One of the things I love about spending so much time in France is the easy-going outdoor life that summer brings. Having just come back from spending almost four months on the Isle of Man, it’s lovely to make the best of the end of summer with light meals on the terrace.

In April, before going to the Isle of Man, our Scottish granddaughter, Lily came to stay with us to explore France. One of the first things she told her mum when I took her back to Scotland was “We ate outside in the garden”. And she was right. We had driven down to the Loire valley and, before looking round the Chateau of Chenonceau, we had lunch in the beautiful garden of a nearby restaurant. The photo below, by the way, is Chenonceau from a hot air balloon (mongolfiere) which we went in back in 2007.

When we are in France, we often drive down to Gourdon in the Dordogne Region where Marie-Danielle’s parents live. It’s about a 5½ hour drive, but it’s like entering another world where (depending on the time of year) the magnolia blossoms or the falling walnuts are the only thing to distract you from that gloriously rich diet of foie gras, cassoulet, confit de canard and so much more.

Yet, one of my favourites has nothing to do with duck, and more to do with cheese. It’s Tartiflette, a traditional French peasant dish that stands out for taste and simplicity. The basis is potatoes, but the taste comes mostly from the Reblochon, a soft well-ripened cheese traditionally made from raw cow’s milk. Reblochon has a soft centre with a washed rind covered with a fine white mould. It has a nutty taste that remains in mouth after its soft centre has been enjoyed.

To be honest, Tartiflette is more of a winter warmer than a summer-on-the-terrace type of meal, but who says we have to be ‘normal’ all the time? I eat what I like, when I like, and Tartiflette hits the spot quite nicely in the gentle sunshine with a glass of lager.