This tasty dish is a Normandy speciality. Chef Spencer Richards of Normandy Cooking Days, a one day cooking experience in lovely St Hilaire chose this as one of his favourite of the many regional dishes to enjoy. Ingredients 50g (2oz) Isigny butter 2-4 Normandy Apples peeled and cored and roughly chopped 1kg (2lb 4oz) shoulder […]
SEA BREAM IN A GARLIC BOUILLON by Gérald Passédat, 3 Michelin star chef and undeniable King of Mediterranean cuisine. This dish may look simple to make but there’s nothing simple about the taste – it’s utterly delicious and guaranteed to impress. Serves 4 | Preparation time: 2 hours | Cooking time: 2 hours 15 minutes Ingredients […]
This delish Pan Bagnat recipe makes enough for 4 very hungry people! A speciality of Nice, the term means “bathed/wet bread”. Sometimes you’ll see it wrongly spelled “pain bagnat”, with the French word for bread, pain, rather than the local pan. This is a popular lunchtime dish and you’ll find it sold in boulangeries and […]
A delicious and simple vegetarian sandwich idea: French style pan bagnat made with free-range eggs, cornichons, red onions, fresh vine tomatoes,lettuce and fresh herbs, all STUFFED into a crusty baguette, and served with olives and extra salad vegetables. Ingredients for four people: 1 large baguette a little olive oil lettuce leaves 2 x hard boiled […]
A delicious savoury clafoutis recipe that is simple to make, delicious to eat, a French taste sensation that’s perfect for a light lunch or a special starter… Ingredients 1 yellow courgette, sliced + 1 green courgette, sliced 100g cherry tomatoes, halved 2 garlic cloves, crushed 4 eggs, beaten 3 tablespoons creme fraiche or 3 tablespoons […]
A classic romantic French menu that anyone can make anywhere. Lay a red and white check tablecloth, a few flowers in a small vase or glass jar (moderation in flowers is very French), chill a bottle of white, pop a bottle of Champagne, let the red wine breathe. Play a little bit of French music, and […]
This delicious fish dish is perfect for any day of the week. Daniel Galmiche’s pan-fried red mullet recipe with Thyme is a French classic, shared from his French Brasserie Cookbook, The Heart of French Home Cooking, a taste sensation… Preparation time 20 minutes, plus making the potatoes Cooking time 15 minutes Ingredients 4 garlic cloves, […]
A scrumptious dish for classic Provencal vegetable gratin from Chef Daniel Galmiche, Michelin star chef and author of the French Brasserie cookbook – The Heart of French Home Cooking… Preparation time 20 minutes, plus making the aubergine caviar Cooking time 1 hour 5 minutes Ingredients 2 large yellow courgettes, cut into long 5mm/¼in-thick slices 125ml/3fl […]
This delicious and very easy to prepare recipe is from The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook… This recipe is ideal for busy cooks who don’t have lots of time. Mireille Guiliano says “These days, most people don’t have time for elaborate meals, myself included. For most of my career, I worked at least 10-hour […]
Flavours of the Aveyron… Having been privileged to meet one of France’s top (3 Michelin stars) chefs, Michel Bras, I was curious to know more about the two dishes which he said for him, summed up the essence of the Aveyron. Aligot and Flaune are his choices… Classic French Aligot recipe Aligot is a dish […]
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Honfleur is a French fishing village in the department of Calvados, Normandy. It sits on the southern bank of the Seine estuary where the great river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. If you love authentic old French towns, then you will find Honfleur one of the most beautiful there is. What to see in Honfleur […]
The Lot-et-Garonne department is in the southwestern of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region (previously Midi-Pyrénées). It’s has been described as “the France that you always hoped existed but could never quite find”. It’s idyllic; a paradise… Discovering Fongrave I looked over at my friend as she was talking feverishly about the still, quiet beauty of the […]
If you’re looking for a fun way to visit northern France, Les Belles Echappees in Saint Omer fits the bill. Located within the peaceful Ferme de L’Abbaye at Clairmarais, this family run organisation hires out restored classic vintage vehicles. Choose from sparkling VW camper vans to prestigious Citroen 2CV cars and VW convertible Beetles. There’s […]
Sur le Pont d’Avignon L’on y danse, l’on y danse Sur le Pont d’Avignon L’on y danse tous en rond Many of us learned that song as kids, about the famous Pont d’Avignon in Provence (real name: Pont Saint-Bénézet). For those of us lucky enough to visit Avignon and see the bridge in all its […]
I love all my animals, five cats, three dogs, four geese, 13 ducks and 25 chickens. They’re part of the family though the birds don’t live in the house with us. At least not permanently. When they’re a bit poorly, I’ll bring them in for some TLC until they’re well enough to go out. Sometimes […]
I live part of the year in Provence and one day I was reading Le Monde and a headline about a “sexy politician” caught my eye. “Well, those are two words you don’t see together very often,” I thought. So I read the article and found out that there had been a poll asking French […]
It was lunchtime in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris, and I was ravenous looking for a place to eat away from the usual tourist traps. I turned down a quiet street and saw the most unassuming bistro. In fact, I wouldn’t usually have considered going in but I decided to take a chance. As soon […]
Catharism has been described as “the most successful heresy in history”. In Languedoc, “Pays Cathare” signs dot the countryside. One cannot drive far in any direction without coming upon the ruins of a Cathar fortress. Who were the Cathars? “Cathar” is allegedly derived from the Greek word, katharos, meaning “pure”. The Cathars were also known […]