OK, I’m a Frenchman, and in France eating out is just part of life, something everybody does pretty often. But guess what, the British have caught up. Now not only do you eat as much garlic as we French do, but you eat it in restaurants. It’s official: “Cultural changes in food consumption, with people eating out more regularly and enjoying a wider range of cuisine, continue to have an impact on the UK economy,” says the National Statistics Online website. Indeed the headline to this says, “Eating out overtakes meals at home.”

This is fantastic news so far as I’m concerned, because in all my professional life, what I’ve tried to do is to export a little of my own culture to Britain, where I live... READ MORE »

Food archaeology
 

As you may well know I am a bit of a food buff. This means I am passionate about the usual suspects of cooking, provenance, animal husbandry etc. There is something else that I greatly enjoy doing, I call it food archaeology. Fear not I will not be rooting in your dustbins to find out what...  READ MORE »

Il faut cultiver son jardin

I thought I would regale you with another of my passions, the garden. No lesser man than the great Voltaire said in Candide that “we must take care of our garden”. I am sure that he was not really talking about horticulture but this is not the place to discuss one of France’s greatest minds. Back to the...  READ MORE »

The fondue is back
 

I am truly pleased to bring the fondue back. It fell out of fashion after its nadir in the 70’s. As if such an ancient dish could be felled by mere fashion. Truth will out and so will quality. Though the Swiss claim inventing it, something us lot on the other side of the Alps would vigorously contest...  READ MORE »

Ma Belle France

Before embarking on the second of my travelogues you may ask, how do I choose where is next? The simple use of a map and a pin. This protects me against any accusations of bias, though I am not sure how sticking pins in maps of France will be seen by your average French chauvin.

Normandy

Normandy is the area most closely linked to Britain, in France. I am not talking about the large ferries I see passing our newish Brasserie in Portsmouth. Normandy is the birthplace of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. To the locals he was simply known as William the Bastard, more to do with genealogy than his temperament. Technically of course he wasn’t French so I really can’t claim a rare victory.
 

Etretat
Usually missed by modern French and Brits alike, Etratat’s truly spellbinding coastline attracted such greats as Maupasssant and Monet. If you have seen the grandiose paintings of cliffs by Monet, then you just glimpsed the beauty that is here. Read more »

Le Bec-Hellouin
Let’s start with an English connection, Le Bec-Hellouin provided a few Archbishops of Canterbury. Admittedly this was as far back as the 11th century, but still a connection is a connection and I think proves there are far stronger links between my adopted country and my native France than war and rugby. Read more »

Rouen
Rouen does not generally feature on the great French cities to visit, this is a sad omission. Of course like most cities, there is a nondescript modern part of Rouen that hardly entices the weary traveller but look a tiny bit closer and the old part of town reveals itself to be a small gem. Read more »