Food, Wine, Photography Cycling & Gardening. Discover more about Life in Burgundy on The Hungry Cyclist Blog
October in our Burgundian garden always provides a bonus. Like an extravagant dessert in a fine restaurant, it arrives after the main event, just when you think you have had enough only for your senses to be reinvigorated for one last bout of pleasure.
Read MoreOeufs en Meurette is a Burgundian classic. A soft-poached egg swimming in a rich red wine sauce, it's a warming and hearty dish, perfect for autumn days. However as a hot summer has come to an end I have found that the same principle work of serving a poached egg in a creamy white wine sauce flavoured with herbs from the garden
Read MoreHere at The Hungry Cyclist Lodge we keep our grilling simple and this summers' favourites are 'magret' of duck and the smoky rib of Charolais slow-cooked over 90-year-old vine stocks, both washed down with plenty of local pinot noir.
Read MoreA designer’s eye for detail clearly informed that sketch, and it has taken two years to convert the near-derelict 17th-century water mill and former village campsite into something like a cycling enthusiast’s blueprint.
Read MorePeaches from the south of France cover the tables in the local markets at this time of year, and the secret in this heat is to eat them as fast as you can before they turn. While there are few greater pleasures in life than taking on a peach whole, juices pouring down your shirt this recipe is a little more elegant.
Read MoreA creative way to journal those daily snap-shots, if you want an inside view of a stay at the Hungry Cyclist Lodge or a what cycling holiday in Burgundy looks like, have a look and follow The Hungry Cyclist Instagram feed. Full of photos of food, wine, landscapes and the occasional brocante find, it's a beutiful way to keep in touch.
Read MoreThe Hungry Cyclist Lodge has now been open for three months. As each week passes we open our doors to more and more guests who have come to enjoy the best of Burgundy. Coming to this special part of the world to rest and enjoy some of the best food, wine and cycling in France.
Read MoreCorks were being pulled and fireworks exploded above the vines of the Cote D'Or in early July as the 1,247 “climats” of Burgundy were awarded the much coveted world heritage status by UNESCO.
Read MoreAfter the long and dark months of winter, spring in Burgundy is a well needed shot in the arm. Months of rain and cold make way for seemingly endless days of warm sunshine and a feel of summer arrives.
Read MoreLast week my great friend and exceptional photographer Greg Funnell came to stay. Greg also has an eye for an interesting object and getting to work with his camera he grasped the style of The Hungry Cyclist Lodge perfectly.
Read MoreBoeuf Bourguignon, Oeufs en Meurette and snails all make the podium, but the often sidelined Jambon Persille is one of my Burgundian favourites. Hunks of dense ham set in a porky flavoured parsley and garlic jelly. There are few better foods to wheel out at a cycling picnic in Burgundy and the humble Jambon Persille could not be more historic.
Read MoreOne of the first plants to arrive is the glorious radish. The radish is the gardening equivalent of learning chop sticks on the piano. Easy to plant and with an almost instant reward. After only a few days young leaves appear and after two weeks the rose roots break the surface like sunburned bald heads.
Read MoreApril is exciting in Burgundy. The muted greys and browns of winter steadily make way for the electric greens of spring and as if over night the landscape of the Cote D'Or changes colour. The wiry silhouettes of trees transform into an soft mass of verdant foliage and dormant spring flowers burst from the ground.
Read MoreWitnessing the wine harvest is a must for any real wine lover. Here at The Hungry Cyclist Lodge we won't force you into the fields to pick any grapes, but book accommodation for the Burgundy grape harvest with us with us, and whether you're watching the pickers from our terrace, or of walking in the vines, we guarantee you'll experience the true nature of this important annual event first hand.
Read MoreIt is with a huge amount of pleasure and just a healthy portion of pride that I can announce that The Hungry Cyclist Lodge, is open. A comfortable corner of the world from where you can enjoy the very best, food, wine and cycling in Burgundy.
Read MoreThere is something optimistic about eating salad at the end of February. The days are noticeably longer, furry buds gather on fruit trees and a salad feels like an early taste of the balmy days to come. In the garden at this time of year only a few proud towers of sprouts remain. After the heavy frosts the mini cabbages that cling to the stalks are extra sweet and even more so when braised with some smoked pork rib.
Read MoreWalking in Burgundy in the winter you have to take care. From September to February when the temperature descends and the days shorten, Burgundian men like nothing more than to get together, drink plenty of wine, eat well and hunt wild boar.
Read MoreHardy plants, branches, watering cans, forgotten garden tools. Nothing is sparred from the sharp crystals of frost that cling to everything. The clear night sky makes way to the bluish hue of morning. A few hungry birds chatter in the bitter cold and heavy blanket of white cold is revealed.
Read MoreThe local classic that the region puts its name to is of course 'Boeuf Bourguignon'. First mentioned in cookbooks in 1903, by chef Auguste Escoffier, whose decedents still live in Beaune, it is likely this hearty, wine-soaked dish has it roots much deeper in regional history.
Read MoreEvery year on the third weekend in January, a Burgundian wine-making village welcomes the La Saint Vincent Tournante, one of the most historic bacchanalian festivals of the world. Organised by the famous Brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin, La Saint Vincent Tournante, embodies the spirit of wine making in Burgundy.
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