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Fiona Alderman: Continental Life in Salignac

Sitting in my local Bistrot watching and listening to people I am constantly surprised at the number of accents I hear. A group of Bolivian musicians and singers had a one off concert in my local church this weekend. Lively and colourful they were sitting at the bar before their performance. I remember we even had a student from Peru once with a week’s film and dance course. I worked with her on a new dance piece that Barry filmed in and around Salignac.

Our very first student came from Portugal, whom I had taught on a summer dance residency in Porto. I seems to remember she came all the way to Salignac by bus!

I know quite a lot of people now after living here for so long. My lovely young Canadian lady, who works as a Pompier ie Fire Service, to a newish friend, who is South African and runs a flower farm nearby in Proissans .

It enriches us all, I think. To meet and exchange stories of each other’s lives and learn how they have come to Salignac in the first place ?

Fleuribelle

Fleuribelle flower farm

This is the name of the flower farm run by South Africans, Mark and Moraig De Witt. Sitting high up on the hills overlooking Sarlat their land slopes gently down overlooking the valley.

They work endlessly to provide quality bouquets for weddings and also arrangements for a local prestigious hotel. Now they provide flowers for a shop in Salignac called Les Producteurs . Peonies were displayed recently and they were just gorgeous.Moraig gave me some as a present which I proudly displayed in the house attracting much interest from visitors.

Peonies from Fleuribelle

The work to achieve that result is not always seen. To plant thousands of bulbs and to watch over them daily. No pesticides are used. Insects and wildlife are to be tackled too but they are passionate about the land and nature in all its glory Changing all the time. Here is a link to Fleuribelle website

A Hundred Years

L’Epicerie

Our local epicerie in Salignac is a hundred years old this month.Run by husband and wife Sylvie and Pascal, who took over this business in 2016. The history of this wonderful shop is fascinating: in 1919 , at the end of the first World War, the family Nicoulaud, already the owners of an epicerie, decided to enlarge their activities and would build the now existing building, and the adjoining one along the road. They intended to convert them into two separate shops. They opened in 1925 and one of the sons, nicknamed L’Article ie article, was apparently quite a local character. Every morning, the customers would come into the shop, and if they couldn’t find what they were looking for, they would ask Article, as he was the only person who knew where it was.

Export produce began to England with tins of foie gras and truffles. The British Royal family was a big client. Outside there was a small gas station and Josephine Baker, who lived in the area, was seen to fill up her car at the pumps!

La Halle

But the time was passing and in 1967 it was sold to the family Berthy.They transferred the shop down the hill to the Halle area which was the hub of commerce then.Everything was there on Rue St Croix. The bakery, several Cafes, the local cattle market, and the blacksmith for the cart wheels
Monsieur and Madame ran this and brought up three children.

One of them, Martine, who still lives here, would later own it and return it up the hill to the original building . By 1995 she. and her father would run it, as he still enjoyed working in the business. They would rent out a part of it called Les Fermes which was for fresh local produce. Now reinstalled further down the road Les Producteurs.

I have been a regular since 25 years and I enjoy the chat and good atmosphere. Their produce is good even including English cheddar cheese of which I am a fan.!
Now a mixture of food, clothes, haberdashery, books and newspapers. Even a monthly one called The Connexion, French news in English, which is a great read and so informative it takes me a month to read it. The owners are charming and very hard working.

Vive L’Epicier a Salignac!

Until the next time
Fifi’s stories from rural and very hot France. June 2025

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