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Rachel Khoo

The Khoo Times

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Tour de France - Provence

This post is sponsored by Sawdays.

Could there be a more fitting start to a Provencal excursion, than the blustering Mistral reaching 120km per hour whilst paired with a blindingly blue sky?

Provence has long been a favourite of the British. Just the mention of it conjures up images of sun filled terraces, purple lavender fields, dusty green shutters on sand coloured bastides, and the summer hum of cigales in the bristly bushes.

But of all the places on my visits around France, Provence is by far the most estranged from Britain, architecturally, mentality-wise and weatherwise.

My first stop took me Marseille. I left snowy Paris behind and whipped out my sunnies as I stepped off the TGV in central town. A late lunch at Le Grain de Sel, followed by some exploration of the vintage scene (picking up some intriguing vintage postcards and a delightful Liberty print skirt), and I was getting a feel for the gritty streets of Marseille.

I dined at a Le Fooding favourite, Bistro du Cours, on croustillant au joue de boeuf, shredded beef cheek encased in brick pastry, followed by the fish of the day, teamed with a sweet fennel puree.

My home for the night was Mama Shelter, now part of a four strong group of design but no frills hotels, with the Philippe Stark stamp on it. The original is not far from my home in Paris, and is where the cool kids go for late night fun, checking into one of the funky rooms for the night if that’s where the evening takes them. At 49 euros a night per room, this is seriously good value and the rooms are actually far from no frills. The linens are luxurious and perfectly pressed, there are macs on all the walls, lighting is atmospheric and the Kiehls products in the bathrooms, a very nice touch.

Giant brioche at breakfast in the funky front room with all Marseille’s creative types was followed by a walk down to the fish market, which due to blustering gail force winds, was sadly closed. But the disappointment was quickly forgotten upon the discovery of L’Empereur, Marseille’s oldest hardware store, also home to the best kitchen shop I have ever visited. It was hard to leave without an entire suitcase worth of goodies (there were miniature Kugelhopf molds, Staubs of all shapes and sizes, fun enamelware and cornichon jars), but I picked up a few little treasures, which feature in My Little French Kitchen.

Lunch was at Le Bistroquet, which we hustled into thanks to Le Fooding recommendation on the door; it was young, fun, good value and full of comic and cartoon memorabilia.

Off we went to the Camargue, famed for its red rice and white ponies. The drive was treacherous from the violent winds, so much so that the top of a lorry had blown off onto the middle of the road, by a stroke of sheer luck, just missing the traffic behind.

We visited the family producers Bonistalli at the Domaine de Bouchaud and Sylvie explained a little about her family’s business, in wine and rice. The rice is a tricky beast requiring hours of labour, but the taste alone gives that away. I have always been partial to it, for its slight nuttiness and firmer texture than white rice. But as with many harder products to produce, they have to make a considerable effort to promote the rice and draw attention to its qualities to gain interest from consumers always looking to spend less and less on cheaper and less nutritious rice.

With the wind still howling, it was off to Le Thor north east of the Camargue to lay our heads for the night. The Mas de Miejour was a traditional Provencal farmhouse, renovated by former Parisians, a shoe designer and IT expert respectively. With just a handful of rooms and a gite in the grounds, the rooms were cosy with subdued Provencal tones, classic terracotta tiles, and heavy draping curtains. Just the shelter from the storm that was needed.

Advised by  our hosts Frédéric and Emmanuelle, we dined in Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne, at the La Maison de Celou, a hilltop town with tight winding roads packed inside its high walls. The GPS was not our friend in the heart of Provence, preferring to steer us off course than give us an easy ride to our various destinations. This was one of the most hair raising of the detours on this particular trip, our Citroen C3 brushed past the walls of the medieval town, each bend skimming the wing mirror, before we landed upon La Maison de Celou.

A solid family affair but with high aspirations, the place feels like the Sandrine, Philippe and Barbara have poured their heart into this venture. Some lovely local olives and lardon-studded madeleines kicked off the supper, followed by a coquelet and a loup snacke with braised fennel and spiced foam. A dessert of pain perdu charlotte with apple and ice cream hit the spot, before it was time to once more brave the wind.

The next day we were keen to hunt down some producers, and among the many amazing products to be found down South, saffron is among them. L'Aube Safran specialises in just that, producing saffron and plenty of delicious by products.

Nearby is Brantes, the most picturesque of the towns we visited on the trip. Perched up on the hill to one side of Mont Ventoux, it is small - think 60 people living there - small. A little sheltered nook from the howling mistral wind, here we visited the home of Robert Posta, a British born beekeeper who has been living in this tiny town for a couple of decades, tending to his bees to produce some unparalleled honeys kissed by the local flora. With tumbling buildings and elegant stone arches in ochre, the town was what you picture Provence to look like.

In the evening we headed to Montpellier, where we stayed bang in the city centre of town at the majestic Hôtel de Baudon de Mauny. Hidden behind an imposing wooden door in the centre of town, up a grand stairwell and into his high ceiling-ed opulent 18th century hotel with a modern fit out. Stone walls exposed and characterful features throughout, fitted well alongside the modern lighting fixtures and other features.

After many a big meal, Chez Boris was a welcome find, offering high top seating, an excellent choice of wines by the glass and some nice slate plates featuring an array of cheeses, charcuterie and some crispy fried asparagus with a little tapenade.

We sprang out of bed for the Saturday market, which is out of the historic centre, across the landscaped park with the Louis XIV statue and across to the viaduct, which the market stretched out beneath on a Saturday morning. The bouquinistes (book sellers) boasted an enviable collection of culinary compendiums for us to get a little over excited about. The food market was mostly made up of resellers, and some interesting food stuffs, such as farcous (little pancakes) and homemade marshmallows by a little old lady.

Some market nibbles whetted the appetite for my next farcou experience, albeit a more gastro version, in a smart local restaurant headed by an ex-Paris based chef championing the local produce, who served delicate light versions as an amuse bouche in his restaurant Le Pastis.  I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the town and looking for authentic specialties with a modern edge.

The last night in Provence had sadly arrived. But we were fortunate to spend it back in the Luberon, at the gorgeous La Bastide de Voulonne. We relaxed for the evening at the home of Penny and Julien, at their elegant farm house with an inner courtyard, where we were served an opulent meal in their grandiose dining room. The couple were in the midst of preparing for the daughter's wedding, which they were hosting, and it certainly seemed the perfect setting for such an occasion.

It was a whirlwind trip, not least because of the howling mistral. While Provence is beautiful at the beginning of spring, but you never know when the wind will blow, and when it does, it means business. When we headed back a month or two later to shoot My Little French Kitchen, the sun was beaming and the wild flowers were in full bloom.

You can read more about my Tour de France, including my explorations of Bordeaux and beyond, and a trip to Brittany.

Where I stayed in Provence:

Le Mas de Miejour (from 85 Euros per night) in Chemin du Trentin

Hotel de Baudon de Mauny (from 165 Euros per night) in Montpellier

La Bastide de Voulonne in Cabrières d'Avignon with Sawday's

For a selection of other special places to stay, visit Sawday's.

Here is what I got up to in Biarritz and Espelette on my edible explorations of France.

AND THE GIVEAWAY FUN CONTINUES: Thanks to the team at Sawdays, I’ve got 10 copies of a lovely French B&B book to giveaway, (in conjunction with several blog posts that I’m publishing about my time travelling around France). The book is called ‘Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay French Bed & Breakfast’ (RRP: £15.99), and is full of magical spots to stay in France, from chateaux to chalets.

For your chance to win a copy, follow these steps. Bonne chance!

1. Using the hashtag #rachelkhoosawdays, leave a comment on via Twitter, post on my Facebook page, or tag me in an Instagram post.

2. Tell me about a special place you’ve stayed on holiday (extra bonus points if you include a photo). From camping by the sea to snow-covered chalets – anything goes.

3. Bonus points if you mention this giveaway on your own blog

Here’s the fine print: In order to be eligible for entry refer to the steps listed above. Ten winners will be generated on Monday November 25, 2013. Entries close Sunday November 24, 2013 5:00pm GMT. Any queries, send me an email

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