Les Davids Organic Vineyard
Julie WhitmarshTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Les Davids Organic Vineyard in the Luberon

We have watched, with some fascination, the construction of a new building at Les Davids, an organic vineyard and fruit and vegetable producer, set just below the main road, by the turning to Oppedette. For months there was large-scale construction of what was to become the new home for their …

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Nougats Silvain in Provence
Julie WhitmarshLocal Food ProducersTaste

Nougats Silvain Sweet Treats in Provence

Anyone who knows me will tell you I have a sweet tooth, the fridge always has a few little treats in it, there’s inevitably a great supply of chocolate in the house and of course, ice creams in the freezer. I have been known in the family, as ‘the fridge …

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Luberon Mines De Bruoux
ExploreJulie WhitmarshVillages Towns and Cities

Ochre Exploration Luberon Mines De Bruoux near Gargas

I have a confession to make. It’s been over 30 years since we first visited the area and over five (5) years since buying the house here, yet I hadn’t seen the incredible Mines de Bruoux, at nearby Gargas, until recently. Incredible Mines de Bruoux Typically when Ochres are mentioned, …

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Olive Harvest in Provence
Julie WhitmarshLocal Food ProducersTaste

The Joys of Our First Olive Harvest in Provence

We love our little house and the garden we’ve made here. I have a fig tree, a little cherry tree and even an apricot sapling, all in large tubs on the terrace, but the one thing that we don’t have is an olive tree. We planted one many years ago …

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Mas Des Infermieres Provence
Julie WhitmarshTasteWines and Spirits of Provence

Mas Des Infermieres Ridley Scott’s Domaine in Provence

Before we bought the house here, I used to get my ‘fix’ of Provence and the Luberon, reading Peter Mayle’s ‘A Year in Provence’ and watching the film ‘A Good Year’, based on one of his books, and set all around the area that we love so much. Directed by …

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SCAD Art Design Lacoste
Artists Inspired by ProvenceInspireJulie Whitmarsh

SCAD Discovering Art and Design in Lacoste

From time to time, you see something that makes you reconsider some of the decisions you’ve made in life, and a recent visit to the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) campus at Lacoste, was one of those moments. It was the first stop on our day with the …

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Fascinating Medieval History Apt
InspireJulie WhitmarshProvencal History & Traditions

The Fascinating Medieval History of Apt

Over the last few weeks, we have got a little bit further under the skin of the local area, and it’s taken us to some very different places, most recently on a guided tour of the Cathédrale Sainte Anne, in the heart of Apt, focusing on its medieval history. Each …

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Cycling and a Fig and Almond Cake
Cakes & CookiesDessertJulie WhitmarshProvencal RecipesTaste

A Sweet Fig and Almond Cake

Life here is never boring, and sometimes, even the simplest of things takes a twist, which leaves us wondering how we manage to get through a day without some disaster, or another. However, the sweet reward of a fig and almond cake makes everything better. On Saturday, we headed out …

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Roman Traces Apt was Apta Julia
ExploreJulie WhitmarshVillages Towns and Cities

Apt was once Apta Julia the Roman City

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to do a pop-up event with my jewellery in the cellar of our friends’ newly restored townhouse and apartments in the centre of Apt Cent Cinq. I say cellar, but this was the most beautiful, vaulted stone room, set below the …

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Making Croissants at home
BreadsJulie WhitmarshProvencal RecipesTaste

Attempting to Make Croissants at Home

Reflecting on 2020, the tail end of the year, rather like the beginning and if I’m perfectly honest, the middle bits too, have been a tad chaotic. All the plans we thought we may have made, have had to be ripped up again and again. At least when I was …

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