In June, we went to St Omer in Northern France to spend 4 days immersing ourselves in the French culture and language. Our accommodation was at Château d’Ebblinghem, a converted 19th century country house which now hosts school groups, located just 45 minutes from the port of Calais.
Day 1: After 9 hours of travel by coach, it was great to see the white cliffs of Dover as we said goodbye to England and ‘bonjour’ (hello) to France. On arrival at the château, our culinary skills were used straightaway to create a traditional ‘tarte au sucre’ (a sweet pastry). Olive McTimmins was praised by the chateau staff for her excellent baking skills. We learnt the French for all the ingredients: ‘farine’ (flour); ‘de l’eau’ (water); ‘oeuf’ (egg); ‘sucre’ (sugar). Our evening was then spent making and savouring some delicious ‘crêpes’.
Day 2: We were set a challenge to source a variety of items from the local supermarket. Euros in hand, we had a great time navigating the French aisles and marvelling at the variety of cheeses! We tried out our French when we asked the assistants for help.
We returned to the coach to head north to a bakery. There, we learnt the importance of high quality, fresh bread. The French prefer going to the bakery each morning to buy their bread fresh. In 2019, the art of baguette making in France became part of UNESCO’s intangible heritage. The French baker, Bruno, questioned us in French about where we’re from and our age. He was a bit scary! Praise goes to Nia Khumalo who impressed the baker with her excellent croissants. We were then treated to some tasty pain au chocolat.
We headed over the border into Belgium to take part in a workshop at P&J Chocolate Factory, Adinkerke. We learnt how chocolate came into Europe from South America a few centuries ago and how no cocoa beans are used in the production of white chocolate. We watched an illustration of how chocolate is made and then made our own chocolate bar. Miam! (yum!)
After a fun-filled food day, we returned to the chateau for a ‘repas délicieux’ (delicious meal) of ‘poulet et légumes’ (chicken and vegetables) followed by ‘mousse au chocolat’ (chocolate mousse). Our second day finished with our groups presenting the supermarket challenge items in a creative and engaging way.
Our consumption of food was still not over. In the evening, we had ‘dégustation de fromage’ (cheese-tasting), where brave pupils tasted a variety of French cheeses; Camembert, fromage de chèvre et Roquefort. We preferred the Camembert!
Day 3:
The morning was spent at La Halte d’Autrefois goat farm. We had a tour of the working farm, but a real highlight was holding the goats and milking them.
The afternoon was spent in the town of Boulogne-sur-mer. Boulogne is a charming small seaside town, which features a 13th century castle and impressive basilica.
We began with a town trail, exploring the ramparts and the old town. We bought souvenirs and ‘glaces’ (ice creams) at the local stalls and did a great job at speaking French.
The château staff surprised us at dinner time with some ‘escargots’ (snails). Special mention goes to Ayeza Hameed who tried them for the first time, loved them and encouraged others to try them.
For our final activity, we enjoyed a silent disco with our ‘chansons préférées’ (favourite songs) and some burnt off energy in a scavenger hunt around the grounds of the château.
The pupils were a credit to Sacred Heart. They embraced the cultural, linguistic and culinary challenges and had an enriching time.
Mrs Willis & Mrs Denton
