Roger St. Pierre reveals one of the Celtic province’s star ingredients as news of the benefits of seaweed as a health food is spreading. It wraps your trendy sushi; the Welsh call it laverbread and traditionally eat it for breakfast with cockles and bacon; it puts the wobble in your childhood jellies; it’s used [...]
2013 is the 400th anniversary of the birth of the greatest of all French gardeners – André Le Nôtre. André Le Nôtre, 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700, revolutionized the art of gardening in France. Born into a family of gardeners, he followed closely in the footsteps of his grandfather and his father, Jean, [...]
Bread, as everyone knows, plays a big part in the daily life of the French people – in fact 12 million people a day in France visit a bread shop. From baguettes to boules – the long thin sticks of light bread, to the round tasty balls of bread, bread in France is part [...]
They knew their onions – by Roger st Pierre Berets worn at a jaunty angle, Gaulloise cigarettes hanging from their lips, bicycles smothered in plaited strings of onions – each of which weighed between one and two kilogrammes – French onion sellers were once a familiar sight on the streets of Britain, plying their [...]
Beziers in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon, in the south of France is a fabulous weekend destination with direct flights from several UK airports. Beziers airport is about 15km south east of the town with a shuttle bus service which connects with arrivals and runs to Beziers train and bus stations. The train journey from Paris [...]
The Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of France – L’Association des Plus Beaux Villages de France was started in 1982 in Collonges-la-Rouge, Corrèze. The aims of the group are, unsurprisingly, to discover, recognise and promote the most beautiful villages of France whose merits are within set guidelines. Members are a limited number, whose [...]
Dunkirk is the Regional Capital of Culture 2013 and included in the packed programme of events to celebrate this outstanding award is a fabulous four day event which will see the town host a fleet of some of the world’s most beautiful and prestigious ships for a unique Dunkirk Ships stopover. Complete with masts and [...]
It was the 27th Edition of the International Kite Festival at the little seaside resort of Berck-sur-Mer on the Opal Coast in northern France. The wind was blowing up a gale – some of the bigger kites had had to be pulled down and anchored for health and safety reasons – after all, a 40m [...]
When I think of France and its history, one of the most prominent figures is the larger than life character of Louis XIV, ‘The Sun King’. His life, legacy and the magnificent palace of Versailles fascinate me. Of course, living just above the Loire valley with the historic city of Le Mans a short [...]
“If you look in my fridges you will always see two chickens. We have become “known” for our Friday Chicken recipes and this slow roasted chicken with garlic and lemon is one of my favourite – especially when spring has arrived the sun is starting to shine and there’s a hint of warmth in [...]
“Let them eat cake” – it has to be one of the most famous quotes in history. Attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette of France around 1789, wife of King Louis XIV, upon being told that her subjects had no bread to eat. She is said to have sniffily remarked ““Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”—“Let them [...]
Paris to Reims is a simple trip by train and who would want to miss out on such a fabulous day out in famous Champagne! If you are in Paris you can easily have a wonderful champagne tasting day trip and the journey from Gare de l’Est, Paris to Reims Central station is around 45 [...]
Born in Granville, Normandy on 21 January 1905, Christian Dior knew from an early age that he did not want to be a diplomat as his wealthy family wanted – art was in his soul and as a young boy he would sketch and draw endlessly. After a short time as a young man [...]
One of my favourite authors has got to be Susie Kelly. I have always been a firm fan of Susie Kelly books, often humorous tales about her life, adventures and travels in France. She gives her readers the opportunity to discover what it is really like to live in France and learn about its history. [...]
Visitors to France often arrive with a head full of expectations and a deep desire to blend in with the country’s inhabitants. This is because the French are stereotypically regarded as casually chic, urbane and quick to judge (and probably dislike) tourists who commit minor infractions against manners and good taste. While it may [...]
Saint Omer, France, is one of the most popular towns for visitors to the Nord-Pas de Calais region. Easily accessible from Calais or Dunkirk it offers a taste of French charm and authenticity and provides much for visitors to do and see. It is the perfect French day trip destination from the UK, provides [...]
I have been fortunate to have lived in three departments in France during my nine years here after emigrating from Britain. The first was department 59 – the Nord (Nord-Pas de Calais); the second was department 11 – Aude (on the Mediterranean coast); the third is department 12 – the Aveyron, in the Midi-Pyrénées, South [...]
Roger st Pierre takes a Corsican holiday on one of the most beautiful islands in the Med… I have recently come to the conclusion that the biggest liar I am ever likely to meet is my own memory. They often say you should never return to the places of fondest recall because they will never [...]
Seasonal work in France is a popular option for those who want to spend time in France, for adventure and cultural exchange and to earn some money at the same time. If you are an EU citizen, you are automatically entitled to work in France. If you are from outside the EU you may need [...]
In France there are two property taxes to pay – Taxe d’Habitation and Taxe Foncière – both are forms of a council tax. The Taxe Foncière is payable by property owners – whether they live in the property or not. The Taxe d’Habitation is payable by the residents of the property – whether they own [...]
There are two property taxes to pay when you have a French property – the Taxe Foncière and the Taxe d’Habitation. The Taxe Foncière is the responsibility of the owners of a property. The Taxe d’Habitation is the responsibility of the occupiers of a property – whether they own or rent. Payment of the Taxe [...]
We (that is me and the Other Half) decided that we would get the structural work done on this old French house before we did any of the internal works and that included some of the out buildings. We started by renovating the barns which came with the house – one of which is in [...]
If you are buying a property in France with a view to renting it out or running gîtes or chambre d’hôtes (B&B) there are some key points to consider: The market Is there a market for a rental property where you live? Check with the local tourist office to see what is available in the [...]
It is hard to know exactly how many gîtes and chambre d’hôtes there are in France – certainly more than 50,000. That’s a lot of accommodation for people to choose from. The good news is that France is the world’s no. 1 tourist destination with almost 80 million visitors a year, so you should [...]
Well, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that the sheep across the road has gone to the great pasture in the sky. When I bought my house nine years ago it came with a sheep! The lady who owned the house before me had let the man across the road [...]
The allure of the good life in France and the charms of the beautiful town of Beziers ensnared British expat Mark Binmore who runs the highly successful Maison de l’Orb, a beautiful B&B. Mark told us that he lived in London since the early 1990s, worked as a pub landlord for several breweries, is the [...]
Introduction to expat healthcare in France by Sam Brown of The Health Insurance Group. For those who are hoping to start a new life in France, concerns over future healthcare needs will certainly be at the forefront of their minds. If you are travelling from a country where free healthcare is almost guaranteed – as in [...]
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Well, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that the sheep across the road has gone to the great pasture in the sky. When I bought my house nine years ago it came with a sheep! The lady who owned the house before me had let the man across the road [...]
The allure of the good life in France and the charms of the beautiful town of Beziers ensnared British expat Mark Binmore who runs the highly successful Maison de l’Orb, a beautiful B&B. Mark told us that he lived in London since the early 1990s, worked as a pub landlord for several breweries, is the [...]
Expats in France Donna and Dave Faulkner fell in love with Deux-Sevres in the Poitou-Charentes region when they visited friends who lived there. When Dave was unexpectedly offered a job – they said goodbye to Britain and jumped head first into life in France in their new home which needed a bit of renovation as [...]
British expat Sue Aitken lives in south west France and runs Blackhen Education – a business that she set up after planning to move to Spain to be a teacher. She and her partner travelled through France on their way to jobs and a life in Spain but they fell in love with [...]
How two Brits met and changed their lives with a move to France… Chris was a veteran of 30 years in the Metropolitan police, running his own outdoor activity business specializing in mountain biking, walking and climbing, father to three grown-up children and mentor to many more. Charlotte was a classic single “Social Butterfly”, [...]
I was recently asked to write about expats in France, people who leave their homes in all areas of the world to go to France to live. I thought back over the years about the many expats I’ve met, interviewed (I am a journalist not just a crazy person going round firing questions at [...]
It’s good to know some things stay the same When my mother bought her holiday house in northern France 35 years ago, I had no idea how large a part this lovely country was going to play in my life. I was eleven at the time, and simply enjoyed the trips across the Channel [...]
As you might know by now, I cannot resist a French flea market and the one I went to on Sunday on my French countryside jaunt was particularly small and not great but on the last stall in the road there was a cage with a cockerel. The sign said “Cockerel Nagasaki €5.00”. The [...]
