Candes Saint-Martin, my favourite spot in La Touraine.

Sunday 5 October 2014

A perfect copy

During my second Loire Valley tour - in 2000 - we visited the mushroom caves at Bourré. It was a wet and cold day and we were looking for dry place to visit. The caves seemed perfect. They offered shelter from the rain but the place was damp and cold and not beneficial to the cervical hernia I was suffering from at the time.

Nevertheless we had a lovely time and after surfacing from the cavernous mushroom nursery, I bought a cute twinned mushroom statue, carved out of the famous local limestone.

Today, while cleaning mushrooms for our Sunday lunch - Vol-au-vent (Queen's morsel) - I found a perfect copy of the statue among this lot ...


And here they are ... model and statue, side by side. A perfect copy!


It would be hard to tell them apart (except for the size, of course), if it weren't for the square platform on which the stone copy sits, wouldn't it?


6 comments:

Carolyn said...

Your teeth would tell you pretty quickly if you bit into them.

Diane said...

Great photos and yes how similar. Have a good week Diane

Louise said...

How I envy you mushroom season in Europe! Although I really can't complain as mango season is about to start here in Western Australia...

GaynorB said...

I shall examine my mushrooms with new enthusiasm!! ;o)

Ken Broadhurst said...

Our first stay in the Loire Valley, at Vouvray, was in 2000 (October). We came back in 2001 and in 2002, but we didn't go to see the mushroom caves until shortly after we moved here in 2003. I love the beutiful and tasty button mushrooms we get here in Europe.

ladybird said...

Carolyn, LOL! The tiny ones tasted really nice. We enjoyed our 'vol-au-vent' lunch.

Diane, Thanks, I too like the way the photo came out.

Louise, These baby mushrooms were grown in mushroom caves in Belgium. Wild mushrooms are only available in posh, specialized stores. Love wild mushrooms cooked in butter and garlic :)

Gaynor, Lol ... maybe you'll find some unique specimen too.

Ken, There are some limestone caves in the north-east of Belgium. I think these tiny button mushrooms were grown there. But there is so much more on offer in the Garden of France where you live.