Each year, on the Isle of Man, we host a few bikers who come over for the Isle of Man TT or the Manx Classic. The TT takes place in May-June and the Classic in August-September. The population of the Isle of Man is 80,000 but during the TT that figure is increased by 40,000 or more as enthusiasts arrive from all over the world for the races. So you can imagine that the island buzzes. But where to put 40,000 bikers (twice a year) when the hotels and camping sites are full? The answer has proved to be by encouraging ordinary residents to throw open their doors and provide Homestay. It’s a bit like Bed and Breakfast except that you are welcoming people in to your home as (paying) friends. For us, this has worked well for the four years that we have done it, and our guests now return year after year.
And so it was this year with John, Bob, Phil and Lee who came back for their third consecutive year. Four lovely guys from Yorkshire with accents strong enough to melt pig iron. Here to see the most dangerous road race on the planet. The Isle of Man TT race (Tourist Trophy) is arguably the most famous in the history of motorcycle racing. The race is run through the streets and narrow roads of the island yet the bikes hit speeds in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h). In fact, the average for the whole 37.73 twisting miles of the course (60.72 km) stands at 132 mph (212 km/h). Mistakes can be disastrous, and watching racers hug the walls of the locals’ front yards is exhilarating. You can’t love the death, you can’t love the loss. But you can’t love the excitement and the thrill without knowing that that’s part of it
Anyway, back to the food… Every morning our four fine lads get a big fry-up to set them on course for a good day. So we’re talking two pork Cumberland sausages, 3 rashers of prime back bacon, 2 fried eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, toast, juice, tea and coffee. And if there’s any sausage or bacon left, Lee usually makes ‘pigs in blankets’ from it and takes it out for his lunch!
Each year, we invite out house guests to share an evening meal with us. Last year (2017) we did Confit de Canard which they all seemed to love. 
This year, Marie-Danielle made one of her famous Daube Provençale a delicious stew (though my wife would disagree with the use of that word). In fact, if the dish is made properly, in the traditional way, Daube Provençale is tender and carries the exquisite taste and aromas of the Mediterranean. It’s a lot more than just a stew – in fact it should not be mentioned in the same breath as a stew – it holds a much more exalted position than that in our kitchen with good reason. We always serve it simply with Creamed Potatoes or Boiled Potatoes. We also always make much more Daube Provençale than we need! It freezes well and the more this dish is reheated, the better it becomes! Eat it accompanied by a full bodied red wine like a Côtes du Rhône.
So, as the TT comes to an end for 2018, we look forward to seeing our guests again in 2019 – they have already booked! Life can be fun.
The Isle of Man is only about 36 miles x 12 miles at its longest and widest points. Today, about 85,000 of us perch on this rock in the middle of the Irish Sea, and every summer we are subjected to hundreds of motorbikes racing through the streets of our towns and villages and around the island on the 37.7-mile Snaefell Mountain Course. Their average speed is over 130 mph and in places they exceed 200mph!
Never mind the visitors, the TT races themselves are extremely dangerous (over 250 rider deaths to date on this circuit). Imagine riding at over 200 mph on tiny, narrow, twisting streets, roads and lanes flanked by stone walls and buildings, dodging manhole covers and stray dogs! Some, including a few former competitors, have called for the race to be banned, but for the most part the riders love the TT. They know it’s dangerous, but they also know it’s the absolute pinnacle of motorcycle racing. It’s the ultimate, and if you’re good enough – and you’re brave enough – then you go for it, regardless of the risks. Personal responsibility and the love of speed triumph the desire for safety here.
Oh yeah – I almost forgot about “Mad Sunday.” One day every year at the TT, they open up the 37 mile course to the public. That means anyone on a motor bike can try his or her luck trying to match the professionals for speed (and insanity!). Imagine, if you can, a Formula 1 or NASCAR event where they let 50,000+ fans onto the track, charging around in whatever vehicle they came in. In recent years, to try and reduce the carnage (and maybe also to give the visitors even more thrills!) the roads have been made one-way for about 8 miles over the mountain section of the course. Big, powerful road bikes hitting their top speeds of 170mph-180mph is not unusual on this section.
Last Saturday evening, we invited our neighbours, Terry and Julie plus Dominic and Kate from over the road for a meal. We decided to mix the best of the Isle of Man with the best of France (as you do!) so (after polishing off a couple of bottles of Champagne with the aperitif) we started the meal with one of our favourites – beautiful fresh Manx scallops, and prepared the excellent 
As we always do, we served the meal French style (dessert last) and I dug around in M-D’s wine cooler and came up with a really nice bottle of 2008 Côtes de Bergerac. The Côtes de Bergerac is a deeply smooth sweet white wine that complimented our