Highlight of the Oppede calendar is the Soupe de Pistou – a gathering of 250 locals for a hearty veg and bean stew with a dollop of ‘pistou’ on top – the Provencal pesto – a heavy-duty garlic and basil paste. And so it was that I found myself at an unsettling hour in the local school kitchens with 30 or so other women, chopping potatoes by the bucket load; occasionally scolded by a terrifying woman for chopping to uneven size.
It was with a sense of having made a major contribution that Husband and I sat with our new friends on a mile-long table and stuffed ourselves silly as darkness fell on the village square. Towards midnight we cycled home, made precariously off-balance by our dirty crockery (it’s strictly bring-your-own here) and bloated forms. And behind us tables of villagers danced on to the tunes of Chuck Berry. Rock and roll lives on in a small village in Provence.
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