During June, our local Mayor hosted the annual fishing competition at his cattle rearing farm. He has a dam on the property, well stocked with trout and the locals enjoy the competition to see who can catch largest and the heaviest. Our neighbours invited us along to join them for the midday lunch, which was part of the proceedings. In the absence of any equipment (or affinity with the hobby!), we did not do any fishing, but we did watch what the others were up to.
The fishermen all trying their luck.
Aperitifs were freely available throughout the morning, and indeed necessary, as the weather was unseasonably cool!!
Above and below, weighing the fish to find the winner. Note the "state of the art" scales - from the 60's??? Looking at those serious faces, the glory of winning is obviously important!
The tables laid ready for lunch.
Starters, accompanied by plenty of bread and wine!!
Barbecued sardines with a baked potato for main course. Really great fresh food!!
I loved this idea of half a peach baked in a fish shape pastry for dessert. This was preceded by a cheese course, which somehow escaped the camera!!
It appears a good time was had by all, including ourselves, as the diners only left in the late afternoon!
P.S. The Black Redstart chicks have flown the nest; no sign of foul play, so I hope that all is well and that they lead long and happy lives.
You might also like My Life Before the Charente updated 8 July 2012.
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I like visiting here with you and seeing what you are doing, like the fishing contest and delicious looking food. How intriguing the places you have lived sound. This week my post is of me attending college in Turkey, years ago of course!
ReplyDeleteHello Diane, I am amazed at the lunch, wow it looks fab, and the marquee is set out beautifully too.
ReplyDeleteMy eldest son is a huge fishing fan, he has won quite a few competitions with the RAF .. :-)
Hope you are well, take care xx
Terra, I am glad you enjoy visiting my blog, it is not always easy to find things of interest to everyone!
ReplyDeleteEverything nowadays seems years ago LOL!!!! Have a good week. Diane
Anne pity your son had not been here everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great 'fishy' lunch, we all enjoyed it and of course there was plenty of wine! Everyone lives just around the corner (sort of) so.....
Hope all is going well for you, take care Diane xx
It looks like a fun event. Personally I think it is nicer to have that food and drink under gray skies rather than a hot sun. The food looks so good!
ReplyDeleteFishing is not my thing but all over France it seems to have a social occasion attached.
ReplyDeleteYour meal and the atmosphere look fantastic. I'll bet you're glad to went along.
Good news about the black red start family.
best wishes
Joyful the weather did not make much difference the marquee was cool with the sides open as it warmed up later. We had a good day though regardless. Diane
ReplyDeleteGaynor the social is always the important part. Yes we were glad we went, these things always turn into great occasions. The French know well how to party! Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteFantastic for you all, not just a good fishing day but a great party as well. It can't get any better.
ReplyDeleteHorst these French luncheons always turn out to be great days, you are right it cannot get much better :) Take care Diane
ReplyDeleteWhat a great event to run - really bringing the community together.
ReplyDeleteLunch look as if it was really tasty -looks like a really good day.
I'd go for the desert. Not big on sardines, or fishing.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like a fun day, and yes they look so serious about their fishing. I love the dessert, cute and yummy! It looks so funny seeing everyone with jackets on in summer.
ReplyDeleteEllie we love these local community get togethers. It is good to meet up with the locals and also get a chance to meet a few new people as well. Diane
ReplyDeleteGaelyn we love any edible fish so we were very happy with the meal. The pudding though was delicious. Diane
ReplyDeleteLyndsey I might say I am typing this in a track suit, it is quite chilly here again today. Funny weather we are having and not summery at all!!
ReplyDeleteDespite the weather it was a fun day. Diane
Not my thing fishing; but the meal looks great, even the sardines :-) which are not my favourite. Antoinette
ReplyDeleteNiall and Antoinette we eat any fish makes no difference to us. It was the company though which was so good :) Diane
ReplyDeleteThe lunch certainly looked the most enjoyable part of the day.
ReplyDeletethe best part of this for me would be the lunch, indeed, the dessert looks creative!
ReplyDeleteBlog about life and travelling
Blog about cooking
Diane b the lunch is what we went for but the wine was good too :) Keep well. Diane
ReplyDeleteOla I cant imagine making that many fish shape deserts but somebody did and they were so delicious. Stay well. Diane
ReplyDeleteFishing is not my thing so I have not really searched for fishing spots near Sablet but I don't recall ever seeing anyone with fishing poles despite the fact that there are several rivers very close to us. Looks like you all had a good time. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMichel we do not fish either but the luncheon and the company were good which was the important part as far as we were concerned. Take care Diane
ReplyDeleteOoo, this is a very nice post. My dad is a keen fisherman so i have some understanding of the serious faces weighning their catch.
ReplyDeleteAnd your lunch looks delicious!
Have a lovely week.
Red
The French do know how to Pique Nique, don’t they? :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful setting and the food looks amazing and delicious!!
ReplyDeleteBoye By Red lunch was simple but delicious and the company was great :) Diane
ReplyDeletelabergerebasque you are so right and it goes on for hours :) Diane
ReplyDeleteblack eyed susans kitchen thanks for your visit and comment. It was a lovely day, good food and great company :) Diane
ReplyDeleteNow that's a great neighborhood get together! Who prepared all that lovely food?
ReplyDeleteOh no, no more bird babies? I was so looking forward to another picture!!
ReplyDeleteLooked like a fun party... just amazing how different things like that are in the US. It would have been full of things with plastic coatings and bags and not all that simple loveliness of fresh food. You are lucky indeed.
Oh what a lovely day and the food looks gorgeous. x
ReplyDeleteRosaria, It was the mayor's wife, our friend and a couple of other local women. I think there were also a couple of men helping with barbecuing the sardines. They did a fantastic job. Take care Diane
ReplyDeleteLa vie à la campagne est plus conviviale et plus saine que dans les grandes villes où on a à peine le temps de nous rencontrer.
ReplyDeleteA bientôt
lostpastremembered I was also looking forward to another photo session but they beat me to it !
ReplyDeleteI am sure that take away food does exist in France, but here in rural France I don't know of any close by. The supermarkets do have frozen pizza but I have to say I have never tried them. All meals are freshly cooked, so much better for you. Keep well Diane
Karen it was a fun day and we both enjoyed it a lot. Hope you are well. Diane
ReplyDeleteNadji, Je suis d'accord, j'aime la vie pays. Bonne journée. A bientôt, Diane
ReplyDeleteMaybe a new hobby for Nigel here?
ReplyDeleteLinda, no chance it would drive him nuts, cycling takes up too much time anyway :) Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteYou'll never know how much I love to peek into your world. The fresh sardines! The baked peach.
ReplyDeleteJoys,
Sharon
Oh what fun that apertif tent looks...I think my time would be spent there rather than doing any fishing :) and the food looks superbe I am not surprised you were there all afternoon!
ReplyDeleteHi Diane. Sorry I've been absent for so long. Have been busy with my writing blog.
ReplyDeleteThis day out looks wonderful, especially the table set for lunch. Yummo. Fish-shaped pear! Only in France!
I just posted a little stroll around the Left Bank.
Denise
http://pichetsinparis.blogspot.com
Sharon thanks for your comment. You must be very excited about your own book. Thanks for taking time out to visit. Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteDolly the food was good but all these things in France go on for ever :)) Are you still having problems getting into my other blog? I don't know how to solve it other than to move the whole blog!! Take care Diane
ReplyDeleteDenise. Loved the stroll around the left bank. Thanks for taking time out to visit and pass a comment I appreciate it. Take care Diane
ReplyDeletehaha...the most exciting part of a fishing competition is the weighing time. Everyone is trying to find out who caught the bigger fish. My hubby been to a sailfishing competition... the fishes they caught were so huge. A lot of thing has to be done like weighing & measuring.
ReplyDeleteKristy
Seems like a great day and a good way to make friends with the locals.
ReplyDeleteGrilled sardines are a very typical food in June here, but I'll pass and have all the rest! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fantastically fun day! I bet the trout was delicious :)
ReplyDeleteYou get to participate in some great events. Looks like another one, enjoyed by everybody and more great food too x
ReplyDeleteIt all looked very civilised. Here it would have been sandwiches and a thermos flask.
ReplyDeleteKristy you are right the fisherman stood with bated breath while the fish were being weighed LOL Diane
ReplyDeleteLeon we love these days with the locals, I only wish my French was a little better!! Diane
ReplyDeleteJM I eat anything (except peanut butter) so I never have a problem when we go out. :) Diane
ReplyDeleteSara Louise I am sure that the trout were good but only the fishermen got to taste them :( Diane
ReplyDeleteKerry we love all the days out with the locals they are always so much fun. Hope that all is well with you. Take care Diane x
ReplyDeletecheshire wife, oh very organised. When we had builders here, the folding table came out at lunch time, a proper lunch and a bottle of wine. Lunch is the most important meal of the day here and there are no short cuts :) Diane
ReplyDeleteThis looks like fun. The food sure looks wonderful.
ReplyDeletexoCarolyn
Carolyn it was fun, just wish that my French was better! We enjoyed the food and the company. Great day. Keep well Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, thank you for sharing the interesting fishing photos. Looks like lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteAll the food look delicious especially the fish shape pastry, look so cute.
Have a nice week ahead.
My father used to take me fishing when I was a child, and I quite hated it. I wanted to do girly things like pick flowers. But I did enjoy the fresh fish afterward. Love the old scale; those are astonishingly accurate, and so a good choice, since those gents are obviously serious about their contest! Looks like you and Nigel had a great day!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a fun day to me, especially with that good lunch and all the wine! Barbecued sardines, sounds great! What fun and I can see why everyone stayed around through the afternoon---all that fun socializing. Love the way the French party!!!
ReplyDeleteMarjie there is nothing better than eating freshly caught fish. I used to go fishing many years ago with a friend on Lake Kariba in old Rhodesian days. We used to go out early morning and then bring back fish for lunch. There was always so much fish there that it was fun and no hanging around,
ReplyDeleteYes those scales are probably better for the job than the new newfangled ones! LOL Diane
Pam the French party better than any country I have been to. Home parties usually start around 12h00 and go through to the early hours of the next morning!! Take care Diane
ReplyDeleteAmelia I thought the fish shaped pastry was quite an inspiration and it was delicious. We had a great day. Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, the food looks fabulous. I'd love a lunch like that :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy and thanks for the visit. Mmmm it was a yummy day all together with great company. The French know how to celebrate :) Diane
ReplyDeleteSo glad you came by to visit. Looks like a great time. I'm never had a chance to do much fishing but I sure would love the experience of catching a big one. Hope you and Nigel are doing well.
ReplyDeleteGreat competition to me,I Like to see another post in your blog, Printing and letterhead design Use ful to me and my friend keep updates Wholesale Printing Articles.
ReplyDeleteBecca catching 'the big one' would be fun. A friend at the coast in S Africa caught a fish that was as long as he was tall a couple of months ago, exciting. Keep well Diane
ReplyDeletePriya Balan glad that you enjoyed this post. Thanks for the visit. Have a good day. Diane
ReplyDeleteIt must be fun to watch them compete catching fish.
ReplyDeletediane, i wished that the cold breeze can be blown over here. yeah, those guys looked serious, hope he still gets a consoolation of enjoying the competition even tho if he didnt win..ha! it must have been an enjoyable day for you! Have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteLenaI wish that your warm breeze would blow here :) Thanks for the visit and the comment enjoy your weekend Diane
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time on your blog and I thoroughly enjoy it. Beautiful pictures, wording and I just love the feel of it. That peach pastry looks quite interesting and delicious! ^^
ReplyDeleteAikoVenus than you so much for your visit and your very kind comment, I appreciate it. The peach pastry was a great idea at a 'fishy do' :) Have a good day, Diane
ReplyDelete