Exactly what we ate on a French beach holiday

Back in 2015, fresh out of culinary school, I spent several weeks working as a private chef for a young family on the French island of Île de Ré, staying in Saint-Clément-des-Baleines (a very small, very quiet village) and la Couarde-sur-Mer (one of the bigger villages with a great market). With free reign to cook whatever took my fancy I remember being very enthusiastic to practice my new skills, whipping up twice baked cheese soufflés, lobster bisque and daily fruit tarts in between cycling to neighbouring villages in search of the best wine and cheese. It felt full circle to return with my own young family this spring and I was rather nostalgic as I revisited the area and headed out each morning with my basket to the market. Alongside the usual French produce the island is known for its oysters, salt, potatoes, salicorne and also has over 500 hectares of vineyards which produce wines, pineau des Charente and cognac.

There are some very cute hotels dotted about but we rented an Airbnb so we could enjoy cooking and eating at home as much as possible (this site is popular with regular visitors for rentals too) and I spent my days constantly thinking about what we would eat next. Here’s exactly what we ate.