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PERSONAL FAVOURITES
IN FRANCE
Almost every weekend we drive to France to shop for the restaurant We always stay overnight and so we have found a few wonderful bed & breakfasts and restaurants owned and run by like-minded people.If you're travelling over and want something individual without breaking the bank you might find these addresses useful! Do mention that we recommended them!
B & B's
Alex Factory
Very difficult to describe this oasis of calm out in the countryside but only 10 minutes from Boulogne and the A16 motorway. The rooms are in an annexe of the main house. Each room is very individually decorated in a Moroccan/French style. Our favourite is L’Ecurie (the old stable) - which is in its own building away from the main house- which has its own kitchen area and log-burning fire(which you can watch blazing from the bed!) .Up the staircase there are beds for about 6 people if you are taking the kids. Breakfast eggs come straight from their own chickens.
Enclos de l'Eveche
Tucked away by the side of the cathedral this is a very elegant old town house set around its own cobbled courtyard. All rooms have a different theme based on Boulogne’s history. The restaurant has an interesting menu but unfortunately is not open Sunday evenings so we have not tried dinner! The also do musical soirees in the courtyard in the Summer which sound fun.
Just 10 minutes drive from Boulogne the other side of a forest you will find this working dairy farm that puts many hotels to shame. The rooms are clean, tastefully furnished and comfortable and until the dawn chorus very quiet. The breakfast includes fab croissants, pain au chocolat, bread, homemade goats cheese & butter, fresh apple juice from the farm, yogurts from the farm down the road-you get the picture!They also offer a simply but delicious supper in their dining room overlooking the orchard-homemade Foie Gras terrine and their Coq au Vin are particularly recommended.
Restaurants
Le Channel
This family-owned and run restaurant offers the choice of excellent value set menus or a la carte. Either way the food is fabulous as is the presentation, the service is friendly and impeccable and the wine cellar impressive.
IN BUDAPEST
Bock Bistro
We argue every time whether this or Kacsa is the best restaurant we have enjoyed in Budapest but they are so different! This is a bistro designed to be a showcase for wine but the food is in no way ‘Bistro food’-it is stunning! The friendly accordion player really adds to the atmosphere. You absolutely must book not in advance but a few days before at least-they do not ‘turn’tables.
Kacsa
The name means duck in Hungarian and that is what they specialise in cooking amongst other meats.
The live music (pianist & violin) really add a little romance to the old fashioned setting
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