On the job training
Uncategorized | Jul 11, 2017
We went to France at the weekend to stay in a beautiful château in Picardy. Set in a few acres of woodland, Domaine le Parc has set a high standard over the years and we have a lot to learn from them. In fact I did! I had a personal lesson on how to make the perfect scrambled egg with Damien (who incidentally is a chef by background so a bit different to nurse and midwife!)
- Et voilà! Perfect eggs
First we used an old saucepan – not non-stick but well used. A little oil and butter are melted until gently bubbling but avoid it turning brown and being bitter. Next crack in 3 eggs per person and plenty of salt and pepper. Holidays are definitely not for healthy living, but for the wonderful tastes and gourmet experiences, so don’t scrimp on the seasoning. The eggs are then whisked over quite a high heat which is lowered once well mixed. Next comes the gentle bit – the eggs are mixed in a slow figure of eight, bringing in the egg as it cooks against the sides. Once there is no runny egg visible, the pan is removed and a drizzle of single cream added. This has the benefit of both making the eggs wonderfully creamy but also stopping the cooking process and preventing scrambled rubber. Et voilà – perfection! My lesson even included serving to the guests in the garden – well ok it was Kay and Tony – our companions on our French trip, but they were suitably impressed.
Other tips that we learnt from Damien and Jedy on our trip were all about hospitality. Nothing was too much trouble even through the language barrier that our very limited French brought. Smiles, attentiveness and compassion cost nothing and mean everything to people. This we have also learnt through our varying careers. Whether it be helping a woman feel at ease when in the throes of a painful contraction or watching the family of a child that is coming up to five years cancer-free have fun on one of our bouncy castles. We really do care and really do want to make people happy – as cheesy as that may sound.
On the guest house front, progress is being made. Solicitors are now in place and financial discussions being had. We have a visit to the local school lined up for Chloe (who dare I say is getting a little excited) next week before they break up for the summer holidays. Mind you I started to look at school uniform for her current secondary school and the new one. And, yes, you guessed, one states black skirt and the other navy. While ones want her to wear a blue blouse and the other white. Its going to be expensive! But – we are moving in the right direction – West – towards Weymouth.
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