The French Retreat part one. Early figs with blue cheese and honey.

No, this is not a mini series about Napoleon’s fun in Russia in 1812. For this year’s holiday, we were lucky enough to spend some time in one of the most heavenly places on the planet. As the vagaries of life prevented us having had a break since 2012, we were in need of complete R&R. For this, we went to stay with Helen and David Furniss in their fantastic ‘Keirmasi’ gites. Over the years, we have stayed with them a number of times and it has proven to be an idyllic place for a badly needed French Retreat.

We were idling in the shade during the morning when Helen brought us some “early figs”. It had rained unseasonably earlier on in the year and the fig tree had responded by growing some very big (and very tasty) fruits. Helen also brought us some blue cheese.

I added honey and we had the recipe for a delicious starter. Figs with blue cheese and honey, what else?

This, as is my habit in so many concoctions of late, is not a recipe. The first thing to do is to slice the figs as shown.

Then add the blue cheese and honey.

Pop them into a hot oven (200 French, 400 American) for ten minutes to warm the figs and melt the cheese. Take them out and serve.

We had a fantastic time over in France this year. We are always made to feel welcome by Helen and David. If you are thinking of a Dordogne break, you could do worse than to give them a shout.