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welcome
We had a fabulous Open Evening on the 14th May - thanks to everyone who came along and made it a lovely farewell for George and Trisha and a great welcome for us. We enjoyed meeting so many of the regular cafe clientele and many new faces too. With the help of our family and friends we were able to put on a lovely cold buffet which went well with the champagne and gave everyone a taste of things to come. Our French neighbours, including Madeleine and her family, and Andrew and Sylvia all joined in and the evening went on a lot longer than we thought, and I am sure everyone enjoyed themselves. The cafe looks fresh and bright after it's makeover. We have changed the lighting to a newer lower energy system which enables us to change the ambiance according to the mood of the event. We also have new blinds, table cloths and seat cushions that all blend in to create a "New Look" for the Cafe Cour du Miracle. However, we still hope to offer the same warm welcome and good food. The menu now has some additions with Quiche Lorraine, Chevre and caramelised onion tart, and the new vegetarian option of Mediterranean Vegetable tart being very popular so far. We still offer the famous "British Cakes" and Toasted Sandwiches that were so popular, and will make changes to the menu as the seasons change. Let us know if you have any suggestions.... | ||||||||||||||||||||
At last we have made it to France - our life-long dream to live in France has been realised - thanks to George and Trisha who have helped us along the way ever since we first met over five years ago.We won't bore you with the details but it has been a long trek to get here - but well worth it. The Cafe Cour du Miracle | |
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The newly painted interior looks bright and fresh and the addition of table cloths and seat cushions has added more comfort and cheer. The walls have become a perfect gallery for a collection of photographs, lino prints, and hand made glass ornaments all made by local artists and available for purchase. | |
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Food and Drink | |
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The new Summer Menu has just been launched - throughout July and August you will be able to find many of your favourite dishes plus some new treats on offer: Tarts, Quiches and Main meals:
Every day there is a range of sandwiches and toasted sandwiches, together with baguettes to choose from, with fillings such as ham salad, egg mayonnaise, cheese salad, egg and tomato to name a few. And of course the good old "BLT" and our now "infamous" Breakfast Banjo! If you fancy a warm "sandwich" then there is always a Hamburger or Cheeseburger with a healthy garnish of lambs lettuce, tomatoes and carrot rapee.
To cool you down on those hot afternoons we offer "Artisanal" Ice Cream from a local producer which really is very delicious and comes in many different flavours from Vanilla to Nougat - a real treat. And we also offer, from time to time, our market specials and "Plat du Jour" which you can only find out about when you visit on the day! |
You can have a pot of tea selected from a range of teas and infusions: English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Green tea, Lapsang Souchong, and Ceylon teas; Mint, Lemon, Jasmin, Vanilla, Pear, and Camomile infusions. And with your tray of tea why not enjoy a slice of our home-made cakes, including Victoria Sponge, Lemon Drizzle, Chocolate Cake, Coffee and Walnut, Cherry Cake and individual "Fairy" cakes and muffins.
Events and News | |
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4 August 2010 Hi Everyone, Yes, I know, I missed a week - well you can hardly blame me as we are now in "the height of the summer season" as Paul keeps reminding me! Anyhow hope you are all well and enjoying the sun, and the rain - yes the garden could really do with it. This week we have some of our family with us and next week more arrive - it is going to be a busy couple of weeks for catching up with family news. We are both looking forward to seeing everyone and for them to enjoy Vouvant and Mervent as much as we do. This weekend we have the Folk Dancing on Sunday - it starts with the dancers parading through the streets of Vouvant and then the dance festival starts around 2.00pm on the green by the tower. It is 7 Euros to get into the show area and I believe there is also a dinner in the evening. We have a notice in the window and some flyers if you are interested in coming along. The Morris Dancers come all the way from Yorkshire - I think they should be called "Maureen Dancers" as I have been told they are all ladies! We have some new artwork which has been delivered recently to us on display in the cafe. Josh Overton a young and upcoming graphic artist has given us four of his original prints to display on our walls. They are very striking and innovative and I know that Paul is particularly taken by the Eagle print. Come and have a look if you get a chance - I am sure you will be impressed. We have details if you are interested in purchasing any of the items on display in the cafe, don't hesitate to ask us. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions for the dish of the week - I have had some interesting ideas and will be putting some of them into place - especially those for the winter warmers and autumn dishes. At the moment as things move so fast we will be sticking to the dishes on our menu as there is a wide choice for everyone, including vegetarian dishes and we will add the occasional specials. We'll keep you informed! On the 15th August there will be another chance to visit the Medieval Festival. The last one back in July was a great success with everyone and it is well worth a visit. So that we can make sure we serve everyone in good time we will again have our "Event Menu" in place. This is a more concise menu but still gives a wide choice of sandwiches, bagettes, salads, cakes and ice cream, as well as the usual coffees, teas and alcoholic beverages. Well, I am off to ice a couple of cakes and make out the shopping list for Paul to take to Super U in the morning! We look forward to seeing you in the cafe soon, Cordialment, |
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Previous updates can be found at our archives page. |
history | |
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The renown of the Lusignans was such that, two centuries later, it inspired Jean d'Arras. He took Eustache Chabot, the mother of Geoffrey the Big Tooth, as the oracle for his Melusine who, with three apronfuls of Stone and a draught of water covered Poitou with towers and stout walls. One evening in the forest of Coulombiers, at the end of a long day's hunting, Aimeri, the Count of Poitiers and his nephew Raimondin set off in pursuit of a wild boar. They far out-distanced their attendants and arrived at the outskirts of the Forest de Cé, near Lusignan. There, during the excitement of the kill, Raimondin accidentally dealt his uncle a fatal blow. Overcome by deep sorrow, aghast and contrite at this action the young man was on his way back to confess what he had done when, at a bend in the road he caught sight of three maidens dancing in a glade by the light of the moon. One of them smiled and spoke to him. Her name was Mélusine. She was a fairy, daughter of Elinas, King of Albania and the fairy Pressine. |
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A terrible curse lay on her. Pressine had punished her for her bad behaviour towards her father by condemning her to a sad immortality unless she married a loving knight who was not inquisitive and who agreed never to see her on Saturdays because on that day she had to bathe and watch her beautiful long legs turn into a horrid scaly tail, and if her husband saw her like this, she would never again take on human form. Raimondin was attracted by the young girl's intelligence and beauty and asked her to marry him. He swore he would never try to see her on a Saturday. Mélusine was delighted to find a husband and accepted. She suggested that he should provide the lands and the castle. But Raimondin, who was not wealthy, wondered what lands and what castle? Once back at court, Raimondin who was very happy, but very sad also, tried to solve his problem by blaming the boar for the death of the Count. Then, during the ceremony of homage to the new Count of Poitou, on Melisine's advice he asked for as much land as would fit into a deerskin. 'How stupid' said the assembled lords. However, to everybody's consternation, the deerskin was cut into narrow strips and laid end to end and marked out an enormous area. 'Never mind' said the lords, 'he still hasn't got a castle'. Their complacency was short-lived for in one night, right in the middle of the territory with three apron-fuls of stones and a mouthful of water Mélusine build the splendid castle of Luisignan. Moreover, so that her husband might be the most powerful lord in the region, she amused herself on certain nights by studding the surrounding hills with mighty fortresses. However, so much good fortune gave rise to unkind comments and covetousness. Where did Mélusine's fairly-like beauty come from? Why was it that each of the ten children of Raimondin and Mélusine, all boys had some strange physical characteristics? One had only one eye and that was in the middle of his forehead. another had a lion's claw on his cheek; another one enormous ear; and yet another Geoffroy, Mélusine's favourite and it was said the most wicked had a huge tooth protruding from his mouth. And why did Mélusine shut herself away every Saturday? Raimondin followed the advice of a jealous brother, to try to solve this secret of his wife's. He surprised Mélusine in her bath, combing her long fair hair and swishing her horrible fish tail. Hardly had he taken this fatal step than the fairy screamed and with a great noise like the flapping of wings she flew out of the window voicing a terrible curse on the castles she had built. 'I swear that Pouzauges, Tiffauges, Mervent, Chateaumur and Vouvant shall perish by losing one stone a year.' But she came back to suckle her last child, and some say that on certain nights she still comes to haunt the ruins of her castles. | |
The name of this courtyard, and the cafe, alludes to a story that one December day in 1715, a sick child begged a visiting missionary and future saint, Pere Monfort for some fruit.
The priest told the child’s grandmother to go and pick some. The old lady opened the door, and to her surprise, saw the tree in the courtyard laden with fruit.