The classic rum baba is popular all over Europe and many lay claim to its origins. But no one can deny that it was in Paris that it became the rum baba we know and love today. The base of a rum baba is eastern European – from a babka cake. A popular sweet treat, […]
Corsica is a land of contrasts. Wildly beautiful and full of wondrous sights. Exquisite beaches, historic cities and pickled in the past villages in lush, forested countryside peppered with snow-capped mountains. It’s a land of gastronomic delights with sun-baked vineyards. A Mediterranean island of secrets, it feels half Italian, half French and wholly gorgeous. The […]
“Go on a first class, luxury vacation to France, and return home with a life plan” – that’s the basis of this absolutely fabulous week-long life coach retreat in France. Featuring the very best of Paris and the Loire Valley, two of France’s most glorious areas and a world famous life coach… This a unique […]
Apt in the department of Vaucluse, Provence is a largish town with an inner old town. It’s famous for its crystallised fruit, is awash with gorgeous little shops and home to a fabulous Saturday street market. Founded by the Romans in the 1st century BC, it’s in the heart of the Luberon Nature Park, between […]
“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” said Claude Monet. And he chose Normandy as the place where he wanted to live, work and play. Who can blame him? Normandy has it all – exquisite countryside, fairy tale villages, castles, beaches, marvellous monuments and great gastronomy. It takes a very special tour to experience all […]
Paris is a city where you’ll always find something new to fall in love with. But sometimes it’s good to get out of the city and see some of the rest of France. Luckily, there are loads of lovely villages you can get to and from within a day from the city. And what’s more, […]
Mountain food doesn’t get better than in Megève in the French Alps, nestling in the shadow of Mont Blanc. Rupert Parker attends the Toquicimes Food Festival, a three day culinary event… It’s 10 o’clock on an October Sunday morning and I’m in the main square of Megève in the Haute-Savoie department. Inside a large tent there’s […]
Wine, dine and shine like a queen on this effervescent, elegant and exquisite Queen Marie-Antoinette week-long luxury tour of Paris and Versailles. Explore and experience the fascinating life of Marie-Antoinette This week-long tour of Paris and Versailles is run by the renowned Girls Guide to Paris team and is co-hosted by historian and Queen Marie-Antoinette […]
Early summer is the perfect time to head to Brittany. Discover bucolic landscapes and beautiful beaches in a land that’s brimming with culture and art. Chateaux galore, medieval towns, mile after mile of peaceful and picturesque countryside dotted with pretty little villages or oodles of long, golden sandy beaches. Local cuisine, boulangeries with fresh baked […]
There are some things that are such an intrinsically French way of life that just doing them imparts a little joie de vivre to our lives, wherever we are. Eating the end of a baguette for instance (which is called a crouton or a quignon in France, depending on where you’re from). Dipping your croissant […]
Gâteau Basque is a traditional dessert from the French Basque region. A layer of buttery soft biscuit pastry with a layer of jam (traditionally black cherry) and pastry cream and topped with biscuit pastry, it’s a firm favourite in southern France. In the Basque language it’s called “etxeko bixkotxa”. It’s thought to have been invented […]
Provencal tomato soup with rice is a year round dish, traditionally served as much in the summer as the winter in Provence. Its full of flavour and has a rich taste of the south of France… Ingredients for 6 portions 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, grated 1 celery stalk, diced 4 cloves garlic, sliced […]
You may have heard of the “Fifth Republic of France” and wondered what it meant. Hasn’t France been a republic since long ago, back when they stormed the Bastille and all that? Well, yes and no. After the monarchy fell, a republic was indeed established but it didn’t last long, and today is referred to […]
A royal family deposed, the eradication of royal and religious references, people power, a Queen who almost escaped to America, the start of the Napoleonic era – the French Revolution was a period of terror and of turmoil, of civil war and neighbour versus neighbour. It also led to new legal and social reforms, the […]
Larousse is to France what the Oxford Dictionary is to the UK and much more. The annual new word quota for their dictionary is looked forward to, and their publications influence every facet of French life from cook books to encyclopaedias, teaching and games. Larousse Dictionary Larousse was founded by Pierre Athanase Larousse (1817-1875), the […]
The department of Gers in southwest France, a land often called by its historic name of Gascony, is small – but beautiful. It’s a land of sunflower fields, vineyards and rolling hills. Medieval towns and tranquil hamlets, ancient churches, chapels and glorious castles dot the landscape. It’s where Armagnac is made and wine, and the […]
Follow the Route of Richard the Lionheart in France for a trip back in time and a lesson in history. The trail takes you through Haute-Vienne and Corrèze (Limousin) to the edge of Dordogne. It covers almost 200km and includes 23 sites open to the public. Including possibly the only bowels in the world which […]
For the best virtual visits to Paris , look no further than Google Arts and Culture says Melissa Barndon. Dedicated to bringing, well, arts and culture, to everyone, it means there are many sites and museums all over the world, more than 2000, that you can visit without stepping out your front door. So head […]
Once you have found your dream French property, here’s how to make sure you secure it and get it before someone else does. Below you will find the basic steps you will need to follow for buying a property in France – from the offer to taking possession of the keys… Get your documents and […]
Following the UK’s departure from the European Union in 2021, Jennie Poate, head of operations at Beacon Global Wealth, financial advisors for expats in France, advises on changes that may affect some people. How has BREXIT affected banking and finance services for expats in France? There have been occasions where UK financial institutions have changed […]
Were you born in the USA? Do you own a US passport? Have you lived in the USA? Have you worked in the USA? If you answer yes to any or all of these questions, it is highly likely you are a US Connected person. Jennie Poate at Beacon Global Wealth explains what US Connected […]
If you’re torn between choosing a home in France that’s somewhere by the beach or up in the mountains – with the Pyrénées-Orientales you can have both. This sunny department is in southern France, adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier (Catalonia) and the Mediterranean. It’s slow starting to be discovered by British buyers, although the […]
Would you buy a property in France after a couple of virtual visits? Before the global pandemic, virtual viewings would be a rare necessity for Home Hunts’ property-buying clients. However, this year Covid-19 has shut down travel and prevented standard visits. But virtual viewing has come into its own – and to the rescue. “In […]
The department of Morbihan is in southern Brittany. It’s a land of contrasts, beaches, islands and captivating countryside. Home to Broceliande, a forest that’s said to be where the wizard Merlin once lived. Full of beautiful villages and historic towns like Quiberon and Vannes and going back further in time, Carnac with one of the […]
Bonjour, I hope that you and yours are well. Here we’ve been cutting hedges before spring proper starts and birds begin nesting. Between our garden and Claudette’s next door, we have a long hedge of hawthorn, laurel, elderflower and hazel trees. Our garden was once two fields of a farm that belonged to Claudette’s family, […]
Capturing the imagination of over 100,000 students to date, the Irish-born start-up Junk Kouture was formed in 2010. It aims to empower young people with its primary offering, a Recycled Fashion Competition for all young people aged 13-18. Aspiring artists, budding designers, and engineers are challenged to envision, design, create and model wearable haute couture […]
Bonjour, I hope that you and yours are well. The weather is changeable here veering from feet-numbingly freezing to deliciously warm. One day last week it was so cold that the pipes that carry water to the kitchen froze. There was just one tiny section of pipes which hadn’t been insulated as if we live […]
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If you look at a list of the most expensive wines in the world you’ll see it stuffed with beauties from France. Look closer and you’ll see one name pop up over and over—Leroy. You think to yourself, I don’t know who this Msr. Leroy is but he must be quite the winemaker. Surprise! It’s […]
Life as an expat in France can be a little bit odd at times… Promenading is a popular “sport” in France. Wandering along a Paris street, admiring the buildings, the alluring cafés, the Eiffel Tower is one of life’s greatest pleasures. And there’s nothing quite like ambling along the swanky Croisette in Cannes. Oor the […]
Our farmhouse, La Creuserie, lies almost exactly in the centre of France, in what is known as the Bourbonnais. It’s an historic area in the department of Allier in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes. It had been a small farm for beef cattle, was tenanted for 165 years and passed out of farming in 2003. It then consisted of […]
Although I live in America, I’m a hardcore Francophile. I listen to French podcasts, sip French wine, and have seen every episode of House Hunters International that’s set in France like a dozen times. And while there are many things to love about my native land such as the great customer service and ample freezer […]
Sarah Daly hops on an electric bike and works up an appetite for a dining experience with a difference. As a resident of Montreuil-sur-Mer in Pas de Calais, I am a regular visitor to Le Touquet, just 10 miles away on the Opal coast. I love its bustling atmosphere, clean sandy beach, colourful beach huts […]
We talk to chef and author Lisa Baker Morgan who splits her life between Los Angeles and Paris. As a Paris local with a love of food, culture and history, she shares some of her top tips for visitors the the city of light… What draws you to Paris – the things that make you […]
Visitors to the French Riviera between Nice and the Italian border can experience many heavenly hikes. Signposted walks take you alongside the glorious blue Mediterranean sea, past some of the richest real estate in the world and through gorgeous villages. Australian Susan McDonald has enjoyed many walks in the South of France and shares some […]
Some quotes from France are beyond famous. King Louis XIV saying “I am the state” or Napoleon’s “An army travels on its stomach” are known around the world. And, if you love quotes, you’ll enjoy these fun France sayings from around the world… “How can you govern a country that has 246 varieties of cheese?”—Charles […]