Beaujolais, bites, and bonhomie: A night to savour at Askham Hall

Askham Hall in Penrith hosts its Beaujolais Evening every year, a night dedicated to celebrating a French tradition related to the titular wine.

Under French law, the wine – Beaujolais Nouveau - is released at 12.01am, just weeks after the wine’s grapes have been harvested in the region, on the third Thursday of November.

Since a wedding was booked for the third Thursday, we were instead treated to a slightly higher-quality Beaujolais Villages.

Beaujolais blanc on offer - Chateau de Jacques (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

Sat on long trestle tables next to strangers who quickly became friends the further we ventured into the bottomless wine pit, we were guided by sommeliers on the wines – a red (Cave de Fleurie) and a white (Chateau des Jacques).

Beaujolais villages on offer - Cave de Fleurie (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

This gave us a chance to learn about what we were enjoying in an accessible way as, for many, wine can see a challenging world to enter.

The set menu was a three-course French meal consisting of a delectable cheese souffle to start  a sumptuous and rich beef bourguingon for our main, and a decadent Calvados-soaked apple tart fine.

The cheese souffle came with truffled leeks and was the perfect texture - a soft 'crust' giving way to a molten centre of melted cheese that stood up well to the light-bodied red as well as the unaoked elegance of the blanc.

A moment later and we were served a piping hot bowl of stew with mashed potatoes and greens.

I despise stew, maybe I've just had bad ones, but this was a complete flipside to everything I've had prior.

A richly crafted sauce of herbs and wine braising the beef to tender perfection, it was a mountain to accomplish with the trapesty of fine flavours being explored but accomplished nonetheless.

Finally, the desert was equally boisterous - tangy apples encased in crispy pastry and doused in a Calvados sauce, a sublime way to end the meal.

I’m far from a wine connoisseur but I felt more connected to the drink than before, the work of a good sommelier will do just this for anyone of any level of wine knowledge.

I must commend the staff for the setting and service, it truly felt like a VIP experience in an exclusive venue.

Souffle (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

It was, admittedly, a bit awkward at first – despite being a reporter I still don’t particularly enjoy talking to strangers, and I was sat next to my dining partner rather than opposite him.

We absolutely could have moved and it would have been no bother, but we thought it might have been on purpose, to make us talk to others and be sociable.

Beef bourguignon (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

Luckily, we had a magic potion at our disposal, and with a promise of ‘bottomless Beaujolais’ we took to administering the treatment and soon enough the room was raucous with friendly chatter.

Tarte fine (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

Sat in great company, it reminded me of the power of conversation and that beneath the surface most of us have much in common.

Join that with the accompaniment of French music and a jovial maître d (Nico Chieze) in a beret handing out seconds of stew from the pot and warm baguettes to soak up the booze, and you’ve got an evening of fun, culture, and luxury.

Many of the patrons present were repeat, some for several years, and I can see why, perhaps I will join them – santé!