Last Saturday, I went to my cousin's wedding in France. I flew there especially for the occasion. The ceremony took place in the city centre of Nantes (a big city located at the start of the Loire river in the West of France). Then, we all drove to the beautiful Chateau de la Pigossière outside the city.
I have been to a few weddings in France before but I would never have imagined what was awaiting us in terms of food.
Usually, upon arrival, guests are welcomed with champagne and small canapés.
Here, the display of food was absolutely incredible, a dream come true for a food lover! I was even too busy eating to take any photos at all!
It all started when I was catching up with members of my family. We were sipping our champagne and eating small canapés that were carried around. Then, my younger brother arrived running, out of breath with his arms waving all over the place:"Guys, guys, you won't believe it!! There is an actual cheese fondue over there in the corner and I don't think people have noticed it yet!".
The cheese fondue was indeed incredible. And I could have put my head in it, it was so big (not that I would ever put my head in food!). A man was slicing a huge smoked ham to have with it, there were big chunks of country bread to dip in the cheese, and lots of charcuterie to accompany.
You would think that would be a lot already with the canapés right?! But this is not over...
We also realised that beside the table where the drinks were served, waiters were serving little white china dishes filled with delicious mini scallops (noix de pétoncle) cooked with vegetables in a wonderful creamy sauce.
And then, we turned around and spotted the huge seafood display. A barrel filled with freshly shucked oysters, langoustines (Dublin Bay prawns or scampi), bigorneaux (winkles) and so on.
I moved a bit to go and say hello to a relative I had not seen in years, and bam! There, on my right, a chef (wearing the biggest chef's hat I have ever seen) grilling meat pieces on a hot plate.
And as the time was passing, more new canapés appeared. Two of those you could chose from appealled to me a lot: a beautiful crumbed prawn sitting on top of a verrine (little glass) that was filled with a creamy fennel soup; and a crispy thin crust filled with creamy boudin noir (black pudding) and cooked apple.
At this stage, I knew I had to stop eating because we were obviously invited to the dinner that would take place sooner rather than later (it was an evening wedding). That self-control was really hard on me.
I have been to a few weddings in France before but I would never have imagined what was awaiting us in terms of food.
Usually, upon arrival, guests are welcomed with champagne and small canapés.
Here, the display of food was absolutely incredible, a dream come true for a food lover! I was even too busy eating to take any photos at all!
It all started when I was catching up with members of my family. We were sipping our champagne and eating small canapés that were carried around. Then, my younger brother arrived running, out of breath with his arms waving all over the place:"Guys, guys, you won't believe it!! There is an actual cheese fondue over there in the corner and I don't think people have noticed it yet!".
The cheese fondue was indeed incredible. And I could have put my head in it, it was so big (not that I would ever put my head in food!). A man was slicing a huge smoked ham to have with it, there were big chunks of country bread to dip in the cheese, and lots of charcuterie to accompany.
You would think that would be a lot already with the canapés right?! But this is not over...
We also realised that beside the table where the drinks were served, waiters were serving little white china dishes filled with delicious mini scallops (noix de pétoncle) cooked with vegetables in a wonderful creamy sauce.
And then, we turned around and spotted the huge seafood display. A barrel filled with freshly shucked oysters, langoustines (Dublin Bay prawns or scampi), bigorneaux (winkles) and so on.
I moved a bit to go and say hello to a relative I had not seen in years, and bam! There, on my right, a chef (wearing the biggest chef's hat I have ever seen) grilling meat pieces on a hot plate.
And as the time was passing, more new canapés appeared. Two of those you could chose from appealled to me a lot: a beautiful crumbed prawn sitting on top of a verrine (little glass) that was filled with a creamy fennel soup; and a crispy thin crust filled with creamy boudin noir (black pudding) and cooked apple.
At this stage, I knew I had to stop eating because we were obviously invited to the dinner that would take place sooner rather than later (it was an evening wedding). That self-control was really hard on me.
