In October, to mark the grape harvest season, our recipe of the month is 'Grape-Picker's Stew' - wholesome enough to keep the grape-pickers' energy levels up through the harvest! 

Ingredients

  • 8 slices of streaky smoked bacon
  • 8 large sausages (we recommend Toulouse, beef or venison)
  • 4 onions cut up into large chunks
  • 200g of dry green lentils (Puy)
  • 2-4 garlic cloves
  • 300 ml of beef stock
  • 150 ml of red wine
  • Fresh thyme

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and fry the bacon until it's crispy over a medium heat.
  • Remove the bacon, then add the sausages, browning them all over. 
  • Then remove the sausages and add the onion chunks. Turn up the heat so that the onions soften and caramelize.
  • Add the sausages back to the dish, adding the thyme, garlic and lentils. Then cook for about a minute, while continuously stirring.
  • Add the stock and the wine. Decrease the heat so that it's simmering slowly and cover the dish partially with the lid.
  • Let it simmer for about 35 minutes, so that the lentils are soft and the sausages are cooked all the way through.
  • Season it with salt and pepper, and add in the crispy bacon before serving with some fresh thyme.
  • Put the pot in the middle of the table so that people may help themselves. This is nice served with salad, crispy baguette and cheese.

 

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

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Matt from Australia
A "Pinch Me" Tour. Expertly organised. We just spent the most wonderful month in France on our honeymoon curated by Laura and Emilie in such a way that we felt we experienced the very essence of France. From the Loire Valley, through the Biarritz area, the Basque region and finally to Provence. The itinerary gave us so many "pinch me" moments that …
Margaret & Rob
We would like to add our names to everyone else here who have had a truly excellent experience when using Emilie's, France Just For You company. We drove 2800 km on a recent holiday, and it was all arranged by Emilie. Everything she organized was perfect. We stayed in B and Bs and although we know a little French, all of our hosts spoke fluent …
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Donna & Jim from Canada
This was our second trip arranged by France Just for You. That says a lot. What says more is we would do another trip with them without any concern. They are pros from the time the trip is planned to the very last minute of the journey. Every detail is provided through the travel book, app and communication, if needed, during the trip. We would …
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Our trip was exactly as expected, planned perfectly with so many amazing tips on where and how to get around like a local. 25 days, with lots of driving and so much to see. Paris, Versailles, Normandy, Loire Valley, Sancerre, Dordogne and Bordeaux. We were warmly welcomed at all B&Bs and felt that we really got a local feel everywhere we went. All …
Judy
I can echo everything that has been said in the previous three reviews. The personalization of this entire trip was incredible and Emilie communicated quickly and completely, both in the planning of the trip and after we were in France. My husband and I were spending four weeks in France in celebration of our 50th anniversary. We were a little …