Flemish embassy in Amance
In the centre of the village of Vicq, a
beautiful and vast residence in natural regional stone
accompanies the church. Once the presbytery, it hasn't lost its
serenity. Today Gerda Peeters and André Meewis are the
cordial hosts. The garden and interior restoration were
contemplated and realised by their son designer and
philosopher. As for the kitchen, the son master chef shared his
expertise. The whole joins Gîtes
de France as a bed and breakfast and
is honored with four épis in the ranking of the network. The site and its
owners merit le détour.
Kitchen mistress
As a young wife, not to disappoint her
husband, Gerda engages herself in cooking with Gaston
Clément's standard guide of cooking of the fifties.
Since several years now she switched to la cuisine haut-marnaise
with regional products: recipes with Langres, escargots,
asparagus of Varennes, local meat, Emmental of Bassigny,
homemade jams... As a chef of the Slagmolen in Belgium, honored
by Michelin, her son advises her with his savoir faire. Gerda
is a discernable lover of cooking, it's in the air everywhere.
Dressed in a big white apron she arouses our taste, speaking of
her progrès aux amandes et
chocolat, faisselles of fresh cheese,
served on a coulis of blackcurrants or blackberries, covered with
fresh cream and berries. Her suppliers are all friends of the
house who she recommends to visitors during their stay.
Design and peace of a jardin de curé
The site, secluded from the street,
presents a long bright facade and a large courtyard guarded by
Saint Joseph in stone. And then the jardin
de curé, such a beautiful
harmony of plants and trees: plums, medlars, hazelnut trees,
chestnut trees… And in the centre a little oseraie. Water flows,
the stream is very close. The philosopher has designed it all
and even prohibited the construction of a terrace in front of
the beautiful ensemble of stairs: that would have been an
aberration of taste, of culture, aesthetics and be
dysfunctional. A big table on the lawn will do for having there
the copious breakfasts. The other meals are served in the
kitchen, a matter of ambiance, of sharing the space where
Gerda, assisted by André, prepares the fine dishes. Her
cooking has no secrets.
A little monastic, but not ascetic
At the first floor, there are three rooms
for b&b, although the mansarde is used only as a spare room. A pity, knowing
that this could be a hiding place from the world! Functional,
bright, simple, the rooms apply to tranquility of the body and
mind. All of a sudden Gerda interrupts: 'The experts of Gîtes de France tried
to force me in posing draperies, out of the question, and out
of style, I don't want to ridicule my b&b'. She insisted in
conserving the dwelling as it used to be, a little monastic,
but not ascetic. It's a success!
A certain image of France for their
compatriots
How did this Belgian couple, which
originated between the Rhine and the Meuse, manage to settle at
a few kilometers of the sources of the Meuse? Things started
thanks to a friend, Yvonne Knevels, also a designer, who came
for a training course at the Ecole
nationale de vannerie in
Fayl-Billot. From there the address became known. The building
was left inhabited since the disappearance of abbot Geoffroy.
After seventeen years, the old presbytery revives. In Belgium
tourist guides, books and even national television have shown
interest in their tasteful restoration. 3000 e-mails arrived
the week following the broadcast. Today Le Presbytère has
become a kind of embassy for Belgian tourists visiting the
south of the Haute-Marne. Gerda and André engage
themselves in giving them an image of France and accompany them
in the discovery of the Pays de Langres.
Michel Thénard
Source: La Croix
Hebdo de la Haute-Marne