A memorable Friday lunch

Tracey's twin sister Debbie and Charlie, who had gotten engaged about two weeks earlier, were staying just up the road in Sarlat. We arranged to meet halfway, at Belcastel, for lunch. Our destination: Le Pont d'Ouysse, which Andrew had read about in Stephanie Alexander's "Cooking & Travelling in South-West France".
Just before reaching it, we spied some very happy geese, obviously well fed. We're not sure how well fed but there was a Foie Gras shop across the road...coincidence, perhaps.

On the way there we also saw two badgers on the road. One was "resting" and the other was sunning itself and scurried off after we went by, the former was still "resting" there upon our return journey.

The restaurant setting is perfect: a ruined bridge by a fast-flowing stream;

a jagged outcropping above bedecked with lovely stone buildings and gardens;

a well-shaded terrace ready to welcome us for lunch.

The food was also great....we all took the Menu Belcastel - see below. (Babelfish may help translate, although some of the menu is very specialised "restaurant French)

MENU BELCASTEL
Oeuf en longue cuisson, bouillon de poule truffé
***
Escalope de foie de canard poêlée aux asperges vertes et poivre de Sarawak
sauce Porto et Mique grillée
***
Grosses crevettes royales marinées au gingembre
toutes les herbes du jardin, artichauts en barigoule et un bon jus de légumes
***
Pigeonneau rôti et mousseline de petits pois, fricassée de champignons
***
Cocotte de Rocamadour de chez Chambon, au mascarpone et truffes
***
Choix de desserts

We all did the delicious food justice, and the sun beamed down beneficently.

After lunch Tracey, Debbie & Charlie head of to the monkey park nearby, while Andrew chose to spend his time back in Rocamadour trying to get the perfect shot without any tourists, not an easy feat.

The monkey park is just that, a park full of monkeys. There are no cages, the 150 or so Barbary Macaques monkeys roam free through 50 acres of forest. There are 3 communities of the monkeys and they rarely stray near another tribe, other than a young male in search of a mate. The monkeys all seem rather content and why shouldn't they be, they're fed frequently by the keepers and the visitors are given popcorn which they happily take out of your hand.