Does it matter to you where your food comes from? Do you need to know that the meat on your plate has been ethically raised, that you are supporting local producers and that you are eating food that hasn’t travelled a great distance?

Fortunately, eating responsibly in France is not difficult. Here’s how you can do … Read More

France is renowned worldwide for its vineyards and its tremendous variety of wine. However, beer? The brewing of craft beers in France is rapidly gaining in popularity but will craft beer ever replace wine on the French table?

Craft beer brewing in France

Wonderful smallscale micro breweries are scattered throughout France producing a huge variety of award-winning … Read More

When is pancake day in France celebrated?

Pancake day in France is always celebrated on the 2nd February.

Known as la Chandeleur in France, it is also a Catholic holiday which comes under the name of Candelmas and takes place 40 days after Christmas Day.

In the Catholic calendar the date commemorates the purification … Read More

Summer, with its colourful bounty of fruit and vegetables, is a distant memory. It’s the greens, oranges and reds of autumn produce that now fill market stalls in villages throughout France. This is after all the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness and the fruit is particularly bountiful this year.

Autumn squashes and pumpkins

My particular favourites … Read More

France is a country for foodies. It’s a fact. Indeed, French gastronomy has been recognised by Unesco as a ‘world intangible heritage’.

The French table d’hôte

Eating and drinking, en famille or amongst friends, it’s a ritual developed over generations, an active tradition and a social custom for which the French are renowned.

The good news is … Read More

The days may be shorter, the sun may be weaker, but there are so many reasons why I love France in winter.

Reason no. 1 – Peace and Quiet

France has a very small population in relation to its size (around 120 people per km2 as opposed to the UK which has 265 per … Read More

French wine and chocolate – two of my favourite things. With Easter not far away, I have been thinking about French wine and chocolate pairing and wondering just which wines I should buy to go with the chocolate which will no doubt find its way into this household. Many people don’t believe that wine and chocolate … Read More

It’s taken as read that the Christmas and New Year celebrations will be accompanied by a bottle or two of Festive Fizz.

Personally speaking, I am a big fan of French sparkling wine at this time of year and  I don’t necessarily mean champagne.

However, if you insist on buying champagne, my one piece of … Read More

The Christmas celebrations may be over but Twelfth night is yet to come. This date represents the date on which Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down and packed away for another year.

But Epithany, a Christian feastday falls on January 6 or, in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, on the Sunday between January 2 and … Read More

Les Trois Glorieuses is THE big event in Burgundy for the serious wine enthusiast. It takes place over the third weekend of November and attracts connoisseurs of fine wine from all over the world.

So what’s it all about? Les Trois Glorieuses means the Three Glorious Days and is a celebration which marks the end … Read More