Best-selling food writer Trish Deseine demonstrates how a few well-chosen, high-quality ingredients can create simple yet sublime dishes. Trish Deseine is renowned for her unpretentious approach to food, creating delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes that are always inspired and refined. Here, Trish presents more than eighty original recipes that incorporate simple, quality ingredients. They’re often in […]
When it comes to finding your dream home in France, our guide to buying French property will really help you. Begin by drawing up the list of things you need to factor into your buying decision. Basic points, such as the number of bedrooms, are obvious. But have you thought about accessibility? If you make […]
It’s entirely possible to enjoy sun in the morning and snow in the afternoon in the far south of France says Andrew Cook of Cookies Campers. He shares his top tips for a sun/ski winter combo break on the Cote d’Azur, just 90 minutes drive from Nice. It’s Nice to have both worlds Cookies Campers […]
France is a land of diverse landscapes and varied cities. There’s the cultural capital Paris, the gastronomic capital Bordeaux and wine capital Lyon – but there’s far more to France that the well-known. Discover some of the most beautiful, undiscovered cities for a special break you’ll love. Brittany – Dinan Dinan is a beautifully preserved […]
Gascony is a land of gently rolling hills, a bucolic place where the sun shines most of the time, lighting up the walls of chateaux and mellow stone buildings in picturesque villages. The heart of Gascony is the department of the Gers, where for centuries the landscape has charmed all who visit. The Fortified villages […]
I’m thrilled to share with you the Autumn issue of The Good Life France Magazine. It’s completely free to read online, free to download a PDF and free to subscribe to – and it always will be. The Good Life France Magazine Autumn issue Click here for: The Good Life France Magazine Autumn 2017 This […]
France is always a good idea but in autumn perhaps just that little bit more special. Hot chocolate, golden leaves falling from trees, acorns crunching under foot and steaming stews are just a few reasons to visit France in the fall. Here are three regions that are particularly perfect for autumn trips. The Loire Valley […]
Provence is a place of beautiful villages, picturesque hill top towns, gorgeous gardens and a stunning landscape. All who visit long to return after falling in love with the colourful southern French region. We asked Emily Durand at Your Private Provence about some of her favourite Provence beauty spots… Abbey Saint Andre one of the […]
Paris in Autumn Hot chocolate in cafés that have a warm glow at dusk, golden leaves floating gently down on wide avenues and rosy sunsets. Rainy days when museums beckon, steaming hot coffee and croissants and walking on frosty cobble stones. And don’t forget Nuit Blanche, the big event of the season held every first […]
Tartiflette is a baked gratin of potatoes, onions (or shallots), lardons (bacon), wine, cream and cheese, a staple of all ski lodge or chalet suppers. The dish originates from the Savoy (Savoie) region of France, famous for its skiing resorts, hosting the Winter Olympics, cheese and charcuterie. The region was annexed by France as late […]
Homemade orange liqueur – its deliciously sunny, makes for a great gift and makes for a scrumptious treat. Ingredients 600ml dark rum (a little less than 3 cups) 1 bottle dry white wine 300g (10 ozs) golden caster sugar 8 oranges, unwaxed How to make homemade orange liqueur Peel large strips of zest from the […]
Perfect for parties, these gorgeous little more-ish macarons from the master in Paris are from his new book “Chocolate” and classified as “easy” (available from Amazon). Nicknamed the ‘Picasso of Pastry’ by Jeffrey Steingarten in Vogue, Pierre Hermé is to the macaron what Louis Vuitton is to the handbag. Named the World’s Best Pastry Chef […]
In French, even a simple word sounds so classy and chic that many non French speakers fall in love with the language. It also has some beautiful ways of getting a message across. For example, in French we do not say “I miss you” instead we say “Tu me manques” which means “you are missing […]
A week in Morzine – it’s not all about the snow The Portes du Soleil area is one of the largest ski areas in the world. It includes 13 resorts (both Swiss and French) and roughly 650 km of marked ski and snowboard runs. There are 14 valleys and nearly all of the runs are […]
So, what would YOU do if you lost your house? Panic, desperately search for another one and then take anything you can get? Well, when this happened to Americans Michael and Lisa, they decided to take the glass half full approach. When their rental home was no longer available, they put their furniture into storage […]
In the southern most corner of the Haute Marne, about half an hour’s drive from the ancient town of Langres, is an extraordinary abbey. Of course, the very nature of the beast means that most abbeys are extraordinary in one way or another. But this one is special both because of its past and because […]
Cabaret in Paris is famous. It’s about more than can-can dancing, though that may be a big part of its allure. It’s not just about frills and feathers, tassels and stockings, bling and beads. To the French, it’s an art form that celebrates the beauty of the human body (yes there are topless and scantily […]
It’s an iconic landmark and one of the most incredible monuments in Europe, actually I think of it as one of the wonders of the world. Located on the edge of Normandy and almost in Brittany (which once claimed this little island for its own), the iconic landmark can be seen from miles around. This […]
Would you like to make more of your Pension Fund? If, like many expats in France, your personal pension fund is one of your largest assets then you’re sure to want to give it the potential to generate the best retirement income possible. We talk to Jennie Poate at Beacon Global Wealth about the QROPS […]
Many of you reading this will be no stranger to the vagaries and volatility associated with the currency markets. It is a major consideration in any expatriates’ life unless they have severed all ties with the UK and have fully committed to a Francophile existence and at no time in recent history has it been […]
Tim and Ingrid Bell moved from Lancaster, UK to Auvergne… They took over the Auberge de Chabanettes which has a long and colourful history, a familiar landmark in this part of rural France for over 150 years. In bygone years, it served as a butchers shop, an abattoir and a petrol station, but never lost […]
This month we’re heading to the village of Dunet in the department of Indre, region Centre. This lovely 5 bedroom house caught our attention, reduced from an already bargain price of €77,000, it’s now up for sale at just €36,000 – about what you’d pay for a mid-range family car! Local agents Debra and Les Bush […]
What a corking idea: how to produce your own wine in France Hobby vineyards can be for anyone – and if you find the right property and are smart about your set up, you can serve up your own local wine to family and friends with no additional costs Does spending warm summer nights in […]
So how did you learn to point a barn? My neighbours looked impressed and wide eyed as they spotted me up the local farmer’s ladder, balanced on a timber decking, tapping away at the crumbling stone jointing. But pointing a barn is not so very technical and needs no special courses or experience – just […]
Do you have a UK pension and don’t know what to do with it? If you have tax queries relating to your investments or you want to talk to an expert on French business structures, pensions and taxation we can help you. Do you want to talk to a local mortgage broker and would like to […]
Finding myself with a few hours to spare in Paris in the middle of August on a sunny day I decided to join a bike tour. I had considered the implications of confronting mad Parisian motorists from the saddle of a bicycle. My faith was never tested though, their manners were perfect and I was […]
The other day I was waiting at Gare de Lyon in Paris to take a train to Burgundy (I know I have the best job, right?!)… I had quite a bit of time to spare so, lugging my suitcase and camera bag I wandered outside the station. I decided to go no further than 10 […]
It’s an iconic landmark and one of the most incredible monuments in Europe, actually I think of it as one of the wonders of the world. Located on the edge of Normandy and almost in Brittany (which once claimed this little island for its own), the iconic landmark can be seen from miles around. This […]
We talk to Carol Drinkwater, the award winning actress and author of several bestsellers including the much loved Olive Series, about her love of France… Where was your first visit to France? It is hard to remember now. I think it must have been when I was about ten and travelled with my parents to […]
I missed you last week as I was gallivanting around beautiful Burgundy (above) and the gorgeous Jura region. I was visiting chateaux, staying in chateau hotels, tasting the local wines and eating too much delicious haute cuisine (there are some days when I have to pinch myself at how brilliant my job is). I’ll be […]
When Lesley O’Mara of Michael O’Mara publishers in London emailed me to ask if I’d be interested in having my story published, I leapt at the chance. I mean, who wouldn’t! Lesley had seen a feature on me in the Financial Times, about how I’d given up the bright lights and mean streets of London […]
Tim and Ingrid Bell moved from Lancaster, UK to Auvergne… They took over the Auberge de Chabanettes which has a long and colourful history, a familiar landmark in this part of rural France for over 150 years. In bygone years, it served as a butchers shop, an abattoir and a petrol station, but never lost […]
Author Antony Mason shares his reasons to love France and though there are many, the culture, Paris and Ile de Re have a special place in his heart… Where was your first visit to France? Paris, or Maisons-Lafitte to be more precise. I was born in the UK but christened in the Anglican Church of […]
It is often said that to really get to know a place you must get off the main roads and take the quiet detours instead. This is especially true of France, where the main roads are so very efficient at whisking you through whole regions, and where the detours are truly quiet and have many […]
10 years ago, we found it, the house of our dreams, and, from time to time, nightmares! Perhaps I should back up and explain where we were coming from. I had spent 30 years of my working life in the Pharmaceutical Industry, a job which had taken my wife and I, and our children, all […]