If you happen to be passing through Villedieu les Poeles in Southern Normandy then be sure to drop in to the Holly Tree Restaurant and Bar nestled into the quiet village of St Maur des Bois, situated opposite the 15th Century church which dominates the tiny village.
Not always that quiet, the village was home to a large quarry and the bar (originally called Bar Mazure) was quite a lively place for many years, then as the quarry wound down the bar lost it's clientele and eventually closed until it was bought by Barbara and her husband 7 years later and re-opened on May 1st 2005 after 15 months of hard renovation work by the couple.
Barbara, who originates from the North east of England, together with her three children, has made a life here in France. The eldest of three, Scarlet, started college and was told by the headmaster that the best way forward was to "swim in a sea of French". The two younger children, Morgan and Oliver settled easily into primary school and the French way of life. All now agree that this is where they want to be....
Initially, the main income was to be from her husband's work as a French estate agent, and the bar was to be a sideline. Although things did not turn out quite as planned.
There followed a difficult divorce from her husband, and just one year after arriving in Normandy, Barbara was now a single mum, and had to rely on the bar for income. "Not really as I planned", admits Barbara, but not one to take defeat she picked herself up and started over...
However, not quite your usual bar/restaurant, the Holly Tree falls somewhere between English tearooms meets French bar, which is just how it was planned to be.
Barbara's love of cooking and in particular Indian cuisine comes from a father in law who was born and bought up in Goa, India. Plus, Barbara comes from a long line of cooks, so naturally she took to it all like a duck to water.
Know locally as an Indian restaurant (with the slant on French cooking) Barbara grows many of the spices and herbs that go into her exotic dishes and has plans to set up an online store selling her delicious spices.
Now the home of a resident folk club and soon to be jazz venue, the bar is rapidly building up a reputation for not only good food, but also lively music. Not an easy feat, but with many enthusiastic French and English folk fans willing to travel from as far a field as Bayeux and Caen to meet and sing together, the once a month meeting is starting to take hold. Even a podcast is in the making and a music day is planned for the traditional fete de music in June.
For more info contact:
Barbara Hames, The Holly Tree Bar & Restaurant, 2 Route des Moulins 50800 St Maur des Bois. Telephone: 02 33 61 19 38. Website.
www.hollytree.fr-eu.net
