of Bitter Oysterling. The level of toxicity is not life threatening and it is safe to try some on your tongue if you are a healthy adult, but the impressive bitterness will take some time to develop. If you chew it as well it is astringent, so the whole experience is quite unpleasant. Make sure not to swallow, but spit it out. 

The 'approved' English name suggests that they are bioluminescent. Sadly this seems to be a trait of part of the North American population of this species, but the European ones are not bioluminescent. 

It is believed to have been used in the past to staunch bleeding wounds due to its astringency, and as a purgative.

As an agent of decomposition Luminescent Panellus is a key contributor to the health of the forest and contributes to the creation of habitat for numerous small creatures. It also permits the recycling of nutrients in the forest floor, and may have potential for removing organic industrial pollutants from waste water in the environment from olive processing. In the forest the fungus breaks down both lignin and cellulose and causes white rot. It tends to appear in younger regenerating parcels of forest rather than mature parcels. Deer and slugs will eat them.

Vote For Us!

 Since 2021 Allianz (an insurance company) has partnered with La Sauvegarde de l'Art Français (a charity dedicated to saving French ecclesiastical artworks) to identify works of art at risk. After verification of their eligibility they are presented to a jury of representatives from the two organisations, who select two or three finalists from each region.

 

The painting The Descent from the Cross which hangs in the Abbey in Preuilly is one of the three finalists for Centre-Val de Loire.

These works are then put to a popular vote, that determines which will be conserved.

The municipality of Preuilly sur Claise and the local history society (SAP), who will also contribute to the restoration fund, are calling for everyone to vote for the painting.

It is very simple. Go to the website by clicking on the link below. Scroll down and select Centre-Val de Loire on the map. Choose the Preuilly project from the choices that will appear below. You will need to fill in your name and a valid email address.

https://www.sauvegardeartfrancais.fr/sondages/allianz-plus-grand-musee-de-france-vote-2026/

This is quite urgent as voting ends on 22 February. 

This large painting can be seen in the nave of the Abbey Saint Pierre.  It is a good quality copy of the work by Jean Jouvenet (1697) on display at the Louvre, and it deserves to be restored.

Preuilly sur Claise is counting on you!

Chateau de Verneuil

We had an appointment with Simon's urologist a week ago and used the taxi-ambulance to get there. On the way the driver stopped to pick up a third passenger in Verneuil sur Indre. We got talking and she was able to give us the latest on the chateau in the village.

It is a particularly lovely chateau that was for many years a residential home for disadvantaged children. When they moved out the chateau was acquired by an investor who announced very grand plans, which included apartments, a country club style hotel, an equestrian centre and a camp ground. Unfortunately it turned out he was operating a Ponzi scheme, and it eventually fell apart.

Our taxi companion told us that the chateau has now been bought by a private individual who intends restoring it and making it his home. He already has a chateau in Morbihan, so we hope he has deep pockets. The Chateau de Verneuil looks lovely in the landscape, but it has suffered many decades of neglect, so to turn it into a comfortable home will take considerable investment. Nevertheless, everyone is very happy to have such a buyer turn up. It is the perfect solution. Apparently the new owner has fallen in love with the Touraine and with the Chateau de Verneuil.

These photos were taken by Monica in September 2024. 

Dovecotes in the Touraine

Dovecotes in French are colombiers, or more often, pigeonniers. They are buildings in which to house and raise domestic pigeons.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

 

The word colombier comes from the Latin, but since the 18th century the term pigeonnier has more commonly been used and colombier has become obsolete. The term colombier is restricted to free standing towers, or housing for homing pigeons. They generally date from the Renaissance up to the 20th century. Modern changes in agriculture, especially the increasing cultivation of crops such as sugarbeet, have led to the raising of pigeons becoming obsolete (ie farms were not necessarily raising enough cereal to feed pigeons).

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

 

There is a third word in French to designate a dovecote -- sometimes, especially in the Touraine, they are called a fuie. The term dates from the early 12th century and implies a refuge. They are small scale and able to be closed with a shutter, mainly used more domestically for personal consumption of a modest individual household. These dovecotes are modifications to existing buildings rather than freestanding purpose built constructions.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

Dovecotes come in quite a range of sizes and architectural styles. Amongst a dozen other areas scattered across France the Touraine is rather well known for its extant dovecotes. The most common style in the Touraine is the cylindrical tower, dating from the 14th to the 16th century. These were generally topped with tiles, but may have a cupola and a lantern. They have a single dormer entrance, and exterior ledges for the pigeons to land and take off from.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

The interior of a pigeonnier has niches known in French as boulins. Each niche houses a pair of birds. The boulins can be made of stone, brick or daub, and made as part of the construction, or they can be ceramic or wicker and added later. There are several dovecotes in France with 2000 or more niches. The number of niches is a sign of wealth and indicates how much land the owner is cultivating. It was not unknown for socially climbing dovecote owners to add fake niches, to try to hoodwink the families they wished to marry into.

 

Chateau du Petit-Thouars, near Chinon.

Inside the dovecote is a honeycomb of niches. Up to about 80 cm from the ground is empty, to prevent predators from climbing up. In the centre is a mechanism to which one or two ladders are attached, and it can be swung all the way around to give access to the nests at any height, so they can be cleaned, and the 4-5 week old squabs taken for the table. Troughs for water and food were placed on the floor. The entry window opening could be closed by a wooden grill operated from the ground by a pulley.

 

Chaumussay.

It seems to have been the Romans who introduced the practice of raising pigeons in France. In the Middle Ages dovecotes supplied a luxury food, but also an important source of fertiliser, that could help enrich the local Lord. Pigeon guano was used up until the mid-20th century as fertiliser. At the end of the 19th century it was estimated that 2 million pigeons were consumed in the City of Paris per year.

 

Private garden, Chinon.

Property owners had to apply for the right to erect a dovecote, and its size had to reflect the importance of the property. They were often placed over a chook shed, a kennel, a bread oven or a pantry. Generally the smaller ones were integrated into a stable, barn, or shed. Owners had to prove a minimum of 25 hectares of land was being cultivated if they wanted up to 120 niches.  

 

Boussay.

Whilst the pigeons produced an excellent fertiliser, they were still viewed as a menace at seed sowing time. During that season the birds were shut up in their dovecotes.

 

Fortified farm, Vesvre (Neuilly Deux Clochers).

After the Revolution raising pigeons by commoners became a symbol of what had been won, and niches were added to many houses.

 

 Les Louroux.

Dovecotes need to be positioned away from large trees to prevent raptors from staking them out. Likewise they need features to discourage predation by rodents and mustelids (martens and weasels), for example smooth tiled or plastered surrounds to the entrances, or being elevated off the ground on a central pole.

 

Chateau de Valencay, Antan.

Nowadays, small dovecotes are erected by municipalities who want to encourage pigeons to nest somewhere convenient and not on street lights and window ledges. The municipal dovecotes are usually managed so eggs are systematically sterilised, in order to reduce and control the urban pigeon population.

Look Out for Snowdrops in the Touraine Loire Valley

Galanthus nivalis, commonly known as the Snowdrop (Fr. perce-neige, which translates as 'snow piercer') is one of those plants that people look forward to seeing, and it has many folkloric associations. The scientific name translates as 'milk flower of the snow'. The English name probably comes from a German word 'schneetropfen', which is the name of the teardrop shaped pearl earrings popular at the time snowdrops were introduced to Britain, in the 16th century.

It is native to central and southern Europe, from the Black Sea to western France. The natural northern distribution limit is debatable, because there has been so much cultivation and naturalisation, but it's probably southern Belgium.

In France it is classed as rather rare in the West, Centre (Loire Valley) and Pyrénées. Elsewhere it is rare, or naturalised, especially in the East. The flowers appear in early spring, no matter what the temperature. Thanks to the natural 'anti-freeze' in the plants they can withstand frost and snow, and push through regardless. Snowdrops can flower as early as December and as late as May, but generally flowering will be around Candlemas (Fr. Chandeleur) in early February up until the vernal equinox in March. Snowdrops are threatened in their natural habitats due to habitat destruction, illegal collecting and climate change.

When it's sunny the flowers open and the interior reflects ultraviolet light, alerting the few early emerging pollinators. Along with hazel and willow catkins, they are the most important source of pollen (food) for early flying solitary bees. You can find them on the edges of cool damp woods or sometimes open grasslands with nitrogen rich soil. I often find them in ditches.

The species is widely cultivated, and there are many varieties as well as other species. The bulbs have been known since antiquity as both toxins and antidotes.

Symbolically the plant is associated with heralding spring and hope, as well as purification and the Christian festival of Candlemas. Conversely it is also associated with sorrow, and considered a harbinger of death, possibly because it was widely planted in cemeteries. Some people are superstitious about bringing the flowers inside for this reason.

Snowdropping, by the way, is Australian slang for stealing women's underwear off clotheslines.

Creme Caramel

Crème caramel is a truly classic French dessert, served in restaurants from the humblest workers canteen to the fanciest high end classical French cuisine establishment. They are also made at home by those who enjoy cooking for their family or entertaining. A crème caramel is welcome on any dining table, and it is in many ways an archetypal French dessert -- small and dairy based, a few creamy sweet mouthfuls to properly round off your meal. The few ingredients necessary will be in everyone's pantry and kitchen -- sugar, milk, eggs and vanilla. It's not difficult to make perfectly edible crème caramel. It does take practice not to over cook them and make perfect crème caramel.

Here are a couple of recipes that I've used and I know work. They give you a classic crème caramel. If you are nervous about turning them out, don't bother. The caramel will still be there in the bottom of your dish.

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/french/creme-caramel

https://www.pardonyourfrench.com/creme-caramel-recipe/

 

 

The Foundry in Abilly

We were saddened to learn that the foundry in the middle of Abilly will close permanently in a weeks time, with the loss of around 30 jobs. In a small community that is significant. Also significant is the loss of technical knowledge and skill. 

 

The village of Abilly.

Joseph Pinet established the foundry in the town in 1820 to manufacture agricultural machinery parts. In 2020 it was still going strong and employed 27 people, making parts for tractors and trailers for 150 clients. The workers skills in metallurgy are no longer supported by the State Education system, so on the job training is really important now. The management was very conscious of the impact a foundry has on a small village, both in a positive sense as an important employer, but also the potential negatives such as pollution. The factory by this time was recycling all its waste and reusing the sand used to make moulds. They had also installed chimney filters and caps to capture particles, and replaced the old furnaces with induction furnaces using clean energy.

Many foundries closed in the 1980s, victims of Chinese competition. The foundry at Abilly survived by diversifying into home decor, making candelabras for the North African market. They also successfully promoted their park benches and rubbish bins to municipalities. They made parts for locks and hydraulic pumps, but rarely the complete product in these sectors.

Retromobile 2026

Retromobile opens today in Paris. The headline news for us is that once more we're not going to be there. We were last there in 2018, then we had a planned break. The plague got in the way in 2020 and 2021, and we fell fell out of the habit. The past two years we've had plans to visit until and then my prostate intervened. It's about time we went again.

In the meantime, some random cars from past years.

Other Retromobile pix can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=simon.bee.94&set=a.1119348471520548

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=simon.bee.94&set=a.1118033614985367

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=simon.bee.94&set=a.1117656171689778

The 20th First Cowslip

This is our annual "First Cowslip of the Year" photo. Usually they are posted in Match, but occasionally we see one in early February. This is the first time we have seen a cowslip the wild in January.

This particularly unimpressive specimen is in the middle of Huub and Ingrid's driveway. It's no wonder it isn't sticking its head out 

A Walk in the Forest

 On 14 January I went for a walk in the Forest of Preuilly with Ingrid and Huub. It was 3.5 km, 14°C and took an hour and a half. Huub was vastly amused to be accompanying two women who spent half their time with their arses in the air, photographing small fungi at ground level. Here is a small selection of what we saw. There were a lot of bracket fungi.

 

 A waymarker (Fr. borne) for the Chemin de Saint Martin (the Way of Saint Martin, an important pilgrim route).

Ochre Bracket Trametes ochracea (Fr. Tramète zoné) is not uncommon, but not abundant either. It is usually found on Aspen.

Sporodophoron cretaceum, a lichen that grows on the bark of mature oak trees.

Common Green Shield lichen Flavoparmelia caperata (Fr. Parmélie froncée) is widespread and abundant. The leaf like lobes don't adhere to the substrate they are growing on, and can be lifted up like flaps. The underside is black.

Cherry Gall (Fr. Galle-cerise) made by the wasp Cynips quercusfolii on the underside of an oak leaf.

Golden Ear fungus Naematelia aurantia (Fr. Trémelle orangée) is an irregular jelly like blob of yellow that parasitises Hairy Curtain Crust fungus.

Possibly Fence-rail Cladonia lichen Cladonia parasitica, which seems to be rather rare overall in Indre et  Loire and virtually impossible to tell from C. caespiticia without doing a chemical reaction test.

Luminescent Panellus Panellus stipticus (Fr. Panelle astringente), an abundant beige mushroom growing in layered groups on dead wood of deciduous trees.

Gilled Polypore Trametes betulina (Fr. Lenzite du bouleau) is a slightly downy dirty white bracket fungus. They can appear more coloured, but that is algae growing on the surface. They are mostly found on birch, oak, beech, alder and hazel.

Rusty Swan-neck moss Campylopus flexuosus (Fr. ) is an attractive moss that is relatively common all over France and observable all year round. Underneath the bright green cushion is usually rusty red, and the leaves have a very distinctive wide central vein.

Stinking Hellebore Helleborus foetidus (Fr. Pied-de-griffon), a toxic wild flower of oak woodland understorey. Touching it releases an unpleasant smell. The flowers produce a lot of nectar, no doubt very welcome for early emerging bumble bees, who love hellebores.