September – it had rained in the middle of the week…perfect conditions for mushrooms. We met @richardbarley and family for the ritual mushroom hunt and failed once again…but we did see lots of frogs and came home with a basket full of pears and tomatoes from Lisa’s back garden.Lovely day!

My saturday ritual to La Rochelle ‘s buoyant market leads me straight to my goat man.

A very proud man whose collection of goat cheese becomes a magnet for the likes of people like me . The queue does not direct you away… au contraire I take my place in the line…while I am waiting I listen to the ongoing conversation and taste the fresh piece of baguette overloaded in an inviting white coat. It is 9am , my mouth only just flushed by strong coffee, I am now indulging in an overwhelming dry and bitter goat gem.

Ahead of me stands a little girl, she is a serious goat cheese predator…her mouth would have been previously flushed by Nesquick ( all the french children drink hot chocolate in the morning, the chocolate mustache is indeed a trademark) .

She is diving eagerly in the dish. “hum…” “Daddy is it for my birthday?” ” are you buying it for my birthday tomorrow?”

This 10 year old is genuinely excited and needs confirmation that the cheese her dad is buying will be used for her day…

Today I had a thought for that little girl gathered with her family around an amazing cheese board…