The Festival Of Lovers

The Festival of Lovers in Roquemaure. Come to celebrate St Valentine’s Day at the Festo de Poutoun (Occitan for The Kissing Festival). An authentic historical reconstitution.

The festival of lovers is a veritable love story uniting Roquemaure and St Valentine, patron saint of lovers, for over a century now. Every year, on the weekend closest to the 14th of February, Roquemaure becomes the city of romantic legends. The town is decorated as it was in the 19th century to commemorate the arrival of St Valentine’s relics in 1868. There will be more than 800 costumed actors, floats and horse riders. Shop fronts are decorated as in olden times as is the post office and the lovers fountain. There is the traditional market including ancient trades, a music stand and wooden-horse merry-go-rounds. For the occasion, the streets are renamed using the names of romantic legends from French literature. The sounds of the oboe, pipes, tambourines and galoubet (a three-hole pipe and tambour) float through the air as folk music groups enchant the city accompanied by street entertainers, jugglers and acrobats. Lovers will find themselves humming the most beautiful love songs to the sound of street organs and exceptional Limonaire barrel organs in the streets of the old village.

Here at Maison De L’Orb, we have our very own annual dinner of love for our guests along with a lovely gift for all. This years menu sees a touch of French with a touch of Thai. If you would like information on staying with us please do not hesitate to contact us via info@maisondelorb.com or via the website.

To Start

Chargrilled aubergine& courgette, spicy mushroom salad, herb marinated artichoke & breads

To Follow

Chargrilled marinated king prawns with rocket salad

To Continue

Pan-fried chicken breast wrapped in Parma ham and a little sage, with pesto potatoes

To Pause

The house cheeseboard and fruits

To Finish

Thick chocolate homemade mousse with ginger baked biscuit

For the mousse…

320g strong dark eating chocolate 30g unsalted butter 6 eggs pinch of salt

Separate the eggs, placing the whites into a roomy bowl. Break the chocolate into small pieces and put them in another roomy bowl set over a pan with a centimetre of barely simmering water. Add the butter and allow both to gently melt. Stir occasionally. In the meantime, add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk to the soft peak (floppy) stage. In a separate bowl, break up the yolks. When the chocolate and butter have melted and have been allowed to cool for a couple of minutes stir in the yolks. Cut and fold in the whites in three batches until seamlessly combined. Pour into ramekins and refrigerate for a couple of hours to set.

For the ginger biscuit…

110g self raising flour 1 rounded teaspoon of ground ginger 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 40g golden granulated sugar 50g butter (cubed) 2tbsp of golden syrup

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Sift the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar to the bowl. Using your fingertips rub the butter into the mixture until it looks like breadcrumbs. Then add the golden syrup and mix with a wooden spoon. Finish off by using your hands to squeeze the mixture together to create a dough. Now divide the mixture by 14 – 16 pieces and roll each one into a ball. Place each ball on a lined baking sheet and space them out as they will spread quite a bit whilst being baked. Flatten each one slightly with the back of a spoon and bake in the centre shelf for 15-20 minutes or until they have spread out and looked cracked. Cool on the baking tray for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack using a palette knife.

With love.