1. Foraging in the Forest

There are lots of trails around Le Moulin but the one I love is a loop through the forest, which follows the river Célé. The colours and scents of autumn are amazing. The orange, brown and red leaves swirl in the sky and land softly on the water. The earthy, woody smell of damp lasts in your memory as nature prepares for sleepy season. Marc and I enjoy mushroom hunting, although so far, we only know chanterelles and cèpes or porcini mushrooms. Foraging is one of the many national pastimes in France that revolve around food.

2. Going to the Market

Our local market is in Cajarc every Saturday all year round. It’s a ritual to do the rounds, buy a few goodies and then have an aperitif in the hub of the town, ‘Au Fil des Saisons’ – Caviste & Sommelier – a great place for people watching and watching the world go by. Autumn is one of the best times for food-lovers in France as the market abounds with such incredible produce. Fresh figs, apples, pears, butternut squash and pumpkin to name but a few. And yes, sometimes we cheat if our mushroom foraging was unsuccessful, we buy them at the market. The elusive truffle makes an appearance at the market late autumn. These rather smelly weird looking ‘fruits of the earth’ are adored by the French and can certainly add something extraordinary to ordinary dishes such as an omelette or scrambled eggs. Our region, the Lot, is one of the major truffle-producing departments in France and it’s big business. They don’t call it ‘the Black Diamond’ for nothing!