Christmas special Issue 27

Merry
Christmas
What a year it's been. We've never done a Christmas
issue of The Good Life France Magazine before but I
thought, why not? It's been such a difficult year that
it would be lovely if we can bring some smiles with a
bit of festive fabulousnesss from France.
And so I started to put this issue together and I talked to some friends in the travel industry,
style people, authors, top chefs and wine experts and they loved the idea. And they wanted
to help make this issue super festive too. What began as a small project snowballed!
Read on for a Michelin Star chef's exclusive recipe for gingerbread and a heart-warming tale
of the chef's famous gingerbread making ancestor. Even my neighbour Madame Bernadette
got involved! I wrote about her in my book My Four Seasons in France - how her Calvados
based cocktails knock your socks off and her Christmas canapés induce her friends to sighs
of happiness. Well, now you can make the cocktail too - and some of her favourite, very
easy recipes that are perfect with aperitifs! And there are biscuit recipes, a gummy jelly
recipe from a sweet toothed 2 Michelin star chef, plus how to make the ultimate hot
chocolate Paris style. And lots of food and drink features for your taste of France at home!
Plus there's a fabulous "how-to" feature on creating a Christmas bouquet from the floral
team at the Chateau de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley, known as the Castle of Flowers...
And destination features on Bordeaux, Megève and Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Don't miss the chance to go into all 12 of our giveaway draws with a chance to win a
brilliant week-long holiday in southwest France with a very special treat thrown in - wine
tasting at a chateau anyone? Artwork, books, luxury bedding, gorgeous homeware, luxury
gift boxes and much more - the giveaways in this issue are really, really wonderfully
fabulous.
I know most of us can't travel to France this holiday season, so we've concentrated very
much on bringing France to you... And we'll be sharing our famous advent calendar photos
on social media so please join me there: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Wishing you a very merry Christmas, happy holidays and a happy new year.
Bisous from my little pig sty office in the middle of nowhere, rural France,
Janine
Too much gingerbread?!

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Contents
Festive Features...
8 Chateau style Christmas bouquet
The famous florist team at the Chateau
de Chenonceau, Loire Valley show you
how to create a stunning festive
bouquet...
12 Christmas in France
It's not just an event but a feeling and a
feast says Janine Marsh
32 The 13 desserts of Provence
Yes, in Provence, it's traditional to serve
13 desserts at Christmas!
84 My France at Christmas
The Atout France press team share their
favourite things about Christmas in
France!
Festive food features
Madame Bernadette's party food treats
13 Cherry tomato lollipops
14 Goats cheese with honey on toast
16 Roquefort butter and walnuts
22 Eiffel Tower Biscuits!
They look great hanging from a
Christmas tree and taste delicious.
24 Gingerbread men (with berets!)
Recipe for the traditional gingerbread
men but with a French slant!
30 Chef Lestiennes's Gingerbread Loaf
The Michelin starred chef creates an
exclusive recipe in honour of his
ancestor, famous for gingerbread in
France...

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60
46
Contents
Festive food features contd...
36 How to make gummy jellies!
Michelin Star chef Marc Meurin shares
his favourite gummy jelly recipe.
44 The ultimate French chocolat chaud
How to make a scrumptious French style
hot chocolate - perfect for Christmas
morning!
Wine & cocktails
18 Madame Bernadette's Calvados
punch
Guaranteed to blow your socks off!
20 Brandy cocktails...
French bartender Arnaud Volte's
"Christmas stocking spritz"!
38 Guide to wine pairing at Christmas
They look great hanging from a
Christmas tree and taste delicious.
42 How to choose a wine that suits your
taste
Wine expert Philip Reddaway explains
how to choose the right wine for you.
46 The history of coffee in France
Sue Aran explores how the French came
to fall in love with coffee!
Explore France
26 Le Weekend in Boulogne-sur-Mer
The historic port town is absolutely
perfect for a weekend break.

20 52
Win a fabulous beach holiday!
54 38
60 Visit Paris Virtually!
Melissa Barndon explores the internet in
search of a Paris fix - and finds you can
visit from home...
68 Megeve, French Alps
Rupert Parker heads to the Toquicimes
food festival
76 Merlot, Queen of Bordeaux
Author Michael C Higgins explores Saint
Emilion in Bordeaux and its right bank
queen - Merlot!
90 The French Republican Calendar
The French Revolution led to the
introduction of a new French calendar!
92 French Style
It'a hard to explain just what makes
French style so special We chat to two
experts about their style and products.
competitions
52 Win a holiday in southwest France
54 Win a set of childrens adorable bedding
54 Win artwork of your choice – 3 lucky
winners here
55 Win an absolutely stunning embroidered
linen tablecloth
55 Win a gorgeous luxury gift box of
fabulous French things
56 Win a lovely Provencal tablecloth
56 Win a copy of Winston Churchill: Painting
on the French Riviera
57 Win a copy of Kate Mosse’s The City of
Tears
57 Win a fabulous coffee table book by
artist Perry Taylor
58 Win a copy of Exploring Wine Regions –
Bordeaux
58 Win a Signed Copy of The Secret Recipes
of Sophie Valroux
58 Win a copy of Finding Paris: A Novel

How to
make a
bouquet
fit for a
castle...
Everyone who visits the Chateau de
Chenonceau in the Loire Valley comes
away with a memory of the exquisite
gardens, the impossibly romantic white
stone castle over a river with its pointy
towers and arched bridge – and
especially of the flower displays in
every room.
We asked the floral team at the castle
to share their top tips for creating a
bouquet at home...

Christmas bouquet Chenonceau

Above: Jean-Francois and Aurelie, the fabulous
floral team at the Chateau de Chenonceau; left
how to create a ribbon corsage
What you need:
Flowers and foliage
Ribbon
String to tie the bouquet, wire to hold the
Tartan style ribbon or other pretty ribbon.
Flowers used by Chenonceau
Ruscus aculeatus – known as Butchers
broom. Perfect for its dark green leaves and
red berries
Rose hips, for an extra colour zing
Skimmia or other ornamental shrub with
small berries
Roses
Select your roses and foliage and lay them
out so you can see the colours together.
Choose your vase first so you can cut the
stems of the finished bouquet to fit.
Make 8 loops with the ribbon to create a
loose bow look (corsage style). Make the first
loop, pinch and twist, then start another loop,
pinch and twist until you have them all, then
hold it together with wire in the centre.
Alternate the flowers and foliage until you’re
happy with the arrangement. Try to form a
round shape by squeezing the flowers
together. Tie them together and insert the
wired bows to the arrangement and fluff up
the loops.
Create a large bouquet for your Christmas
table or several little round bouquet for a
long table.
Read about the Chateau of Chenonceau - the
castle of flowers...
Readers in UK can really up their Christmas
wreath-making game with the fun and
fabulous online tutorials - including craft
boxes sent to you - at ClassBento.co.uk

Christmas in
France
It's not just an event but a feeling and a
feast says Janine Marsh as she
reminisces on a Christmas past from
her book My Four Seasons in France
In the little farmhouses of my village you
generally open the front door and find
yourself in the main room of the house,
where everyone spends most time. At my
neighbour Madame Bernadette’s, that’s a
large kitchen, the warmest room in the
house, heated by a huge wood oven.
We were invited for a Christmas soiree.
Coming in from the crisp night air in which
bright stars sparkled alongside a full moon in
a velvety dark sky and the ground twinkled
as frost was already forming – it was
sweltering. The wall of heat instantly misted
up my glasses leaving me momentarily
disorientated in the steamy haze. Madame
Bernadette had the perfect answer to that –
a chilled cocktail made with calvados. If
you’ve never had calvados before, be
warned - this apple brandy from Normandy,
the region that neighbours mine, can blow
your socks off.
And, I have to tell you, we were all pretty
much sockless after a couple of hours...
Soft music played in the background,
something very French with a male singer of
gravelly voice, perhaps Charles Aznavour –
he has never gone out of fashion here.
People were talking and laughing, helping
themselves to delicious little pastries and
canapés that Madame Bernadette had
prepared earlier in the day. Delicate little
melt-in-your-mouth choux buns filled with
fresh, tangy goats cheese from the Goat
Lady’s farm. Mini tartelettes filled with
smoky lardons and onion confit. Delicate
golden gougères like crunchy balloons
flavoured with salty and nutty Comté cheese
from eastern France. Tender mini-croquettes
with silky tomato coulis, saucisson and blue
cheese. And cherry tomato lollipops, like
miniature shiny crimson works of art.
Madame Bernadette beamed as everyone
licked their lips in appreciation of her
cooking skills.
For me Christmas in France is not just an
event, it's a feeling and a feast, a time to
share. So, I asked Madame Bernadette to
share with us her some of her favourite party
food recipes and of course, her Blow Your
Socks off Calvados cocktail....

Madame Bernadette's trio of party canapés you can't go
wrong with. They're really easy to make but pack loads of
wow factor!
Cherry
tomato
lollipops
Ingredients
1 box of cherry tomatoes
5 tablespoons sugar
Sesame seeds
Dash of balsamic vinegar
Toothpicks or aperitif picks
Wash the cherry tomatoes in cold water
and dry them.
Make a liquid caramel by bringing the
sugar to the boil with a little water and a
dash of balsamic vinegar. Stick a
toothpick in each tomato, poke it
halfway into the caramel, then dip it in
the sesame seeds, which stick to the
caramel. Deliciously fresh and zingy!

Goats cheese
with honey
on toast

Ingredients for 10 pieces:
10 thin slices of baguette
10 slices of goat's cheese log
Liquid honey
Fresh thyme or rosemary
Preheat the oven to 180°C/400 F/Gas mark 4
Place the bread on a baking tray and bake for 3 minutes.
Remove and arrange the goat cheese slices on the bread slices. Bake for 3-4 minutes.
Remove and drizzle some honey over the goats cheese and sprinkle with thyme or
rosemary.
Serve immediately...
Pair it with:
One of the most classic wine pairings with goat cheese is a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire
Valley, a French region that produces both tangy goat cheeses and bright white wines with
crisp acidity that intertwine perfectly. In this case though, let’s venture out to Bordeaux for
a bottle of La Fleur des Pins Blanc a delicious wine that combines the roundness of
Semillon with the tart acidity of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris, to mirror the
sweetness brought by the honey drizzle. Aromas of honey, apricot and white flowers will
pair perfectly with the honey while a mouthwatering acidity will balance its medium bodied
structure and make it an ideal companion to the goat cheese. The touch of toast from the
oak barrel ageing will be perfect with the crunchy French baguette. Laurent Yung,
Sommalier.com French Wine Club in the USA.

Roquefort butter
and walnuts
Madame Bernadette loves to do this easy party appetiser as the tasty
roquefort beurre (butter) can be made in advance. You can freeze it and it
keeps in the fridge for a few weeks.

70 g of softened butter
100 g of Roquefort at room temperature
1 teaspoon of cognac (optional)
Crush the Roquefort and butter with a fork, to make a paste. Then add the cognac.
Smother on crackers or blinis, small pieces of bread or toast sprinkled with some crushed
walnuts!
Pair it with:
Roquefort is a rich, strong, sheep milk cheese with a salty tangy flavor that calls for a rich
wine that can stand up to it with it structure and bold flavors. Sauternes, said to be “wine of
kings and king of wines” by Louis XIV is the ideal candidate: Botrytis Cinerea or “noble rot”
(a fungi that develops on the grapes only in very specific conditions) acts as a sugar and
flavors intensifier, and brings to life a luscious wine with honey and exotic fruits aromas,
lively acidity and great structure and complexity. The intensity of this wine will stand up to
the Roquefort bold character, while the savory cheese will make the fruit of the wine shine.
The combination of both will make for a perfect mouthcoating experience, with the acidity
of the wine inviting for another bite. The walnuts will add some crunchy texture and will be
met with nutty flavors in the wine. Laurent Yung, Sommalier.com French Wine Club in the
USA

Madame Bernadette's
Calvados Punch

Guaranteed to blow your socks off!
Just mix together:
1 litre of white rum
1 litre of apple juice
40 cl of Calvados
1 litre of orange juice
Ice cubes
And serve with a smile
If you like your Calvados to be effervescent and
fruity, these mixes are fabulous:
6cl Champagne
4cl Calvados
6 cl cranberry juice
1 part Calvados
1 part strawberry liqueur
5 parts Champagne

The spirit of Christmas
Arnaud Volte, French Bartender at the London EDITION hotel in central London shares a
fabulous Christmas cocktail with Brandy - it's not just for your Christmas pud! For this
"Christmas stocking spritz", Arnaud loves Bardinet brandy which has been made in France
since 1857 and is easy available in the UK.
Pomme Canelle Spritz
Ingredients
35ml Bardinet brandy
15ml lemon juice
15ml cinnamon syrup
20ml clear apple juice
Top up with soda water
Glass: wine glass
Garnish: Lemon wedge & cinnamon stick
To make cinnamon syrup:
100gr water
100gr caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
"
The inspiration behind this cocktail
is from my family's restaurant in the
South of France, where I spent last
Christmas with my grandparents.
The signature dish was a cinnamon
and apple pizza, and I can
remember even now, how beautiful
the smell was - it filled the whole
place. Apple and cinnamon match
really well with the vanilla and dry
fruits notes of Bardinet.
In a pan, heat the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Reduce the heat, add the cinnamon sticks. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 10-15
minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for at least an hour. Strain and
pour into a bottle, it will keep in the fridge for up to one month.
Food pairing: Soft and hard cheese, black pudding, tomato, salted peanuts and thyme.
"

Stained glass
Eiffel Tower Biscuits
Biscuits
1 cup/226g unsalted butter
1 cup/200g granulated sugar
4 cups/480g all purpose plain flour
½ cup/65g cornstarch
2 eggs
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cookie cutters
Directions
Sift the flour, cornstarch and salt into a large
bowl and whisk together.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream
together the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla
while still mixing on low.
Scrape the sides of the bowl down and add
the dry mixture. Mix together for 2-3
minutes making sure its all combined.
Split the dough into two pieces and roll out
into about ¼ inch thick circles.
"Stained glass"
10-12 hard boiled sweets - coloured ones
are best
Ribbon - if hanging them on the tree
smaller cutter, cut out a part of the centre for
the "stained glass".
Poke a small hole at the top of the cookie, for
the ribbon to go through if you are hanging
them. Place them onto a parchment lined
baking tray.
Put the hard boiled sweets into a bag and
using a rolling pin crush the sweets until they
are like powder. Add it to the middle of the
biscuits.
Bake for 12 minutes at 375 F/ 180 D, until
golden.
Leave for 2-3 minutes before moving to a
cooling rack to allow the candy to set.
Wrap in cling film and chill for an hour. The
dough is easier to work with when its chilled.
Cut into the shapes you want, then using a
Once cooled, add a loop of ribbon to the top.
Make a scrumptious Buche de Noel,
Christmas yule log - find a fabulous
recipe here on our website:
Buche de Noel

Gingerbread men!
Ingredients
175g/6oz Soft Brown Sugar
350g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger,
100g butter (cubed)
4 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 large egg (beaten)
30ml milk
Icing for decoration
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5
Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger. Add the butter and rub in to make
fine breadcrumbs and stir I the sugar.
Warm the golden syrup, egg and milk in a pan until dissolved and let it cool. Stir into the
dry ingredients and mix to a dough. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until
smooth.
Roll out and use a gingerbread cutter to cut out 12 gingerbread men - leave and transfer
onto 2 baking trays. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
Once cooled, decorate with icing! Add a beret and moustache for a little French flair!
Note: The undecorated gingerbread men will keep for at least a week in a tightly covered
container. To freeze, stack and wrap them tightly first in plastic wrap, and then in foil,
and pop in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to three months.
How to make a delicious
Paris Brest Christmas
cake, recipe on our
website: Paris Brest cake

Boulogne-sur-Mer,
northern France
Years ago, when Boulogne-sur_mer was
open to ferries from the UK, the town was a
popular day trip destination. It was often the
first French port of call (scuse the pun) for
school kids. Its boulangeries inspired a
lifelong love of French cakes and bread for
millions of children subjected to ready sliced
flavourless bread in plastic bags and sticky
buns which whilst tasty, simply can’t
compare with a jewel-like strawberry tarte.
Coachloads of pensioners were disgorged in
the car park of Auchan hypermarket and
then let loose in the town to cram into
smelly cheese shops and wander the market.
Those with grand ambitions to drive south in
search of the sun, disembarked from the
ferry and stopped off in the town for a spot
of shopping.
However its ease of access somehow made
Boulogne less valued than some French
towns. Despite its historic centre, cobbled
streets and ancient buildings. Its marvellous
market, wonderful shops, delicious
restaurants, great bars and cafés. Long sandy
beaches where you can pluck mussels for
your tea and roam the cliff tops full of
poppies, climb Napoleon’s column, explore
ancient forts, museums and cultural sites.
And Nauiscaa, France’s National Sea Centre,
the biggest aquarium in Europe. When the
ferry route from Boulogne to the UK
stopped. So did the tourists.
The town suffered. Shops were no longer full
of Brits ooh’ing and ah’ing over Maroilles,
the local stinky cheese. The queue at the
chateau museum on a rainy day had gone.
The restaurants were no longer full to
bursting with happy punters tucking into the
local favourite – moules frites.
But time has passed. And, things have
changed.

Find real France
Those who want their French fix without
hours of driving, are discovering that
Boulogne is a perfect day trip or weekend
stopover. It’s very easy to get to. From Calais
it’s just 20 minutes down the autoroute A16
(a toll-free part). And you'll find that
Boulogne is a snapshot town of
quintessential France. Perfect for those who
love French food and wine, crave French
culture and the café lifestyle – are
discovering that this coastal city has it all:
Medieval centre – check. Castle – check.
Gorgeous countryside and beaches – check.
Fabulous boulangeries and patisseries –
check. Loads to do – check.
And restaurants that you never want to
leave because they’re so delicious – check.
Which brings me to La Matelote, a Michelin
Star restaurant that’s been shining a light on
French gastronomy for more than 40 years.
La Matelote
In the March 3, 1888 issue of the New York
Times a journalist wrote of “a galaxy of Gallic
femmes a barbe”, ladies with beards, and of
their popularity in France. In fact, so popular
was the look that some women took to
wearing fake beards and whiskers. In
Boulogne-sur-Mer in the far north of France,
one of the most famous of bearded ladies
was Clémence Lestienne. Born Clémence
Clarisse in 1834, she was known as much for
the sweet treats she sold at markets in
northern France as she was known for her
looks. By the time she was 16 it was said that
no one could compete with her gingerbread.

More than 100 years later, her great, great,
great grandson Tony Lestienne is equally
famous for his Michelin starred kitchen and
hotel, La Matelote, the perfect weekend
bolthole, which he runs with son Stellio. It’s
just a stone’s throw from the market where
Clémence once plied her trade.
La Matelote means the “fisherman’s wife”
and the restaurant excels in its fish dishes.
Chef Lestienne opened it in 1979, winning a
star in 1982 - which he’s held ever since.
The restaurant has a plush but cosy,
intimate interior and offers an excellent
menu of fresh fish and mouth-watering
desserts at an outstanding price (lunchtime
2-course menu at €28) making it an
institution in the north of France for foodies.
With fishing boats unloading their daily
catch virtually at the restaurant's door, you'll
be hard-pressed to find a fresher selection
of fruits de mer anywhere in France.
“In a way” Chef Lestienne says “losing the
ferry port allowed us to become more
French again.”
And in a way, La Matelote represents the
updated Boulogne-sur-Mer – delectable,
unpretentious, honouring its past and
comfortable in its own skin.
Tony and Stellio Lestienne get into the
Christmas spirit and make gingerbread!
In honour of his illustrious ancestor, Chef
Lestienne has created an exclusive
gingerbread loaf recipe for The Good Life
France – see next page…

Michelin Star chef
Tony Lestienne's
gingerbread loaf
Created in honour of his great
great great grandmother
Pain d’épices en mémoire de Clémence Lestienne, 1834 - 1919
Le Pain d’épices de la femme à Barbe

180g of plain flour, sifted
180g of honey
70g butter
2.5 teaspoons of gingerbread spices
2g of baking powder
7g of baking soda
80g whole milk
70g of soft brown sugar
Pinch of salt
Method
Preheat oven to 160 Deg C
Gently warm the honey, milk, and butter in
a pan.
Thoroughly sift the flour, yeasts and spices.
Add the brown sugar.
Mix all together.
Line a loaf tin with butter and flour and
pour the mix in.
Cook for one hour – you may need to cover
the loaf with baking paper towards the end
of cooking to prevent the loaf from
becoming too brown.
Optional: You can add candied orange
pieces to the dough or place on the
gingerbread before baking for extra zing.
Spices for gingerbread
50g ground cinnamon
3 star anise powdered
10 powdered cloves
20g ground coriander
15g powdered green anise
20g of ginger
10g ground nutmeg
Sift twice before putting the mix in a pot.

13 desserts of
Provence
Many of the Christmas traditions of France
revolve around food, from buche de Noël -
yule logs - and gingerbread to Kugelhopf and
mulled cider. In Provence though, they go
one step further. There it’s traditional to
have 13 desserts at Christmas!
Yup, 13 desserts – but not, I have to add, 13
cakes, in case you’re wondering how on
earth anyone can cope with such a thing.
The tradition of Les Treize Desserts de Noël
goes back several centuries and it’s said that
the roots of this custom lie in religion and
represent Jesus and his twelve apostles at
the Last Supper.
The ingredients of the 13 desserts varies
from village to village, and even from home
to home. But it always includes dishes of
nuts, fruit and sweets plus an orange
flavoured cake. The desserts are spread out
on a table in dishes, and everyone is invited
to take a little from each dish.
It’s a tradition to lay the desserts out on
Christmas Eve and leave them there for
three days.
Though everyone’s table might have a
variation of dishes, you’ll pretty much always
find “les quartre mendiants”, the four
beggars, which represent monastic
communities: walnuts or hazelnuts
symbolizing the order of St Augustin,
almonds for the Carmelites, raisins for the
Dominicans, and dry figs for the Franciscans.
And there will always be nougat, white with
hazelnuts, pine nuts and pistachios to
symoblise good, and dark nougat with
melted honey and almonds to symbolise evil.
The fougasse or pompe à l’huile takes centre
stage. This is an olive oil flatbread flavoured
with orange blossom. The tradition is to
break a piece of the bread off with your
fingers, rather than cut it with a knife - which
some say will protect your money in the
coming year. (There's a recipe over the page
for those who'd like to make this delicious
cake at home).
The rest of the desserts vary according to
location and preference and might include:
Fruit: melon, oranges, dates and exotic fruit
like kiwi or pineapple – the fruit is
considered just one dish though!
Grapes might also be included, ideally the
last bunches of the season picked in the
vineyards and preserved in attics and cellars
until Christmas.
And you might also have crystalised fruit, a
Provencal speciality, made in Apt in the
Vaucluse department.

Dates, sometime stuffed with marzipan,
represent food of the region where Christ
lived and died.
And there might also be sweet Calissons
d’Aix. The origin of these small, almond
shaped biscuits goes back to the 1454
wedding of King Rene and Jeanne de Laval
in the city of Aix-en-Provence, when it’s
claimed the court confectioner created the
recipe!
Calissons d'Aix
There Photo: might Guenhaël also Kessler, be quince Vaucluse paste Tourist or Office
gingerbread.
Easy Provencal pompe a l'huile
500g flour
25g yeast
75g sugar
12.5cl olive oil
Zest of one orange
3 Tablespoons of orange blossom water
10g of salt
14.5cl lukewarm water
Mix the yeast, 200g of flour and a glass of
water and leave to rise for 45 min.
Add the olive oil, the remaining flour, the
lemon and orange zest, salt and sugar. Mix
gently, cover and leave to rise for 3 hours, or
overnight for 8 hours in the fridge
Roll out the dough to an oval shape (as
above), slash the dough with a sharp knife, a
bit like a leaf patter. Cover and and let rise for
1 hour.
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark.7 (220 ° C).
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, brush with olive oil.

Chef Meurin's
iressistible
gummy jellies
When we asked 2 Michelin Star chef
Marc Meurin to share a favourite
sweetie recipe with us, he didn’t
hesitate – gummy jellies.
The soft, sweet chewy bonbons were
invented almost 100 years ago in
Germany. The creator, Hans Riegel,
worked in a sweet factory and hated his
job so he starred making his own
candies and selling them at street fairs,
or delivered to customers by his wife on
her bike! Riegel named his company
after the first two letters of his first
name, last name, his home city, Hans=
HA, Riegel= RI, and Bonn= BO: Haribo.
Most sweets of the day were hard, and
Haribo’s soft and chewy gummy bears
as he called them (also known as gold
bears now) were wildly popular. And the
rest as they say is history – Haribo are
now everywhere and soft jelly sweets
are an iconic confection.
Here's how to make them at home...
Ingredients
100g water
275g sugar
225g glucose
37g gelatin
12g fruit juice – lemon/ref fruits/mint – your
choice! If you’re using flavouring instead –
leave out the fruit juice.
Colouring of your choice
Equipment
Moulds - silicon moulds work best

How to make gummy jellies at home:
1. Place the water, sugar and glucose in a saucepan. Heat everything to 125 ° C.
2. Add gelatin (it may help to soften sheets in cold water first) and lemon juice.
3. Divide the mix between different bowls and add colouring for different coloured jellies.
4. Pour into moulds (silicon works best) and allow to cool completely.
Chef Marc Meurin's stunning luxury hotel
Chateau de Beaulieu in the beautiful
countryside of Busnes, near historic
Bethune, northern France is a perfect
weekend treat. The chef offers cookery
lessons (book in advance, they are very
popular) and has two restaurants - the 2
Michelin Star Le Meurin and the bistro
Jardin d'Alice. He also has an onsite sweet
shop that is crammed full of wonderful
bonbons and macarons that are out of this
world delicious. Satisfy your inner Willy
Wonka at the sweet shop, indulge in the
restaurants, relax in the hotel and discover
this beautiful area of northern France.
lechateaudebeaulieu.fr
tourisme-bethune-bruay.fr

Guide to
perfectly pair so you can match French wine
with holiday foods to help you enjoy wine
like a Frenchie during the festive season.
Cocktails and vin chaud
Wine pairing
at
Christmas
In France, Christmas meals lasting up to 6
hours are fairly normal. Christmas is a time
to indulge in the finest food possible, in fact
it’s more about food that gifts for most
French people. And of course if there’s
food – there’s wine.
But, with more than 200 wine varieties to
choose from – how do you know which are
the best wines to drink at Christmas? We
asked Laurent Yung of the renowned French
wine club, SomMailier.com, for some tips!
How the French drink wine at
Christmas
The French truly understand how to
celebrate the pleasures of the table. It
doesn’t matter which region you’re in, fresh
seafood and fine cheeses, decadent desserts
and delicious wines are among the stars of
the table.
Champagne, sophisticated reds from the
Rhône Valley, Burgundy and Bordeaux, and
lusciously sweet dessert wines like
Sauternes are all favourites. Here’s how to
Extravagant boozy Christmas parties aren’t
common in France. People tend to meet up
to celebrate the holidays with a glass or two
of something decadent and delicious. Festive
French cocktails include Kir Royale, a
gorgeous ruby-hued drink made from
Champagne and a splash of Crème de Cassis
or blackcurrant liqueur. Or maybe a classic
Sidecar made with citrusy Cointreau and
warming Cognac.
Vin chaud is also popular, a fragrant spiced
warm wine. If you fancy trying vin chaud at
home, don’t use an expensive French red
wine. Copy the French by picking up an
everyday, not costly, bottle of red. Add
festive spices like cinnamon, cloves and
cardamom and maybe a shot of Cognac
(recipe for vin chaud). In Normandy and
Brittany, cider replaces wine for a cidre
chaud drink, a little bit lighter but just as
joyful and uplifting.
Wines for Christmas dishes
In France, Christmas Eve is the pinnacle of
the Christmas feasting season. Beautifully
decorated tables are perfect for a sumptuous
Christmas feast and the very best French
wines. Known as le réveillon or the “wakeup”
dinner. It is not uncommon for the
French Christmas Eve dinner to include
elaborate five or six course menus that can
take up to six hours!
Kick things off by opening a bottle of
Champagne or sparkling wine. The bubbles
are guaranteed to get you in a festive mood.
According to scientists, the magnesium,
potassium and zinc in Champagne really does
make you feel happy. Don’t attempt to count
the bubbles though – there are an estimated
11-15 million in each bottle!

Wines for starters
Languedoc red to go with
Pair starters which have a sweetness to them
with a glass of chilled sweet wine like
Sauternes, Barsac or Monbazillac or a semisweet
Côteaux du Layon. These luscious
golden wines offer the perfect mix of
richness and fresh acidity. Or you might
choose a dry white wine like Riesling from
Alsace or even an intense, buttery
Chardonnay if you prefer to avoid
overwhelming your palate with a sugary wine
at the start of the meal.
Other classic entree options include garlic
snails paired with a crisp Chablis from
Burgundy. For salty oysters and smoked
salmon choose a Champagne with a decent
acidity balancing freshness to help to cut
through the heavy, oily texture of the food,
cleanse the palate and leave you ready for
the rest of your feast.
Wine with every course!
Main course wines
The main course, plat principal, comes next.
The centerpiece is usually a large bird, roast
turkey, Guinea fowl or pheasant, often
stuffed with a chestnut mix. Lobster, crab,
duck or seasonal game like venison or boar
are also popular. With such a smorgasbord of
flavors on the table, most families keep their
main course drinks simple and classic. This is
the ideal moment to bring out a Grand Cru
Bordeaux, a good Burgundy or a fine
Chateauneuf du Pape.
Wines for cheese
No French feast would be complete without
a cheese course which usually comes
between the main course and dessert. A
choice of cheeses might include the softies:
creamy cow’s milk Vacherin, Brie de Meaux
or Camembert. Then it’s on to the hard
cheeses – Comté or Cantal. Complete your
cheese board with a tangy goat’s milk
Tomme de Chèvre and a piquant blue like
Roquefort or Bleu d’Auvergne. Here the
choice of wine all comes down to personal
preference. Pick a Beaujolais cru or
the hard cheeses, a decadent Champagne for
the creamier cheeses, or try the classic
sweet-salty combo of Sauternes and blue
cheese.
Discover how to create a perfect French cheese

choices are a glass of Banyuls, a fortified
wine from the rugged Languedoc-Roussillon,
a demi-sec Champagne or even a chilled
Cointreau on the rocks.
If you can manage one more sip, it’s
customary in France to close the meal with a
digestif. Try a small serving of mellow
brandy, appley Calvados, Armagnac, Cognac
or something a little more unusual like herbal
liqueur Génépy which is made in the Alps.
Wines to go with desserts
After that button-popping meal, you might
enjoy a lighter dessert. In France a bûche de
Noël is the number choice. A chocolate
sponge cake shaped and decorated to look
like a Yule log (here’s how to make one at
home). This sweet treat should be paired
with a wine that is even sweeter, so great
Laurent is a wine expert who runs
SomMailier.com, a French Wine Club in the
USA. Members receive delicious boutique
wines, selected by wine experts in France as
well as detailed information about wine and
food pairing ideas to help you really discover
French wine. We think a club membership is
the perfect Christmas present! Get a special
introductory offer of 10% on any product –
just use the code TGLF2020 on the checkout
page…

How to choose a French wine
that suits your taste
Wine expert Philip Reddaway shares his top tips to help you choose wine
that's just right for you...
Standing in the wine aisle of the supermarket,
confronted with a range of 500
different wines, or perusing a 4-page wine
list in a restaurant can be quite a daunting
experience. France produces more than
2,900 different types of wine, more than
360 different appellations (a legal defined
area of production) and over 200 indigenous
wine varieties. So, how do you know where
to start?
If price isn’t an issue, then simply picking the
most expensive bottle seems like it might
work. But - will the wine actually suit your
taste rather than that of the collectors and
critics who determine market prices?
Besides, for most of us wine is a regular
purchase where cost is definitely a
consideration – and even most wine buffs I
know like to think they can spot a bargain.
My advice is to tackle this from first
principles, trusting your own taste buds.
Start by thinking about what kind of wine do
you generally prefer to drink? Do you like
dry or sweet? Do you like your red wine
beefy and powerful or lighter and fruitier? If
you prefer white wine, is it full and oaky, or
crisp and refreshing that gets your taste
buds humming?
Once you've broken down your style
preferences in this way then a little advice
from a retailer or a little bit of research will
lead you to the wine regions and key
varietals of France that are “classic”
examples of these styles. You shouldn’t
need more than around 8 appellations/
varietals to get you going.
Here's how this might work:
“I like Chardonnay but I’m not too keen on all
the oak”.
A Chablis from Burgundy is my classic choice
here, usually unoaked or very lightly oaked.
There are wines at prices to suit all budgets -
from the excellent wines produced by cooperatives
up to some very
fancy Grand Crus. Pretty well every store or
restaurant is going to stock a Chablis
precisely because it’s an acknowledged
classic.
“I like my whites dry but with some floral
tones, not keen on that buttery thing.”
The classic here would be a Sauvignon based
wine from Sancerre in the Loire Valley, very
dry with attractive grassy/gooseberry
aromas and pleasing saline minerality.
“I like bold reds with some bite, love that
cigar box thing.”
If this is you, go for a Cabernet Sauvignon/
Merlot blend from Bordeaux. You don’t have
to pay high prices, look for the entry level
Medoc appellation or the satellite Cotes de
Bourg. These will deliver the style without
hurting your pocket.
“I'm more of a white drinker than a red. But
when I drink reds I’m looking for easy fruit
flavours and not too much alcohol.”

A classic Beaujolais from the Gamay grape
produces juicy wines that slip down easily
and are often only 12.5% alcohol, low by
today's standards.
If you approach the challenge of how to
choose a good French wine that suits your
taste in this way, you will swiftly build a
reliable list of appellations and varietals that
suit your palate.
Of course, not all Chablis is great Chablis.
The next stage of your adventure is to get to
know the better producers. Be bold and seek
advice wherever and whenever you can find
it. And taste it if you can to make sure you
agree! Talk to your sommelier and the
manager at your wine store – they love
nothing better than being quizzed.
Once your base camp is established,
continue the taste journey and venture out
into the unknown... Try the explosive exotic
fruit and rose petal flavours of a
Gewürztraminer from Alsace, the intense
sweet strawberry and herbal spice of a pure
Grenache from the Rhone, the adventure
continues..
I offer the above advice in the knowledge
that this process is precisely how I have
come to know and appreciate French wines
over more than 40 years. It’s not a quick fix
but it is true to what your unique palate
enjoys in a wine - and the learning curve is a
constant delight!
Philip Reddaway holds a Wine and Spirit
Educational Trust diploma, qualified as an
AIWS (Associate of the Institute of Wine and
Spirits) and is a WSET approved wine
instructor. He runs Rhone Wine Holidays
fabulous wine tours in the Rhone Valley.

The ultimate French
chocolat chaud

"
French style hot chocolate is decadent, it
can’t be denied. Luxuriously rich, smooth,
creamy and oh so chocolatey.
It was introduced to the court of Versailles
during the reign of Louis XIV but it was his
grandson Louix XV who made it a feature of
Versailles cuisine. During his reign, the
popularity of hot chocolate soared – the
King even took to making it himself, so
enamoured was he of the rich drink. During
his reign the first chocolate making
machines were invented and specialist
outlets were set up in Paris.
Marie-Antoinette even bought her personal
chocolate-maker with her from Austria
when she married Louis XVI in 1770.
It was expensive though, so didn’t really
become popular with everyone until the
19th century when factories such as Menier
opened to produce it en masse.
You could make it like King Louis XV whose
recipe is as follows:
Place an equal number of bars of chocolate
Ingredients
and cups of water in a cafetiere and boil on a
low heat for a short while; when you are ready
to serve, add one egg yolk for four cups and stir
over a low heat without allowing to boil. It is
better if prepared a day in advance. Those who
drink it every day should leave a small amount
as flavouring for those who prepare it the next
day. Instead of an egg yolk one can add a
beaten egg white after having removed the top
layer of froth. Mix in a small amount of
chocolate from the cafetiere then add to the
cafetiere and finish as with the egg yolk.
Source: Dinners of the Court or the Art of
working with all sorts of foods for serving the
best tables following the four seasons, by
Menon, 1755 (BnF, V.26995, volume IV, p.331)
Or you could make it like a Parisian! We
asked Paris-based Ian Benton of La Chambre
Paris luxury linen bedding to share his
favourite recipe for hot chocolate, perfect
for a lazy lie-in…
2 cups whole milk
6 ounces/170g top quality dark or bittersweet chocolate (at least 70%)
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional and according to taste)
Tiny pinch of sea salt
Whipped cream for serving (optional)
Powdered cinnamon for extra Christmas cheer
Instructions
Win a set of
superb La
Chambre Paris
bed sheets for
kids see page
54
Heat the milk in a pan until it's hot and bubbles appear, but not boiling. Add the salt and the
finely chopped dark chocolate and whisk until dissolved and smooth.
Heat it to a very low simmer, whisking continuously, but don’t let it boil. Simmer for about
three minutes during which time it will thicken.
Stir in the brown sugar if you like your hot chocolate sweet, and whisk until smooth.
Pour into cups.
For extra decadence serve with a dollop of whipped cream. And for a little Christmas cheer,
sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon powder over the cream.
And… relax.
Note: For an even thicker result, make the hot chocolate ahead of time, let it cool and then
reheat when ready to serve.
"

The History
of coffee in France
Photo: Barbara Pasquet James, Focus on Paris

There’s a thriving coffee culture in France and
for first time visitors it takes a bit of getting
used to. Generally French cafés don’t have a
menu of types of coffee, you’re expected to
just know what to ask for (find a handy guide
at the end of this article). But how did it get to
be so popular in the first place?
Sue Aran, an American, who lives in the
gorgeous Gers department, AKA Gascony, and
runs fabulous tours, tells the tale of France’s
love affair with coffee…
Madame Sévigné, one of the great French
literary icons remembered for her extensive
and opinionated letter writing said, “There are
two things the French will never swallow –
Racine’s poetry and coffee.” Fortunately, she
was wrong about both.
Coffee had been around almost a thousand
years before it reached France. Legend has it
that in Ethiopia where the coffee plants grew,
in the 9th century monks made an infusion
with the berries after witnessing a goatherd
eating them and clearly being invigorated by
the experience. Coffee travelled round the
world, seen as a medicine and an aid to
prayers and by the 16th century coffee
houses were established in Constantinople
(now Istanbul).
It wasn't always popular
By the early 17th century, coffee was
introduced to Europe through Venetian
merchants. It was met with strong resistance
from the Catholic church. However, when
Pope Clement VIII was asked to declare the
“black, sooty beverage” the invention of
Satan, he replied, “Let me taste it first.” He did
and proclaimed, “This devil’s drink is so
delicious we should cheat the devil by
baptizing it!” After his pronouncement coffee
spread through Europe like lightning. Venice’s
first coffee house opened in 1645, England’s
in 1650 and France’s in 1671, although coffee
arrived in the port of Marseille in 1644.

Photo: Credit Le Procope Paris
The royal penchant for coffee
Coffee was first introduced to Paris in 1669
by Suleyman Aga, the ambassador to the
court of King Louis XIV of France. Aga was
sent by Mohammed IV with sacks of coffee.
He described it as a magical beverage when
mixed with a small quantity of cloves,
cardamom seeds and sugar, which in those
day was bought by the ounce at the
apothecary’s shop. He also brought the
apparatus used for the preparation of the
Turkish style coffee drink. It included china
dishes, and small pieces of muslin
embroidered with gold, silver, and silk, used
as napkins. He became the darling of
Parisian society, remaining in the city long
enough firmly to establish the custom he
had introduced.
Two years later, in 1671, an Armenian
whom everyone called Pascal, opened a
coffee-drinking booth at the fair of St.
Germain. He offered the beverage for sale
from a tent, supplemented by the service of
Turkish waiter boys, who peddled it among
the crowds from small cups on trays. The fair
was held during the first two months of
spring, in a large open plot just inside the
walls of Paris and near the Latin Quarter. As
Pascal’s waiter boys circulated through the
crowds on those chilly days the fragrant
odor of freshly made coffee encouraged
many sales of the steaming beverage. Soon
visitors to the fair learned to look for the
“little black” cupful of cheer, or petit noir, a
name that still endures. This marked the
beginning of Parisian coffee houses.
In 1686, the Café de Procope was opened by
Sicilian chef Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli.
He had come to Paris from Italy acquiring a
royal license to sell spices, ices, barley water
and lemonade. As a keen business man he
added coffee to the list and soon attracted a
large and rather distinguished clientele:
noted French actors, authors, dramatists and
musicians. With the opening of the Café de
Procope, coffee became firmly established in
Paris.

Louis XIV (1638-1715)
grew his own coffee beans
in greenhouses on the
Versailles Palace grounds.
He handpicked the beans,
roasted them, and ground
them himself. He loved to
serve his own coffee to
guests of the Palace
Read more about the Kings
potager (vegetable
gardens) at Versailles .
Voltaire (1694-1778), a French
writer and public activist,
allegedly drank between 40 and
50 cups a day which he mixed
with chocolate. He credited
coffee for the inspiration and
stimulation behind the
development of his
philosophies. He paid hefty
bonuses to his servants who
could find his favourite coffee
beans.
The first merchant licensed to sell coffee in
Paris was François Damame, who secured
the privilege through an edict of 1692. He
was given the sole right for 10 years to sell
coffee in all the provinces and towns of the
kingdom, and in all territories under the
sovereignty of the king. Every city in France
soon had its coffee houses.
In 1714, Louis XIV received a present from
the Dutch, a coffee tree for Paris’s Royal
Botanical Garden, the Jardin des Plantes. The
Dutch had successfully grown the coffee
tree on the island of Java. This inspired Louis
XIV to consider Martinique for growing
coffee. He gave a clipping to a young naval
officer, Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu who sailed
for Martinique. Pirates nearly captured the
ship and a storm nearly sank it. Drought
followed, water grew scarce and was
rationed, but de Clieu gave half of his
allotment of drinking water to his stricken
cutting. Under armed guard, the cutting was
planted and grew strong. In the next 50 years
it yielded a whopping 18 million trees.
Coffee become the king of drinks in Paris...

"
Napoleon Bonaparte asked
for a spoonful of coffee while
on his deathbed, and his
autopsy revealed coffee
grounds in his stomach. He is
credited with the quote:
I would rather suffer
with coffee than be
senseless.
"
During the reign of Louis XV (1715-1774)
there were 600 cafés in Paris. At the close
of the 18th century there were more than
800. With the invention of the first
percolation system coffee maker, “La
Débelloire,” by Jean-Baptiste de Belloy,
Archbishop of Paris (1802-1808), the
number of cafés increased to more than
3000.
Napoleon Bonaparte had a passion for
coffee claiming “I would rather suffer with
coffee than be senseless” - and he
reportedly drank up to 50 cups a day.
Coffee is still loved by the French – though
not as much as that…
Sue Aran lives in the Gers department of
southwest France where she runs French
Country Adventures, which provides private,
personally-guided, small-group food & wine
adventures into Gascony, the Pays Basque,
Tarn and beyond…
How to order coffee in France
Café/café noir/espresso/café express:
Though the French word for coffee is “café”,
if you order “un café” at a French coffee
shop, don’t expect coffee with milk, you’ll
get an espresso in a small cup called a
demitasse.
Café au lait: Coffee with milk is for breakfast
only. Some places still serve it in a bowl, the
old traditional way but not that much these
days. It’s espresso from lunch time onwards
and only between or after meals, even late at
night... French people are horrified by milky
coffee drinks after 11am!
Café crème: Espresso with foamed milk, like
a cappuccino,
Café allongé: An espresso diluted with extra
hot water. If you want extra milk, you'll need
to request lait supplémentaire

Noisette: Espresso with a splash of hot milk
that’s hazelnut coloured – hence the name.
Drink your coffee like the locals do – at the
bar or in a café, not in a large paper cup in
the street!
Café Crème: Esperesso coffee with extra
water and a drop of cream (or cream and
milk).
Café décaféiné: Decaffeinated coffee.
And whatever coffee you choose - always
use S'il vous plait - please...

Win
a fabulous week-long holi
southwest France

day in Médoc-Atlantique, Gironde,
WIN A HOLIDAY
Enter our brilliant competition for a chance to win a blissful week-long break at Le Verdonsur-Mer
on the coast in the Médoc-Atlantique region (medoc-atlantique.com/en).
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4* Sunêlia La Pointe du Médoc setting befits as lazy or active holiday as you wish: sandy
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paths – including the famous Vélodyssée – for discovery and pleasure.
The Médoc boasts over 1000 wine producers: the Route du Vignoble et de l’Estuaire
(Bordeaux to La Pointe du Médoc) runs through famous villages and past noble châteaux,
with frequent opportunities to stop for a tasting. Better still, the organic Chateau Loudenne
at Saint-Yzans-de-Médoc is offering the lucky winner a fabulous vineyard and cellar tour
with wine-tasting and a scrumptious picnic of local produce - wine and soft drinks included!
Sunêlia La Pointe du Médoc’s facilities include a heated indoor pool and outdoor pool with
waterslide, a super spa and friendly corner shop selling fresh local produce, breads and
pastries. Dine at Le Medocain (July/August) for irresistible regional specialities. Pétanque,
mini-golf or table tennis are available, and children love the mini-farm with its goats, pigs,
chickens and ponies. If you can tear yourself away from the park, discover the colourful
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The prize, for 2 adults and 2 children (valid 9th April to 14th July 2021, subject to
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continental breakfast, 2 days’ cycle hire, and one tour/tasting and picnic at Le Chateau
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La Pointe du Médoc is one of 29 luxury holiday parks in the Sunêlia Vacances collection
(Sunelia.com/en) for glamping and camping in beautiful beach, mountain and countryside
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Competition closes on 31 December 2020 – just in time for New Year’s Day!
To go in the draw and enter your details below so we can contact the winner…
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE DRAW
Rules: No purchase necessary; travel, and travel insurance are not included; the prize,
valued at more than €1000.00 may not be exchanged for money; employees of the
organisers of the content may not enter the draw. The prize must be taken within the dates
stipulated. The Winner, drawn at random by the organisers, will be contacted by email and
announced on Sunelia's Instagram page: .
Sign up to Sunelia’s newsletter for details of holidays in France, and find their 2021
brochure here.

Win
Ideal Christmas
Looking for ideas for gifts to buy? We've got the perfec
Christmas even more special in this challenging year - w
Francophile happy and enter the draws as you go!
WIN a set of adorable childrens bedding from La
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The Kid's aren't being left out - it's Christmas after all! We
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Treat yourself, your family and your friends at Christmas to
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t French and French inspired gift list for your shopping from home list. And to make
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discount code at checkout: GOODLIFE15.
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WIN a gorgeous luxury gift box of Fabulous French things!
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things wherever you are...
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jewellery, sweet things and sometimes
whimsical things, antiques and arty,
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to send this ideal gift to a loved one,
find the details here:
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Ideal Christmas
More perfect French and French inspired gift list for you
year - we're giving them all away! Browse this lovely sel
WIN a lovely Provencal tablecloth
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choose any size in the lovely lemons
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Feel free to browse the lovely choice of
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Win a copy of Paul Rafferty's ravishing
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travelled in the French Riviera, capturing
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Churchill painted more than 150 scenes
and Rafferty reveals for the first time
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CLICK ON THE PHOTO OR HERE TO
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Gifts for Francophiles
r shopping from home list. And to make Christmas even more special in this challenging
ection, make your favourite Francophile happy and enter the draws as you go!
WIN a copy of Kate Mosse's The City of Tears - out January 2021
Win a copy of Kate Mosse's brand new book
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Kate Mosse is a master storyteller and her new
book is an epic and sumptuous story of love,
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life in your imagination, the gripping tale holds
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Read our review here.
Available for pre-order from Amazon and all
good bookshops...
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WIN any one of Perry Taylor's gorgeous Gascony coffee table books
Artist Perry Taylor has created four
beautiful books of humorous drawings
depicting the humanity and heritage
of Gascon life. Wonderfully skilled at
using pen and ink, and using a palette
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Choose any one of Perry's 4 gorgeous
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perrytaylorart.fr
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Win
Ideal Christmas Gifts for Francophiles
WIN a copy of Exploring Wine Regions - Bordeaux
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Samantha Verant’s debut novel is a delicious read…
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Visit Paris -
virtually
If you need your regular dose of French culture like you do your morning coffee,
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 to France to discover glittering châteaux,
gorgeous museums and gracious gardens as well as marvellous monuments from
the Eiffel Tower to the Pont du Gard and landscapes as diverse as the lavender
fields of Provence to the streets of Lyon.
And for Paris lovers – here are five virtual visits you shouldn’t miss…

Chateau de Versailles
View this most magnificent of all châteaux
from your home. Immerse yourself in the
17th century and take a 360 degree tour
through the sparkling Hall of Mirrors, and
then meander outside the palace for a stroll
through the arched colonnades in the garden
and the bronze fountains.
If you want to see past the glitz and the
glamour and learn something about the
history of Versailles, online exhibits range
from “Fashion at Versailles: For Him” to
“Louis XIV: the Construction of a Political
Image”. There’s even a quiz - Which royal
would you be? And the Sun King, creator of
this sumptuous palace, invites you to spend
some time in his sumptuous bedroom…
The wonders of the palace of Versailles are
not limited to its walls - it was built during a
time of great scientific discoveries and
inventions. If you look closely you will see
astronomy, world globes, and cherubs
wielding scientific instruments in all the
hidden corners of the palace. Did you also
know that Louis XVI loved maps so much he
had a separate room built onto his
apartments with a specially made desk -
purely for map drawing?
Hundreds of paintings, from portraits of
Marie-Antoinette with her children, to the
coronation of Napoleon, line the silk covered
walls. And when painting changed to
photography, what better subject than
Versailles - the troops in formation at the
Place d’Armes in 1870; the state receptions
for Queen Victoria and John F. Kennedy.
Even the fallen trees after a vicious storm in
1990.
So put on your best frock, pour yourself a
glass of champagne, and explore this
beautiful palace without ever leaving your
couch (except for more champagne, of
course).
Visit Versailles: the palace is yours

French Senate
If you’ve been to Paris, you’ve almost
certainly seen the Palais du Luxembourg,
that elegant building which takes pride of
place in the Jardin of the same name. But
unless you’re a French senator, you’ll find it
almost impossible to take a peek inside.
Originally built by Marie de Medici in the
17th century, the palace was a prison and
court of justice during the French
Revolution. It became a military hospital in
the Prussian invasion of Paris and a home
for the commander of the Luftwaffe in
World War II. And finally the permanent
seat of the Senate of the Fifth Republic from
1958. It was here that Victor Hugo
defended freedom and the Republic…
For an impressive overview, begin your
virtual tour with the exhibit titled ‘Palais du
Luxembourg, 400 years of history’, which
will take you to every corner of this
magnificent building. The gilded walls dating
back to the Renaissance are juxtaposed
against the modern conference rooms with
their tv screens and comfy chairs. Watch for
the sweeping view of the library with its
cupola painting by Eugène Delacroix and its
shelves filled with ancient leather worn texts.
The Salle des Conférences is the most
opulent room in the palace. At 57 metres
long, it was originally the Throne Gallery
built for Napoleon III in 1852. Take the tour
‘Palais du Luxembourg, siège du Sénat’ and
lose yourself in this golden gallery. Can you
spot Napoleon’s throne? Seat yourself
comfortably in the dark red velvet chairs and
look up, where a veritable treasure trove of
murals await. It’s a feeling not unlike being in
the Sistine Chapel.
The separate Petit Luxembourg is the
residence of the President of the Senate.
peep inside the working office and wander
along the marble terrace.

I didn’t think that a museum about money
would be terribly interesting (unless they
were giving some away), but I was wrong!
The Luxembourg gardens are as beautiful as
the Palace, and you can take a leisurely stroll
past the circular basin or sit and watch the
sailboats.
The French Senate is only open to the public
on the third weekend in September for
European Heritage Days or by a guided tour
with the permission of a Senator, so take the
opportunity to walk through its doors now.
Visit the French Senate, Palais Luxembourg
Monnaie de Paris
Show me the money! Or, we can head on
over to where it’s made, the Monnaie de
Paris, or Paris Mint. With one of the longest
facades along the Seine river, this elegant
neo-classical edifice houses the world’s
oldest money producing institution. For over
1,150 years, the Monnaie de Paris has been
making coins. First on Île de la Cité, then
various sites in Paris including the Louvre
Palace for a century or so, before moving to
the Quai de Conti in 1775.
Start your guided tour on top of the museum
building, which gives you a not so common
view of the Seine: the tip of the Île de la Cité.
Looking much like a pointed nose, this
peaceful green space is a haven in which to
sit and idly watch the boats pass by. Across
the river, on the right bank, the Louvre rises
majestically. And in the distance are the two
tallest points in Paris - the Eiffel Tower and
Tour Montparnasse.
The Monnaie de Paris building, referred to as
11 Conti, is today made up of a museum of
the money-making process, and the original
factory which mints medals and coins of
precious metals. Production of legal currency
was moved to Pessac in the southwest of
France in the 1970s, The ‘12 centuries of
excellence’ exhibition is a comprehensive
overview of the minting of money in France,
and ‘The roaming of Monnaie de Paris’ tells
you how they came to stop roaming and
made their home on the left bank of the
Seine.

But there’s more to see than ancient
currency. In its hallowed halls, particularly
the gorgeous Salon Guillaume Dupré, have
been held a number of modern art
exhibitions, where plastic trees and metal
skull sculptures sit incongruously against
painted cupolas and carved balustrades.
Some of the exhibits are: American artist
Kiki Smith, Thomas Schütte, controversial
Paul McCarthy (you really have to see the
photograph of his ‘trees’), and a collection of
works from the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
I didn’t think that a museum about money
would be terribly interesting (unless they
were giving some away), but I was wrong!
Visit: Monnaie de Paris
Mobilier National, Manufacture des
Gobelins, de Beauvais, de la
Savonnerie
As you sit on your couch and click through
the Google Arts and Culture website, do you
find yourself looking around your living room
and dreaming of a makeover? Does it need a
Louis XIV chaise longue, a dining table for
20, a few medieval tapestries for the floor? If
so, the Mobilier National is the place to go.
They have been creating and conserving the
treasures of France for five centuries. However,
unless you live in the Élysée Palace,
these valuable pieces aren’t for you. But the
website itself is a treasure chest: open the lid
and delve into the wonders of silken fabrics,
golden tapestries and exquisite lace.
Formerly based in the Grande Gallery of the
Louvre under Louis XIV and now housed in
the historic Gobelins tapestry factory, the
Mobilier National is responsible for
furnishing palaces, presidential residences
and embassies. They also for maintain, create
and distribute a unique worldwide collection
of over 130,000 pieces of furniture and
textiles.

And how are these pieces designed and
made? Through three important and
influential factories: Les Gobelins, Beauvais
and La Savonnerie.
Walking through the exhibits is akin to being
in Versailles, in the Louvre, in the bedroom
of a queen. Marvel at the intricacies of
Renaissance tapestries and fabrics and learn
how they were fabricated. It’s easy to lose
yourself for a few hours learning all about
dyeing fabrics, lace-making and wood
carving. And if you don’t know what a
nuancier is, this is your chance to find out.
Visit: Mobilier National
Opéra National de Paris
Imagine this. You’re standing on the stage of
the Palais Garnier. Before you an adoring
crowd is on their feet, clapping wildly at your
moving and tragic performance of Swan
Lake. Bravo! Bravo! They cry. Now if it was a
nightmare you’d look down and see that
you’re naked, but on this virtual tour you are
free to dream of yourself in a tutu. This
opulent building was finished in the late
nineteenth century and was the official home
of Paris Opera and Paris Ballet until 1989.
Now it's mostly used for ballet performances.
Once you have finished with your standing
ovation on the stage, there is much to see. If
ever there was a room filled with gold, it is
the Grand Foyer. Cast your eyes upwards
and follow the history of music and of Paris
ornamented with colourful frescoes awash
with gold leaf. Apollo receives a lyre from
Mercury. Calliope, Clio and their sisters, the
nine Greek muses, cast a loving eye from
lofty heights. The siege of Paris is enacted in
historical glory.
Access to this glorious golden chamber is via
the Grand Staircase, on whose marble
pedestals sit entwined Greek goddesses
holding candles to light the way.

Photo: Daniela Perria Rickey
Keep on walking and you come to the
prosaic but essential heart of the building -
dressing rooms and practice rooms, and then
ascend to the roof for a stunning 360 degree
view of the Paris skyline.
And what of the rumours that the Phantom
of the Opera stalks the Palais Garnier? It is
true that the 1910 novel of the same name
was largely inspired by stories that a man
with no face lived in the underground ‘lake’,
and that the building itself is the setting for
the famous opera. Does he haunt there still?
Come and see for yourself.
Visit: Opéra national de Paris
Extra treat - An exhibition of costumes from
the opening days of the Palais Garnier until
the present, in the Centre National du
Costume de Scène
BONUS virtual visit to Claude Monet's
House
Head to the countryside west of Paris to the
lovely village of Giverny where you'll find the
house and gardens of Claude Monet.
The Fondation Claude Monet website has
created an extraordinary online tour, guiding
you through the doors of the famous pastel
pink house. You'll have the memorable
yellow dining room to yourself, explore the
kitchen, bedrooms and salons where you'll
see some of his paintings hanging. It's a
touch screen visit so you control where you
go next!
It's a wonderful chance to study the Monet's
home style up close. There's no virtual tour
of the gardens - but there are videos.
Visit: Monet's House

Toquicimes Food Festival
Megève

Mountain food doesn’t get better than in Megève in the French
Alps, nestling in the shadow of Mont Blanc.
Rupert Parker attends a three day culinary festival.

It’s 10 o’clock on an October Sunday
morning and I’m in the main square of
Megève. Inside a large tent there’s a panel of
chefs tasting Fondue, cheered on by a small
but enthusiastic crowd. This competition is
one of the many events in the annual three
day Toquicimes food festival, celebrating all
that’s best in mountain food. The sports
complex, Le Palais de Megève has been
transformed into a huge food market where
I sample products delivered from local farms.
Highlights include cheeses like Reblochon,
Beaufort, Tomme and Raclette, plus various
sausages and cured meats.
But first, a bit about this stunning French
Alps village...
Calvary
Megève, literally the village on the water,
was a quiet farming town until the 19th
century when the parish priest, Father
Ambroise Martin, had an idea. Inspired by
what he’d seen in Italy, he came up with a
scheme to erect fifteen chapels and oratories
depicting the stations of cross, on the slopes
above the town. Work took place between
1840 and 1878 and this Megève Calvary
began to attract pilgrims to the "Savoyard
Jerusalem". So much so that hotels and
lodging houses were built to accommodate
them, the beginning of tourism.
The chapels have recently been restored to
their former glory and as you climb up the
hill, there are tremendous views over the
town with Mont Blanc in the distance. Each
chapel or oratory has a different
architectural style and inside they’re
decorated with frescoes and "trompe-l'oeil"
paintings plus 50 life size painted wooden
statues. The climax of these is a crucifixion
scene, with crosses so large that the chapel
was built around them.

The Rothchilds
After WW1, Baroness Noémie de
Rothschild was a frequent visitor to St
Moritz, but didn’t get on with the German
aristocracy. So much so that she decided to
establish a ski resort in France and bought
a huge area of land in Megève. Together
with her husband, Maurice de Rothschild,
she built the Mont d'Arbois in 1921, a
luxury hotel equipped with an ice rink.
More chalets followed and she went on to
create the first cable car in 1933, an airfield
and an 18-hole golf course.
Top right: Megève in
autumn; bottom left,
a few weeks later,
Megeve in winter;
entre Calvary
crosses
By the 1950’s Megève was one of the most
popular ski resorts in Europe and attracted
many wealthy individuals and celebrities,
including Jean Cocteau, Sacha Distel,
Charles Aznavour and Brigitte Bardot. It
features in the 1963 film Charade, where
Audrey Hepburn's Regina Lampert meets
Cary Grant's character and is still the
playground of the rich and famous.
Henry Jacques Le Même
Architect Henry Jacques Le Même came to
Megève in 1926 and one of his first
commissions was to build Chalet Noemie
for Baroness de Rothschild. His design was
based on a typical Savoyard farmhouse,
which he transformed for contemporary
use. The ground floor housed the skis and
cars, the first had the living rooms, with an
extensive balcony, and the top floor had
the bedrooms. He went on to build more
than 200 chalets like this and, as a result,
created a stylistic unity for the town.

Gastronomy
In spite of its celebrity, Megève is still a
thriving farming town as I discover when I
accompany a herd of cows down from their
summer pastures. It’s a family affair with
three generations taking part in the
celebrations. They tell me they’re passionate
about the quality of their milk and the
excellence of the cheese they produce. In all,
around 45 farms supply around 75 eateries
including 35 mountain restaurants. Among
the elite are its four Michelin-starred
restaurants which boast a total of seven stars
among them.
The Flocons de Sel is one of only 27
restaurants in France to hold the coveted
three stars. Here Chef Emmanuel Renaut has
an "eat local, build local" philosophy and he
gets up early to forage for wild mushrooms
and herbs. On the night I sample his food,
there are plenty of porcini, truffles and other
varieties peppered among the courses. Unlike
a classic French menu, vegetables feature
heavily including a delightful parsnip and
beetroot gnocchi in a horseradish consommé.
Of course, there’s sympathetic wine pairing
and the service is perfect, closely supervised
by Madame Renaut.
Toquicimes food festival
The festival includes a series of tastings and
cooking demonstrations as well as an
opportunity to try the local products. There
are also keenly fought competitions for best
Fondue, Pâté Pie, Mountain Soup and
Chartreuse, the local liqueur. Amateurs
compete alongside professionals, with
celebrated chefs like Guillaume Gomez
(presidential chef at the Elysee Palace),
Franck Reynaud (renowned Franco-Swiss
chef) and Philippe Rigollot (famous for his
pastry). Various restaurants in town offer
special Menus Toquisimes, all around €35,
and stalls in the streets allow you to sample
some of their dishes.
The next Toquicimes Festival takes place in
October 2021, details: toquicimes.com

A Spin over Mont Blanc
Even though the famous mountain is visible
from the town, there’s no better way of
getting up close then in a small aeroplane.
The Altiport de la Cote 2000 is just outside,
nothing more than a strip of asphalt amidst
green pastures. There’s been a recent flurry
of snow so the mountains are peak white
against the blue sky.
It’s a bright and sunny morning as I climb
over the wing into the small single engine
Musketeer. There are two in the back but
I’m up front with the pilot and he
reassuringly says conditions are
“impeccable”. We’re soon above Megève's
Mont d'Arbois (at 1833 metres) and make
our way to the Mont Blanc Massif above the
Chamonix Valley, still in shade at this time in
the morning.
Our target, at 4808m looms up front,
towering above its rivals, and we follow the
Argentiere Glacier. A swift left turn around
the Aiguille Verte brings us above the Mer
de Glace, its snow pristine. There’s a certain
amount of twisting and turning as we get
alarmingly close to the sheer rocky pinnacles
of the Aiguille de Midi. I can only hope the
pilot knows what he’s doing.
He points out the mountain refuges which
are used as jumping off points for the ascent
of Mont Blanc and, crossing one ridge, we
scatter a herd of Chamois. It’s exhilarating
stuff, with perfect light, really a memorable
experience. After 40 minutes we touch down
back at the Altiport and I’m a little shaken,
even a bit stirred.
Details: Aerocime.com

Of course, if you’re going to indulge in fine
dining, it pays to get some exercise. In the
winter the ski slopes are justly renowned but
you can keep fit in any season. An extensive
network of mountain trails and cycle tracks
circle the town so I set out on an e-bike. This
makes light work of the hills and I’m soon
staring at Mont Blanc in the far distance. My
final meal is a Toquicimes lunch at Le Palais
to raise money for the French Bocuse d’Or
team. I tuck in with relish – after all, it’s not
every day that I’m given the opportunity to
eat for France.
Useful Information
See Megeve.com for more information
The 5* Fermes de Marie has an excellent spa
The 3* Coin du Feu has been refurbished
EasyJet has return flights to Geneva from
London Gatwick
Return transfers from Geneva Airport to
Megève cost from £90pp based on two
people sharing a vehicle.

Bordeaux Michael ?
Merlot
Queen of Right-Bank Bordeaux

Author Michael C Higgins, PhD explores Saint-Émilion’s
Magical Wine Region

The Queen of Grapes
Merlot wines so often gets pushed aside
into the shadows of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The popular wine film Sideways told a
similar tale. “Cabernet is King” is commonly
the imposing mantra. And with the grand
reputation of Bordeaux’ Médoc Grand Cru
Classés of 1855 that is filled with Cabernet
Sauvignon excellence, Merlot is often
overlooked as a beautiful wine.
And beautiful she is. “Merlot is Queen”
being feminine, she is softer, with more
rounded elegance, and a fruitiness that
makes this wine so delicious. And drinkable
much earlier than Bordeaux Big Cabernet
Sauvignon, which generally needs at least
ten years before it is ready. The Queen is
more admirable than you might imagine. The
most expensive wine in Bordeaux is a
Merlot: Château Petrus, 100% Merlot,
grown on the blue clay in Pomerol (Right
Bank).
This story about Queen Merlot begins with
terroir, the concept of soil influencing the
wine. The Left Bank of Bordeaux grows
Cabernet Sauvignon because it loves the
gravel and sandy soils there, whereas the
Right Bank grows Merlot because it loves
the limestone and clay soils. The Right
Bank’s most notable region is Saint-Émilion
where a medieval village sits on top of the
limestone plateau. This wine region is as
beautiful as its wines...
Saint-Émilion village
In Bordeaux, there are many historic towns,
villages and hamlets. Saint-Émilion is a
village you do not want to miss. It originates
back to Medieval times with Romanesque
architecture dating back to the 2nd century
when the Romans planted wine grapes
there. The history is deep and immense and
the village itself became a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1999.

It was from the limestone quarries of this
plateau in and around Saint-Émilion that
stone blocks were excavated to build the
entire village. Under most of the châteaux
surrounding the village, and under the
village itself, 124 miles of massive cave
systems exist from cutting these very
large blocks out of the ground and
bringing them up to the surface for this
construction.
The Monolithic Church’s Bell Tower is the
highest point in Saint Émilion with views
of the charming village and rolling
countryside of vineyards for as far as the
eyes can see. The church itself is dazzling,
entirely carved out of one solid limestone
formation. It’s gigantic proportions and
uniqueness make it Europe’s widest
monolithic church and famous worldwide.
The village is a beautiful place to
explore, day or night. It is safe and
peaceful. Enchanting, actually.
There are numerous great restaurants to
be found. Try Logis de La Candène. Their
atmosphere and creativity earned them a
Michelin star. They also have beautiful
accommodations in historic village
buildings as well. Lard et Bouchon is a
restaurant underground in the caves.
Excellent cuisine, with a wine cavern and
reasonable prices. Wine bars and wine
shops are everywhere.
There are three châteaux in the village. I
don’t mean a retail outlet for their wines.
These are actual wineries making their
wine in the village. They are Château
Guadet (Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé),
Moulin Galhaud (Saint-Émilion Grand
Cru), and Les Cordeliers (sparkling wines
underground). All three wineries are open
to the public and have underground caves
that you can visit.

Châteaux, food and wine
A short walk from the village is Château
Soutard, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé,
with a castle you can stay in overnight, and a
winery rebuilt with the latest of technology
and innovations. There are wonderful views
into the valley around. Take one of their
bicycles on a tour around the property,
following the signs and explore many
interesting features this property has to
offer. Learn how Merlot becomes the queen
of wines here. You will see a bygone era
inside the historic castle of an aristocratic
past and witness quality wine making in an
ultra-modern winery. They also have a large
wine shop and boutique.
elegance befitting of a queen. The tasting bar
sits on a cool 360-degree rotating platform.
They have the greatest range of tours,
tastings, workshops, activities and culinary
opportunities of any château in Bordeaux. I
lost count at 22! And they treat every visitor
like a professional. Tours are sommelier-led
and customized to your level of knowledge
and interest. Owned by the Bic Pen family,
the walls of the tasting room depict the four
seasons of the vineyard drawn solely with
eight Bic pens - it took the artist seven
months to render this masterpiece.
Isolated on top of their own elevated plateau
on the Saint-Émilion limestone, with their
own forest, parks and gardens, Château de
Ferrand, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé,
operate within their own isolated ecosystem
with diversified soil characteristics and no
herbicides. Inside, are fully renovated
buildings filled with high-tech modern

On the northwest edge of this appellation is
the famed Château Cheval Blanc, one of only
four Premier Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Classé – A. They border Pomerol and share
the blue clay vein that extends into their
property, which produces Merlot of
extraordinary quality. As one of the world’s
best-known wines, their property reflects
the prestige captured in their bottles.
Contrasted by traditional buildings, a
futuristic structure was designed by Pritzker
Architecture Prize winner Christian de
Portzamparc with the latest in winemaking
technology and customized tanks designed
for each and every individual vineyard plot.
Above: Tasting room art created using 8 Bic
pens, Chateau de Ferrand; below left, Chateau
Soutard; below Chateau la Dominique
Next door is Château La Dominique, open to
the public all year with creative ideas in tours
and tastings. My favorite is their
underground blind tasting experience taken
to the extreme. They built an underground
tasting room to neutralize all the senses.
First, the elevator ride down gets you in a
quiet state. Then contrasted by walking on a
noisy floor of loose stones. The room is extra
dark, with minimal mood lighting. By the
time you get to the table and sit down, your
senses are heightened and confused at the
same time. Now it is time to begin. Bottles of
wine, all the exact same shape and size, are
covered with black socks. Wine glasses are
all black and of the same shape and size. Are
you blinded yet? Then they dim the lights
even further, and you hear the sound of wine
being poured. This is truly blind wine tasting.
They have a gourmet rooftop restaurant La
Terrasse Rouge both indoors and outdoors
where you will find a large display of red
glass stones covering most of the roof
beyond the dining area and a view of
magnificent vineyard landscapes.
Their menu oozes with temptations,
including desserts to die for. You will not be
able to go just once! And imagine this: they
have all ten Bordeaux first-growths (crus) on
the wine list.

Along the beautiful Southern Slope of the
plateau, we find Château de Candale a
property once belonging to the Count of
Candale, a descendant of King Edward III of
England.
Today this is the hub of four châteaux, two
Saint Émilion Grand Crus (Château de
Candale and Château Roc de Candale) and
two Grand Cru Classés (Château La
Commanderie and Clos des Jacobins), a
restaurant, and a wine shop where you can
taste and buy from all four of these
properties. They also start and conclude
tours and their tastings here for the other
châteaux. This is a good food and wine
center where you can spend the day and
discover how the Queen of Merlot expresses
itself differently from four different
properties.
It is a beautiful environment dining here at
L’Atelier de Candale. Inside is filled with
window-lined walls allowing natural light to
flow in and for the eyes to take in the views.
Outside is spectacular, overlooking the
vineyards, forest and valley, under a large
designer canopy.
This is the place for the ultimate food and
wine experience even more so because the
owners make gastronomy a key focus of
their business.

Exploring wine regions - Bordeaux,
France
This is just scratching the surface of all there
is to enjoy Saint-Émilion. Michael's book
Exploring Wine Regions – Bordeaux France
covers 100 pages on this region in its 494
pages on Bordeaux. It is not just a guide to
some of the region’s most extraordinary
vineyards. His passion for Bordeaux and
Saint-Émilion goes far beyond the vines.
Queen of grapes, and which wines you love
the most. There are nearly 1,000 color
photographs captured over three years
studying Bordeaux, giving you a spectacular
visual experience of the region and its
wineries. You will discover the inside stories
and information, including names, addresses,
emails, websites, and maps so you can plan
an extraordinary experience for yourself.
Find more information at
ExploringWineRegions.com.
Win
a copy of
Exploring wine Regions
Bordeaux France.
See page 58
Within the pages, you will learn why
Cabernet is the King and Merlot is the
1

My
France
at Christmas
The Good Life France works closely with
Atout France which promotes France as a
tourist destination to international markets.
We asked their London based UK press
team (from left to right above): Marine,
Fran, Anne, Rachel and Tiphaine to share
what they love about France at Christmas
time, from a personal perspective.
As this Christmas is like no other, spreading
a little Christmas cheer is essential. We
hope that their wonderful memories and
sharing of traditions held dear at this time
of the year will make you smile. And maybe
inspire you to make Rachel's favourite
cocktail or some vin chaud, mulled wine (it
seems they all love that) or even start your
own Santon collection.
Here's a recipe for authentic French vin
chaud
We also hope it will inspire you to visit
France next year when hopefully travel will
be allowed and we can all enjoy our
favourite country.
Discover France at: uk.france.fr/en

Marine One of my dearest memories of Christmas in France is the nativity scene my
aunt Patricia creates every year in her home, next to the large tree, with terracotta and
clay figurines produced in Provence. These traditional figurines are called ‘santons’
(‘santoun’ in Provencal), each one unique and hand-crafted, and part of the Christmas
excitement is always to spot which new characters or scenes my aunt has added to the
collection. She makes it a yearly tradition to visit the workshop of well-known local
santonnier Fouque in Aix-en-Provence (also sometimes Escoffier) to create the most
beautiful setting for our family Christmas dinners - and a real competition with the local
church! Building the collection has been an ongoing project since I was a little girl… and
next on her list is to find a camel.

Fran My favourite thing to do over the festive period is visit the Christmas market
in Strasbourg, officially the largest outside Germany. Every year, Strasbourg spends
thousands of euros on lighting up the entire city centre and puts up a huge Christmas
tree in Place Kléber, the main square. I lived there for four years and have visited
every year since 2005, to see friends, drink gallons of vin chaud and eat my weight in
tarte flambée (the pizza-esque regional speciality), preferably the one drowning in
smelly Munster cheese. I’m sad to not be going there this Christmas but plan on
heading over the second it’s safe to travel again!
Love tarte flambée? click here for our utterly scrumptious recipe...

Anne Snow and Christmas – is there a better combo? I struggle to find one, so spending
Christmas in the mountains is just my idea of heaven. I spent one of my loveliest
Christmases in the French Alps and certainly hope to be able to do it again one day. The
mountains, the small resorts and of course the snow already provides the near-perfect
backdrop. If you then add lovely hotels or cosy chalets and open fires, it gets even more
special - and with the best comfort food belonging to the mountains (all that melted cheese
and other French delicacies) you can’t help but indulge! All washed down with wine – hot or
cold, I’m not picky. And the best thing is, you leave your doorstep and the indulgence
becomes almost guilt-free thanks to all the skiing, sledging and mountain walks. Right, I’m
off to book my next Christmas holiday...

Tiphaine For Christmas in Brittany, it has to be seafood. Eating seafood for Christmas
might sound odd to most British people, but where I grew up, by the sea in south
Brittany, it’s an established tradition. Every December, my first thought is about what
will appear on Christmas Eve’s dinner table. I know for sure that we’ll start with (the
most delicious) smoked salmon on toast that my grandfather catches earlier in the year
in a nearby river, alongside freshly bought langoustines, prawns and oysters from the
local market in Auray. More than just seafood, Christmas is also about the greatest
conversations of all, listening to my grandfather's fishing stories as well as his rants
about the prohibitive cost of seafood at the market (while hoping we’ll never have to
buy it ourselves). With the talks over and the seafood eaten, we’re then ready to
continue our family dinner already thinking of next year’s seafood feast.

Rachel After the abundance of fresh fruit and veg in summer and autumn, it can be easy
to overlook the citrus fruit season, which starts to enjoy the limelight from now (no pun
intended). Oranges, satsumas and mandarins are popping up in fruit bowls everywhere –
and if you’re looking for a change from mulled wine, the Sidecar is an elegant citrusy
cocktail that always brings France into our household at Christmas. Cointreau has found a
permanent place in our drinks collection since my first visit to the distillery and world
export hub outside Angers, where tours explain the history of the liqueur from 1849 and
end with a tasting at the sleek circular bar. The unique distillation process using a mix of
sweet and bitter peels gives Cointreau the edge over other orange liqueurs. The Sidecar’s
own history is debated, but my favourite story involves an American captain who often
travelled to a Parisian bar in the sidecar of his friend’s motorbike. Simply shake two parts
Cointreau with two parts Cognac and one part lemon juice. To make it really Christmassy, I
like to roll the rim of the glass in cinnamon sugar and drop in a star anise. You’ll be warm in
no time…

The French Republican Calendar
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 unification of France and a
metric system. And, it led to a new calendar
structure. Janine Marsh investigates...
The French Republican Calendar
At the beginning of the year a friend who
lives in the far south of France emailed me a
picture of a calendar left as a gift in his post
box by the mayor who had in fact given one
out to everyone in the very small village.
Nothing odd about that you might think.
But – it was a reproduction of a French
Republican Calendar and it bears little
resemblance to today’s calendars.
The French Republic was established in
1792, three years after the start of the
French Revolution. The members of the new
Republican Government didn’t just deal with
wiping out the royal family and as many
nobles as they could, it was also about
establishing a new order of equality and
unity.
You were no longer Monsieur or Madame,
but Citoyen or Citoyenne. Regional divisions
were reorganised. And the traditional
Gregorian calendar with its seven day week
and Saints Days and Christian festivals was
eliminated.
Instead a secular calendar was established –
and it had a ten day week: primidi (first day),
duodi (second day), tridi (third day), quartidi
(fourth day etc.), quintidi, sextidi, septidi,
octidi, nonidi and décadi.
Months were three weeks long. The end of
the year was Fructidor which had 5
supplementary days to make the total add up
to 365 days (as per the old calendar).

The French Republican
Calendar
Poet Philippe François Nazaire Fabre, known
as Fabre d’Eglantine (1750-1794 was given
the honour of naming the months. Inspired
by nature he called them:
Vendémiaire - from the Latin ‘vindemia’,
grape harvest was when the new year
started – in September
Brumaire - from the French ‘brume’, fog
Frimaire - from the French ‘frimas’, hoarfrost
Nivôse - from the Latin ‘nivosus’, snowy
Pluviôse - from the Latin ‘pluviosus’, rainy
Ventôse - from the Latin ‘ventosus’, windy
Germinal - from the Latin ‘germen, germinis’,
bud
Floréal - from the Latin ‘floreus’, flowery
Prairial - from the French ‘prairie’, meadow
Messidor - from the Latin ‘messis’, corn
harvest and the Greek ‘doron’, gift
Thermidor - from the Greek ‘thermon’ heat
and the Greek ‘doron’ gift
Fructidor - from the Latin ‘fructus’, fruit and
the Greek ‘doron’, gift
If you’re thinking that sounds like something
from a Disney film, you’re not alone. In
England, the French months were referred to
as: Snowy, Flowy, Blowy, Showery, Flowery,
Bowery, Hoppy, Croppy, Droppy, Breezy,
Sneezy and Freezy.
Names were given to every day of the year
too, based on trees, flowers, plants, animals
and farm tools. For instance 12 June was
Caille-lait which means bedstraw, and 2 July
was Lavande (Lavender).
Confused? Yes so was your average Citoyen
and Citoyenne. And worse, whereas before
they had one day off in seven, now they only
had one day off in ten.
It was an unwieldy and complicated system.
When Napoleon was elected Emperor he
abolished the calendar from 1 January 1806
and everyone returned to the Gregorian
calendar and knew what day it was again.

Photo: Barb Harmon
The epitome of French
style, the Coco Chanel
Suite at the Ritxz Hotel,
Paris
French
style
The French are famous for their sense of
style in fashion, food and interior decorating.
French interior trends have set the tone for
the rest of the world since the 18th
century – the Chateau of Versailles,
Josephine Bonaparte, Coco Chanel, Philippe
Stark – the list of those who have influenced
French style and had a far reaching effect is
endless.
Defining just what makes French style so
appealing isn’t easy. Rustic? Shabby chic?
(French comedian Marcel Lucont says that to
the French Shabby chic is about as
appropriate as fun-run or soft Brexit!).
Farmhouse, Provencal, Parisian… French
styles abound. But for interiors, on the
whole, (unless you’re really into the whole
gilded chateau glamour look) there are a
couple of things that are consistent –
simplicity and subtlety – but with French
flair.
It’s about balance – not being overly
complicated. It’s about using the best
materials, natural materials like linen and fine
cottons. Sometimes a dash of drama.
Sometimes a smidgeon of glamour. Old
pieces of furniture and textiles are recycled and

Bedroom style
French bedroom styles vary – romantic,
Madame de Pompadour style, sophisticated,
Provencal, country home, Parisian. But the
one thing that French bedrooms have in
common is a love of good bedlinen. It’s only
really quite recently that duvets have
become commonplace and in fact many
hotels and homes still use sheets and covers.
Good quality material and linen are the
preferred choice – after all we spend a third
of our lives in bed!
5 minute chat with bedding style experts
La Chambre Paris
Tell us how La Chambre Paris began
We know that our best days always follow a
great night's sleep, especially with kids.
Before creating La Chambre, we searched
for high quality but affordable bedding in
France and we just couldn't find any. So the
idea was born - why not create our own
top-of-the-line bed sheets that respect the
environment and focus on the well-being of
those who sleep in them. And it had to be at
a fair price. We visited numerous textile mills
in the search for quality materials and a
partner who shared our values and support
sustainable production. And we sell direct so
that we can keep the price down.
What makes La Chambre unique?
We only sell three styles of bedding:
Washed linen, Sateen collection, Percale
collection. We aim to make the whole
process of choosing the right bed linen less
complicated. Instead of focusing on thread
count, we help customers decide what they
want their bedding to feel like and look like -
with of course fabulous French flair. It also
means less waste as our products are never
outdated.
Sleep is a hot topic more than ever right
now - what’s new for 2021?
Quality sleep is so important, and people are
much more aware that quality products
really do help. A good night’s sleep has a
direct impact on our well-being.

We have a new limited-edition range of
children’s bedding designed in partnership
with the amazing French illustrator Camille de
Cussac. Fabulous and colourful, they feature
animal as well as a beautiful Paris design
showing the classic monuments as well as a
carousel, a café and scene in the park.
We have added a secret dinosaur that is
hidden on the fitted sheet which will help
children feel safe at night and hopefully help
them go to sleep at least 10 minutes earlier
than normal…! As parents of 3 small children
we certainly need every help we can get!
We will also be adding some new French linen
colours to our range in Spring 2021 which is
one of our best selling products.
Win a set of
superb La
Chambre Paris
bed sheets for
kids see page 54

Win a gorgeous
linen tablecloth
see page 55
French table style
A pretty table is part of French culture and
tradition and in the 21st century – it’s still a
strong tradition. And you can definitely be
sure that the French will make a big deal
about their Christmas meal. The table will be
set with lots of care.
Christmas dishes are carefully planned. This
is a chance for keen cooks to really push the
boat out and spend time preparing
something special. But it’s not just about the
food, it’s about presentation. The intention
isn’t to show-off (well, maybe just a little…)
but to please those at your table. Treating
them to a beautifully presented and cooked
meal is a show of love.
5 minute chat with homeware style
expert Carla Van Impe of Pimlico Eu
online shops of fabulous homeware with
French flair
Tell us how Pimlico began...
My grandfather had his own furniture design
business, and as child I spent every day after
school watching him create furniture, I loved
the design process. When I started a family
and moved to Belgium, I decided to use my
experience of consulting in the interiors
sector and began designing my own
collection of household textiles. I chose the
South of France as a test market because it
has a good mix of locals, people from other
parts of France, tourists and expats.
It was the depths of the financial crisis. In
retrospect, it was the best time to start a
new business because when the orders
started to come in from customers across the
Provence and Cote d’Azur, I knew that I was
onto something.
What influences your style?
For me France is about timeless style and
that is the same for Pimlico. Wherever you
travel across France there is a commitment
to refined taste, whether a grand Paris
apartment, a house in the country or an
outdoor terrace at a simple village bistro.
That simple sense of style is my constant
inspiration when I design Pimlico products.

Take a set of French doors, leading into a patio
or garden: pure French elegance. They need a
curtain that matches that elegance, and that’s
what I’ve designed our range of voile curtains
to be.
Many people who have bought Pimlico
products during a trip to France contact us to
buy online. When they get home they find
they want more…
You always choose beautiful muted
colours for your textiles - is this because
they match with all types and colours of
decoration, ornaments etc?
White and muted colours are typically
French when it comes to table style
Yes, the mix and match element to our
collection is important. Each home has a style
that reflects its owner’s taste and style. Pimlico
products are there to complement and
enhance the features that already exist in the
home, be they architectural, wall colours, or
specific pieces of furniture.