Because the local product is so good it is really possible to eat extremely well here without having to rob a bank.
Take last night’s supper which I cooked for myself and Colm and which we enjoyed on the terrace, still in the high twenties even at eight o clock.

Having seen the quality of the Aubergines, Peppers and Courgettes in the supermarket they were a must. In the supermarket I also came across some fresh garlic, still damp from the earth and moist inside like an onion. Couple this with an excellent free range chicken (half the price of our Irish ones) so a Chicken in Ratatouille was inevitable.
This is not so much a recipe as a rough guide to make this.
I first cubed an aubergine and fried this in olive oil until brown and cooked through, essential as aubergine does not cook as it boils in liquid and aubergines -like potatoes- are not pleasant to eat unless cooked through.
I then put these into a casserole which can cook on top of the stove, or use a saucepan, sliced one courgette and browned that in the pan before adding to the aubergine.
The large Red Pepper got likewise sliced and fried until soft before joining the courgette.
Next I sliced the garlic and just tossed it in hot olive oil for a moment before adding two large sweet tomatoes which I had sliced.
Once they softened I added a couple of tablespoons of Sherry Vinegar (my latest favourite vinegar, balsamic would do fine) and adding these to the other vegetables in the casserole.

Next I jointed the chicken into eight pieces, two breasts, two wings, two thighs and two drumsticks and browned these also in olive oil before adding to the casserole.

Then I put the pan on to simmer gently for about 30 mts, made sure the chicken was cooked through, and ate the bird with much pleasure and a few Ratte Potatoes which I had simply boiled in their skins (and then ate, in the Cork tradition, skins and all)
A simple and delicious supper in which the quality of the local ingredients made very special.

After that we shared some tiny discs of Goat Cheese from Rocamador, a kind or ripe goaty Brie, and finished with the sweetest cherries I have ever tasted.
This is my very first time being in France in June in time for the Cherries.

All this was helped down by the local Rosé, Mas Blanchard, which is cheaper than mineral water in Ireland.

I know there is a danger here in your reaction to this meal.
It is, as they would tell me again in Cork, Well For Me.

But it is all reproducible in Ireland, substitute some of our excellent new potatoes for the Rattes and some Strawberries for the Cherries and you are half way there.
The well heated terrace is more difficult to provide though.