Horses, films and takeaways

It was mid afternoon by the time the vet came yesterday, thankfully not later because we had to leave at 4.30pm to pick up our much-anticipated takeaway.

He was a friendly bloke though and as he had injected 400 sheep that morning for blue tongue I forgave him for being late, causing us to miss our celebratory lunch. He has eight horses and also likes to eat horses (ever his own?) and confirmed my suspicion that Olga’s back was sore. He advised rest for two months.

He did have a laugh at Olga, saying her slow movements were typical of her breed…yes, she doesn’t like to work or even walk too hard and this is compounded further now by the back soreness.

Her generosity humbles me though, because I still rode her blackberry picking the other day and although we turned back when I felt something could be wrong, she looked after me. I ride with just a rope halter and no metal bit, so she could ultimately have demanded control, but she didn’t…she is truly a very kind-hearted, big girl.

The vet didn’t have a clue about how much the visit would cost because his computer adds it all up (computer says yes)…it could be €30 or €300…I’ve got absolutely no idea and must wait for the 'facture'.

Olga and her poorly back.

The pretty Rue des Balmes, overlooking the Lot river in Puy L’Eveque, is not the most usual place you would expect to find a takeaway. However, we did manage to find ‘Traiteur Sumatra’, run by Peter and Yvonne van Nieuwland, after a smiling Peter opened the door to greet us as we floundered around outside wondering if we were in the right place. They had clearly made a big effort to accommodate our out-of-the-blue order.

A street where you'd usually find a takeaway??

The food needed heating up by the time we got home, no surprise as it took 20 times longer than when we had our last take out in London. As the containers were microwavable it meant we could heat them while cueing up the DVD (the only downside was that, due to this and although delicious, our spring rolls had rather lost their bounce by the time we ate them).

As ‘The Matador’ started (buddy movie/drama/comedy/thriller, starring compelling Greg Kinnear as an almost-ruined salesman who is befriended by an assassin (played by Pierce Brosnan who is genius in this role) during a weekend in Mexico) we tucked in.

I think we had a variation on the 'menu of month' (as a result of us ordering slightly late). The food was very spicy, especially the chicken in tomato sauce and overall much less sugary than the takeaway I’m used to in the UK.

The Indonesian salad was a tastebudtasic surprise. I expected to peel back the lid and reveal damp cucumber and sliced iceberg lettuce, but instead it was a robust salad resembling the flavours of Pad Thai.

I would have liked a few more prawn crackers, but that is a personal weakness. It was beautifully cooked (I assume by Yvonne) and clearly the reason they cater many events, such as the evening buffet at Hostellerie de Goujounac in Cazals on 2nd November.

I think that at €14 per head it is more expensive than we were used to paying in London, but this would’ve been over a year ago and there isn’t a comparable demand here.

With the rising cost of food and fuel added to the fact that a takeaway in these parts is like a diamond in the 'chemin' (and, how can we forget - we can't - it is the credit crunch), I would definitely go there again - and that conclusion really isn’t just because it’s the only takeaway I know (and will cherish!).