Grandma Cake's Visit

Well, what a busy week, and it's only getting busier!

I picked up my mum from the Neuchatel station last Saturday evening. On Sunday she got thrown straight into some Neuchatel culture, as our old landlords (now friends) Sylvain and Rachel invited us to a picnic in the park. Poor Walter stayed with poor Toby, who had a nice big temperature :( So my mum (called Grandma Cake -for Kate- by Tobe), Allie and I took a couple of buses to the area above Neuchatel called Pierre-a-bot. There's a farm, a lot of space(I was told the park used to be a golf course) and a nice restaurant called Pinte de Pierre-a bot, which is famous for fondue:
http://www.pintedepierreabot.com/

While we waited, Allie played in a nice playground with Gma.


We met Sylvain, Rachel and Timotei, who all had huge back packs. It turns out they had come prepared for a full Raclette meal. We all hunted in the surrounding woods for some good firewood and Sylvain made a perfect camp fire.



We wrapped potatoes individually in aluminium foil and he put them in the fire (he also boiled some in a pot).. When they were ready, he took out a 1.25 ft diameter, half wheel of Raclette cheese and put it on a flat piece of rock, right next to the fire.


In a couple of minutes,it would be bubbling and he would take it off and deftly scrape the whole face of it onto some lucky person's plate.



The tradition is to eat the potato out of its skin with the melted cheese, but I'm rather partial to scorched, baked potato. While you're waiting for the pots and cheese you all tuck into pickled products. Gerkins, onions, corn, mushrooms etc. They're really good with the cheese and potato too.

After stuffing our faces, my mum and I talked to some of Sylvain and Rachel's friends while Allie played with a bunch of kids. It really brought home that he's a big boy now. After food, we didn't see him at all as he was having too much fun with his pals....