Tuesday 22 April 2008

Le Crotoy...moules and tea...and a petite giveaway


just back from a magical short break in Picardy...Le Crotoy to be precise



the moules were fabulous, as anticipated...


the town was lovely in a quiet way...had that wonderful salted weathered air that I love so much



...ramshackle peeling buildings

...aged colours

...shutters and "shutter keepers" no idea what these are really called but they are beautiful in their detail
indispensable in a country that relies so heavily on its shutterage to keep that which must be denied access out

...wonderful light, which I was keen to let in

...and a hotel which served the most divine afternoon tea...

my new flavour of choice is thé de Chine à la rose, très délicieux...

while pondering the deliciousness of our beverages my companion in the act of "taking tea" and I did decide that these beautiful and delicate teas are probably best appreciated in a gorgeous French coastal salon with a decided lack of smallfry in attendance...


something that can be tricky to recreate at home...

the children had a ball too of course...



now, it has just come to my attention that this is my 50th post (how did that happen?) so to celebrate I am going to do a very petite giveaway...leave me a comment telling me your favourite thing to eat when by the seaside (moules for me) and I will enter you in the draw to receive a little handmade lavender sachet...


these are made from the very pretty Alexander Henry cho cho (butterfly) fabric and will be finished off as soon as I relocate my pinking shears, which seem to have taken a little holiday of their own...

46 comments:

Suzanne Vaughan said...

My favourute thing to eat by the sea is cheese rolls. Somehow they have a different flavour when accompanied by sea air! They take me back to old holidays in Wales where we used to nip to the Spar, buy a whole sheet of rolls and make them into lunch to take with us. Those summer days were great, with Dad making fantastic sandcastles and playing tennis on drawn out courts...

Sharyn said...

For me in Australia, scampi is my favourite thing to eat by the sea, with lots of butter and sage - truly yummy! Your time in France looks beautiful.

Chloe said...

Oh those pictures are lovely.
It looks so relaxing and peaceful.
I am jealous.

My husband and I have a soft spot for Scarborough. We used to visit there alot when we first started dating and when we did go we always had fish and chips from a a place called Big Willys lol and ate them either on the beach or by the harbour and then after we would go to an italian sweet shop for fresh hot donoughts.

We still do this now.
Its like a little ritual for us.

Anonymous said...

I've got to say ham sandwiches...white crusty bread with proper butter of course. Any type of picnic fayre tastes so much better in the sea air, when you are ravenous from swimming in the sea!
Lovely pictures, it all looks very beautiful. Hope you are suitably refreshed!?

Miaou said...

Oooh favourite food to eat by the sea ... um, it would have to be the lemon sorbet that you get in cones from the Italian ice cream shop in Scarborough (or is it Whitby?). My lovely husband introduced me to it and I am salivating just at the thought of it!

Miaou said...

LOL Chloe, just read your comment - I think we are talking about the same shop!!! Spooky!!!

Sorry Annie, this is not an attempt to get two bites at the cherry ;-)

Shirley said...

Ach it has to be fish & chips at the seaside, doesn't it? There's a coastal village here in Fife called Anstruther which has a chippy that draws people from all over. They'll drive 50 miles plus just for a fish supper & no wonder - the box is filled almost to the brim with delicious golden chips before what looks like a battered whale is placed on top. You've even got the choice of taking it out to enjoy by the harbour or sitting in & having mushy peas, bread & butter & a pot of tea too - bliss!

It sounds as though you had a wonderful time in France m'dear :0)

Anonymous said...

congrats on the 50th post! My favorite thing to eat is lobster by the sea. Yum!

Chloe said...

Miaou it is the same place!
Fab isnt it!

Anonymous said...

I'm sure I should say something fishy, but I'm not much of a fish person. My favorite memory of food and sea involves a lovely pasta salad, though for the life of me I can't remember what was in the salad other than pasta.

I'm sure it wouldn't be the same sitting at my dining table trying to coax my son into using his fork. Kind of like your tea.

JuanitaTortilla said...

*inhale*... mmm.... I can smell the salt in the air... Thank you for the pictures! I felt like I took that short break too :)

My favourite thing to eat with sea breeze in the air, is definitely fresh red lobsters... Or any seafood.

Oh, while I would love to be lucky enough to receive this giveaway, please don't count me in the draw -- as you know, I am vacating this country in 8 days. EIGHT days!!!

Locket Pocket said...

Hi Annie - congratulations on 50! But what I don't understand is how I missed seeing all those quilty glimpses in the previous post - I just don't think it came up on Google Reader at all!!!

Fish and Chips by the sea of course!

Lucy x

carrie said...

congrats on 50 posts! and thanks for stopping by my blog.

i like eating anything by the seaside, but i'll go with scallops as my fave.

JuliaB said...

that holiday looks blisssssssfull .. and beautiful pics to prove it.
x

Unknown said...

I want to go take tea there too. What a beautiful place.

Seriously, I love the photographs.

VSJensen said...

Great blog! And what a nice holiday! I love to eat cheese when at the seaside/beach, cheddar, brie, bleu, or any combination of cheese ball with pretty much anything... crackers, grapes, peppers, tomatoes. Yum! Congrats on your 50th post!

kristin said...

welcome back! glad you had a nice little get-away. your photos took me on a little journey so i thank you for that.

when i lived in Maine we would picnic on the beach and boil fresh lobster in an open fire...i'm not sure if it's so much that i enjoyed the lobster we were eating as much as it was the ritual of the picnic that i love so much...anyway...cheers to 50 posts!

pink-petal-designs said...

Lovely pics, mine has got to be fish n chips!
Sarah x

Concha said...

Here in Portugal we sometimes have some clams and white wine after a day at the beach... that's my favourite Summer treat :)

x vInTaGe VioLeT x said...

cor - that looked like a great holiday - lovely photo's too.

i'm lucky enough to live by the sea and my favourite thing to eat at the beach is our local icecream - it's sooo good!!!

x vInTaGe VioLeT x

Nancy said...

What a coinky dink - I just did a post on my blog on "Tea by the Sea" - so naturally tea and madelines! I probably live too far away to win your adorable giveaway but I love your blog and the pictures here. I'll mark as a favorite and be back for sure. Congratulations on your 50th! Nancy

Amy said...

Hmmm, my favorite thing to eat seaside? My last experience with the ocean was in Maui last year and anything bbq was perfect. everything tastes better in Maui. Congrats on post number 50!

Anonymous said...

Eating by the sea . . . It has to be . Chips, wrapped in paper and drenched in salt and vinegar. Eaten with a little plastic fork which is rendered useless as soon as the chips go soggy. They taste even better on the end of a windy pier, watching the waves crash whilst you and your honey snuggle under the car blanket. BLISS

Joanne said...

God. Just chips. Proper chips with vinegar and salt, eaten with a wooden chip fork.

Looks like a lovely break. Only a smidge jealous:)

Ana Burmester Baptista said...

Clams cooked with olive oil, coriander and garlic or fried shrimps with garlic and olive oil... Never forgetting to have white wine. Even better when it is the end of the day and you're still at the beach. This is the "beach treat", the Portuguese way.

Ps - Just found out your blog. I simply loved it! Best whishes from Portugal!

Anonymous said...

Its been said before but it has to be chips from a real chipshop, (there's a gorgeous olde world one at a beach near us) wrapped in newspaper and swimming in vinegar, sat on the bench looking out to sea, its our friday night ritual as soon as the weather warms up!

ginny said...

My favourite seaside food has to be chips, heavily salted with a dash of vinegar out of newspaper sitting on the beach.
congratulations on 50 posts!
Lovely to read about your petite vacances.
ginny x

Lynette Anderson said...

Every Easter when I was a child we used to visit my grandparents who lived in Marbella, Spain. The locals used to light small bonfires on the beach and cook fish (I think pilchards) and the smell of them cooking comes to me as I write and mmm...my mouth is watering with the memory.....

Unknown said...

Hi Annie, Thanks so much for dropping by my blog! I actually am on vacation and have not been keeping current. Today, I just happened to log on and see that you left a comment! So good to hear from you and am very glad that you were one of the winners on my blog.
So here goes, while I am by the sea, I do love to have fresh seafood. Really anything, but mostly New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. They are very region specific to New England, but often can be found in other parts of the country.
By the way, what is a Moule? I am unfamiliar with this delicacy. It looks sort of like a mussel.

sewtakeahike said...

lovely, lovely photos and thank-you for sharing about your holiday!! I have only been "oceanside" three times in my life, the oregon coast, florida coast and in Mexico and I don't think I have a favorite food to eat while I'm there! I've never actually though much about that. I guess I will have to say some sort of seafood though because that's the only food in common with all three of my visits.

Ayama-chan said...

Congratulations on the 50 posts Jackie. The comments are making my tummy rumble and my mouth water...

My favourite by the sea food depends on where I am or who I am with. In Japan I HAVE to eat sushi and/or sashimi. In Australia I love to eat Morten Bay Bugs or scampi (depending on the locale). But I have to admit that if I am with my kid brother, fish (battered of course) and chips is always on the menue. When I went to the beach with my late grandparents we always bought cooked prawns and took fresh bread and butter. Oh how I loved those summers going for a swim in the surf with grandad and then staggering on the beach tired and being perked up by those prawn sandwiches..... Oh here in Singapore? Has to be very spicy Singapore noodles with prawns of course.

Unknown said...

Cornish Ice Ceam with a dollop of clotted cream and a great big chocolate flake plonked in it.
Deeeeee - licious !!!!

Charlie P said...

Happy 50th post! It looks like you had a great time in France, the town looks so seaside-y it's unbelievable!
Hmm, I live by the seaside but for 360 days of the year it's freezing so ice-cream is out of the question. My dad and I used to go fishing early in the morning on weekends and always bought hot sausage sandwiches to warm us up. Mmmmmmmm.

Jo in TAS said...

Fish and chips straight from the paper wrapping of course and trying to fend off 5 million seagulls!
Happy 50th Blog!!

Unknown said...

Crab is my fave seaside treat. Love it love it love it.
Those pics look great, but now I'm jealous, so I'm off to sulk about being stuck in the house with a poorly boy when I'd like to be wandering down the beach or chasing about the garden with a towel on my back....

Ana Salomé said...

My favourite food to eat by the sea has to be the "bola de berlin" cake. I have great memories from my childhood related to this...it was very hard when I had to choose between going for another swim or being able to eat a "bola de berlin" (which is a kind of a donut with sweet egg sauce inside, the portuguese way), which I love! It's smell and taste, mixed up with a little bit of sand :) were/are heaven to me!
I can still "hear" the sales man coming down the beach in Algarve with the basket bull of "bolas" in his arm and saying..."oooooberlinberlin" :)

painted fish studio said...

beautiful photos, thanks for sharing! my wanderlust is overwhelming.

eating at the sea? well, i'm land-locked, and never spend much time on the shore. the thought of eating around sand is just not something i've gotten used to! :)

dressmaker in training said...

any excuse to eat cheetos;)

Things Hand Made said...

Mr Whippy ice cream, closely followed by Moules!

Françoise said...

Le Crotoy is a lovely little town.
I love the sea, and seafood of course. And my favourite is shrimps, the tiny grey ones we have in Belgium.

calicodaisy said...

Ice cream! For me, coffee ice cream with fudge running through it. Pretty photos of your holiday and very nice sachet. -- Michele

Leah said...

Congratulations on reaching your half century.

I think that most foods taste better by the seaside - except maybe warm sandwiches with sand in!!

When we visit relatives in Clacton, DH insists we go to the pier, sit on the sea walls and have little post of seafood - prawns for me and cockles for him - mmm

Maggie said...

My favorite thing to eat by the sea would have to be ice cream. Is there ever a bad time to have ice cream?

Marisa said...

Grats on your 50th, that rocks. Your photos and blog in general are oh so very pretty.

Lindsay said...

Wow, I can smell the briney sea air just by looking at your photos. My favourite thing to eat by the sea is grilled squid. There is a wonderful beach cafe hanging off a cliff in Portugal which serves the freshest, most garlicky grilled squid with a pile of hot salty chips, mmmmm. To sit in the sun and eat those - heaven!

Mary Beth said...

Fish tacos! Your photos are lovely.