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

5.0
Jena
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 …
Kate
Dealing with Emilie is like having a personal concierge. The 10 day trip was perfect. She allowed time to relax and we were able to experience France like locals. This is our 8 th trip to France but after this tour, it will not be our last. Thank you Emilie!
Naomi
My boyfriend and I spent a week in Paris last month and we decided that we would do a couple of day-tours outside of the city during our trip. We really wanted to avoid the typical tour-bus day-tour and the crowds that come along with these kinds of tours – we wanted something more personalized that would allow us to go at our own pace. I found the …
Debbie
Emilie is amazing. Going to Normandy has always been a dream of my husbands and luckily for us we found Emilie to plan our trip. Our hotel in Paris for the start of our trip was located perfectly. Within walking distance of so much for our first two days before we picked up the rental car she had arranged for us. Then onto Normandy and the Loire …
Harriette
We were referred to this company by some friends that had traveled with them in the past. I was celebrating my 70th birthday and wanted to visit the Provence area of France. Our trip ran smooth as silk. The B & B's were wonderful. The events planned by France Just for You were delightful. The rental car made our trip so easy. I highly recommend …
Michael
My wife and I are fairly seasoned travelers so when we decided to include a trip to France in our year long 50th Anniversary Celebration we wanted to do something different. We looked at group travel companies including those who specialize in "small" groups. None of them had the flavor we were looking for. In my search for somethin new I happened …