The Windsor Waffle goes to Bordeaux

Bonjour!

David and I have just spent an enjoyable 5 nights in Bordeaux, France; our first flight and holiday abroad since before the pandemic started.

We’ve had a good time and done far too much eating and drinking. The weather wasn’t as hot and sunny as we’d hoped for. It was 32 degrees C on arrival and then the next day dropped down to 18, similar to the UK. However, mostly it was dry and probably slightly warmer than the UK, so mustn’t grumble! I found I’d packed mostly the right clothes and wore everything except one shirt. David meanwhile had managed to pack some clothes that no longer fit him 🤣🤣.

On the first night we went to a seafood restaurant called “Le Petit Commerce” in the old town. I’d seen this restaurant on TV with Rick Stein, it was also recommended by the staff at our hotel. David started with snails and I had razor clams. We then moved on to an enormous seafood platter (David) and monkfish for me. Everything was very tasty although David didn’t like his whelks, found them too rubbery. They are the green ones below.

The food and wine in Bordeaux was very good and cheaper than in Windsor for the same quality food. The rate of euros to pounds seems quite good at the moment, and the French prices already include service so not much tipping expected.

We enjoyed the local aperitif called Lillet which is a white, red or rosé wine mixed with a fruity liqueur. It looks just like a glass of wine, but has a fortified kick to it and is very tasty. You could get a glass of this for around 7 or 8 euros. Cheers!

Foie gras is very popular in Bordeaux. It is not really my thing and I managed to avoid it except for in the middle of this beef Wellington. I have to say that this dish was delicious. David had the same and agreed.

It was served with frites. Mostly their chips looked like this, quite brown in colour. I wondered if they were cooked in duck fat or something to make them this colour? They were also very nice.

We had some lovely home made chocolate mousse in another restaurant 😋😋😋.

One of the highlights of the trip was an organised tour to Saint Émilion, beautiful wine region of Bordeaux.

It’s such a pretty, romantic place. Look at all these bottles of wine!

Our guide spoke excellent English and our group included a couple from Singapore and 4 Australians. We really enjoyed the visit to the Château..

Bordeaux wine is made from mainly Merlot grapes. It is also blended with Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc at this Château. The largest percentage is always Merlot.

This is where they store and age the wine in these beautiful hand made oak barrels.

After seeing the vineyard we went for a wine tasting in a shop in the town. We sampled 4 wines and were pleased we didn’t have to spit them out! They ranged from the cheapest to gradually more expensive wines from the Château we had toured. We all agreed the most expensive wine at approx 68 euros a bottle was the best. David and I didn’t buy any wine but noted the years 2015 and 2016 are the best years for buying Bordeaux wine back home. I’m wondering how our usual £8. bottle of something from Ocado will compare. Hopefully we haven’t developed expensive tastes!

Back home now and I’m trying to avoid getting David’s heavy cold. We’ve both done Covid tests which are negative. We only just had Covid in April so I think it’s very unlikely to be that. Today I’ll be unpacking the Ocado shopping, catching up on washing and home admin, and enjoying the wonderful British sunshine in our garden. It’s great to be home, more Bordeaux pics coming soon.. X