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Summer 2023

Chock-full of fantastic features and stunning photographs. You'll find inspiring, entertaining & informative destination features - French Riviera, Provence, Loire Valley, Mont-Saint-Michel, Alpine villages and secret places, recipes from French foodie legends, culture and history and much, much more... Bringing France to you wherever you are!

Chock-full of fantastic features and stunning photographs. You'll find inspiring, entertaining & informative destination features - French Riviera, Provence, Loire Valley, Mont-Saint-Michel, Alpine villages and secret places, recipes from French foodie legends, culture and history and much, much more... Bringing France to you wherever you are!

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The<br />

Good Life France<br />

ISSUE Nọ 34<br />

ISSN 2754-6799<br />

Romantic<br />

& Medieval<br />

wonders of<br />

France<br />

Historic castles & pickled<br />

in the past villages<br />

Magazine<br />

Vallée de la<br />

Gastronomie<br />

620km foodie route<br />

from north to south<br />

Mont Saint-<br />

Michel<br />

Celebrates 1000 years<br />

of history<br />

Car-free & captivating<br />

PROVENCE!<br />

Normandy’s<br />

Cheese & Cider Country<br />

Delicious recipes<br />

Bringing you a taste<br />

of France…<br />

120 pages<br />

of inspirational<br />

features and<br />

gorgeous photos


Bienvenue<br />

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Bonjour and bienvenue to The Good Life France Magazine.<br />

I’m thrilled to share this beautiful summer issue with you – it’s<br />

brimming with fabulous features and fantastic photos, guides,<br />

culture, history, recipes and much, much more.<br />

Take a trek around France via the Vallée de la Gastronomie,<br />

a designated route which winds its way from delicious Dijon<br />

in Burgundy to mouth-watering Marseille in the south and<br />

honours the rich, authentic and utterly delectable heritage of<br />

French food from field to plate.<br />

Discover some of the most romantic sites and medieval<br />

gems of France within easy distance of Paris. Va va voom<br />

to Vaucluse – but not by car as we show you how to visit<br />

Provence without four wheels! Head to cheese and cider<br />

country and nibble your way around Normandy, and soak up<br />

the vivid colours and vibrant culture of French Basque country.<br />

Find out how to spend a perfect weekend in historic Tours in<br />

the Loire Valley and go off the beaten track to exquisite Saint-<br />

Cirq-LaPopie in the Lot, one of the most beautiful villages<br />

in France, and Le Grand Bornand in the French Alps – the<br />

perfect place for an outdoor summer break.<br />

Check out the châteaus including fabulous Fontainebleau<br />

and picturesque Pierrefonds. And celebrate 1000 years of the<br />

abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, one of the wonders of the world.<br />

Ever wondered how to get that perfect shade of French blue<br />

you see on doors and shutters all over France? Read on as we<br />

explain all. We shine a spotlight on lovely Mayenne and the<br />

beautiful Languedoc-Roussillon department in Occitainie,<br />

plus a look at the history of chocolate in France and some<br />

truly scrumptious recipes for you to enjoy a taste of France at<br />

home. And there’s heaps more.<br />

If you’re not a subscriber, hop on to page 4 and subscribe –<br />

totally for free, and please do share this issue with your friends,<br />

that’s free too!<br />

I wish you a very happy summer and hope you enjoy this issue.<br />

Bisous from my little corner of rural France.<br />

Janine<br />

Janine Marsh<br />

Editor<br />

Follow us on Twitter,<br />

Instagram & Facebook<br />

The Good Life France | 3


ISSN 2754-6799<br />

To Subscribe to<br />

THE GOOD LIFE FRANCE MAGAZINE<br />

CLICK HERE<br />

SUBSCRIBE<br />

CONTENTS<br />

The Good Life France Magazine<br />

No. 34 <strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />

ISSN 2754-6799<br />

The magazine is free to read, download and share<br />

Contributors<br />

5<br />

ON THE COVER<br />

8 Five romantic gems of France<br />

Historic castles and picturesque<br />

villages near Paris…<br />

Gillian Thornton is an<br />

award-winning travel<br />

writer and member<br />

of the British Guild<br />

of Travel Writers,<br />

specialising in French<br />

destinations and<br />

lifestyle. Her favourite<br />

place? ‘Usually where I<br />

have just been!’<br />

The<br />

Good Life France<br />

ISSUE Nọ 34<br />

Romantic<br />

& Medieval<br />

wonders of<br />

France<br />

Historic castles & pickled<br />

in the past villages<br />

Vallée de la<br />

Gastronomie<br />

620km foodie route<br />

from north to south<br />

Mont Saint-<br />

Michel<br />

Celebrates 1000 years<br />

of history<br />

Car-free & captivating<br />

PROVENCE!<br />

Normandy’s<br />

Cheese & Cider Country<br />

Delicious recipes<br />

Bringing you a taste<br />

of France…<br />

Ally Mitchell is a<br />

blogger and freelance<br />

writer, specialising in<br />

food and recipes. Ally<br />

left the UK to live in<br />

Toulouse in 2021 and<br />

now writes about her<br />

new life in France on<br />

her food blog<br />

NigellaEatsEverything<br />

Magazine<br />

FREE<br />

120 pages<br />

of inspirational<br />

features and<br />

gorgeous photos<br />

Jeremy Flint is<br />

an award-winning<br />

photographer<br />

(Association of<br />

Photographers<br />

Discovery Award<br />

Winner, National<br />

Geographic Traveller<br />

Grand Prize Winner,<br />

five-times finalist<br />

Travel Photographer<br />

of the Year) and writer<br />

specialising in travel,<br />

landscape and location<br />

photography.<br />

Sue Aran is a writer,<br />

photographer, and<br />

tour guide living in the<br />

Gers department of<br />

southwest France. She<br />

is the owner of French<br />

Country Adventures,<br />

which provides<br />

personally-guided,<br />

small-group, slow travel<br />

tours into Gascony, the<br />

Pays Basque, Provence<br />

and beyond.<br />

The Good Life France Magazine<br />

Aaron James is<br />

travelling around the<br />

south of France whilst<br />

on a Year Abroad from<br />

Oxford University,<br />

exploring and writing as<br />

he goes.<br />

Front Cover: Menton, French Riviera by Marianne Furnes: Instagram<br />

Editor-in-chief: Janine Marsh<br />

Editorial assistant: Trudy Watkins<br />

Press enquiries: editor (at) the Good Life France.com<br />

Advertising: sales (at) the Good Life France.com<br />

Digital support: websitesthatwork.com<br />

Layout design: Philippa French littlefrogdesign.co.uk<br />

ISSN 2754-6799 Issue 34 <strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2023</strong>, released June <strong>2023</strong><br />

16<br />

72<br />

16 Car-free & captivating<br />

Provence<br />

Picture-perfect Provence by<br />

public transport.<br />

22 The Vallée de la Gastronomie<br />

Janine Marsh takes a 620km<br />

gastronomic odyssey of France.<br />

46 Cheese & Cider country<br />

in Normandy<br />

Gillian Thornton samples<br />

and sips her way through the<br />

Norman countryside.<br />

72 Mont-Saint-Michel<br />

1000 years of history at the<br />

famous Abbey at the top of an<br />

island.<br />

DISCOVER<br />

34 French Basque Country<br />

Gillian Thornton soaks up the<br />

vivid colours and vibrant culture<br />

of this sunny corner of France.<br />

4 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 5


56<br />

88<br />

41 Le Weekend in the<br />

Loire Valley<br />

Janine Marsh falls for the<br />

allure of the Loire Valley, the<br />

former royal playground of<br />

France’s Kings and Queens.<br />

52 Saint-Cirq-Lapopie<br />

The ‘pearl of the Lot Valley’<br />

a wondrous, cliffhanging<br />

beauty of a village in the<br />

Lot… by Sue Aran and Janine<br />

Marsh.<br />

56 Hidden Gem –<br />

Le Grand Bornand<br />

An exquisite alpine village in<br />

Haute-Savoie<br />

62 Taste of France: Chocolate<br />

Alison Mitchell investigates<br />

the mild obsession with<br />

chocolate that the<br />

French have!<br />

102<br />

REGULARS<br />

90 What’s New<br />

All the news and events you need<br />

for your next trip to France.<br />

118 Last word<br />

Life in Rural France – making<br />

a home.<br />

GUIDES<br />

94 Living and working in France<br />

Top tips for those dreaming<br />

or planning to move to<br />

France and work from visas to<br />

microentrepreneurs.<br />

102 Languedoc Rousillon<br />

Joanna Leggett explores the<br />

culture, history and lifestyle of<br />

sunny Languedoc-Roussillon.<br />

108 Destination Mayenne<br />

Discover a tranquil land of<br />

rivers, forests and laid-back<br />

villages.<br />

68 Heavenly Hyères<br />

Aaron James says this Belle<br />

Epoque town on the French<br />

Riviera has it all!<br />

78 The Chateau of<br />

Pierrefonds<br />

Gillian Thornton explores<br />

a medieval fantasy castle<br />

in Picardy.<br />

84 How to French Country<br />

Sara Silm shares how to find<br />

the perfect shade of French<br />

blues and greens.<br />

BON APPÉTIT<br />

113 Fougasse with goats cheese<br />

More-ish and delicious French<br />

flatbread with fromage by Paris<br />

master baker Éric Kayser.<br />

114 Braided brioche<br />

Irresistible sweet plaited brioche<br />

by Paris master baker<br />

Éric Kayser.<br />

116 Scallop & vegetable balloons<br />

Scrumptious little ‘hot air<br />

balloons’ of deliciousness by<br />

Ferrandi Paris.<br />

PHOTO SPECIALS<br />

88 Your photos<br />

Featuring the most beautiful<br />

photos shared on our<br />

Facebook page.<br />

113<br />

4 Subscribe to The Good Life<br />

France Magazine<br />

Everything you want to know<br />

about France and more -<br />

subscription is totally free.<br />

6 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 7


e<br />

France is brimming with romantic villages<br />

and castles and medieval gems that have<br />

somehow managed to withstand the passing<br />

of time. Janine Marsh joined a barge cruise<br />

from Sens in Burgundy to the heart of Paris<br />

and visited some of the most ravishing sites of<br />

France en route…<br />

I have to be honest, I didn’t know much (ok<br />

nothing) about Sens in Burgundy, but this was<br />

my starting point for a CroisiEurope cruise<br />

to Paris on a beautiful barge called the MS<br />

Deborah. Sens is incredibly just an hour from<br />

Paris by train, but oh so different from the<br />

capital. It’s a sleepy sort of place on the edge<br />

of the Yonne River, an important waterway<br />

since the middle ages when boats carried<br />

Burgundy wines and wood from the forests to<br />

Paris as the Yonne flows into the Seine.<br />

Sens isn’t a big tourist attraction, but it is a pretty<br />

little town and is known in France for two things.<br />

First, its ancient cathedral which is even older<br />

than Notre-Dame in Paris, begun in 1130 AD.<br />

And second, it was from here that the warrior<br />

Brennus, chieftain of the Gallic Senon tribe,<br />

departed for Rome – and conquered it around<br />

390 BC. The Gauls only left after being paid off.<br />

Sens was an important religious centre since the<br />

3rd century, and its Cathedral was the first to<br />

feature vaulting in its design and is considered to<br />

be the very first of the great Gothic Cathedrals<br />

in France. Opposite the Cathedral is a lovely<br />

covered market, and there is a museum next to<br />

the Cathedral which has an eclectic collection<br />

including the hat Napoleon Bonaparte wore<br />

at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Apparently<br />

it was damaged by rain so he gave it to his<br />

hatmakers in Paris to repair, but was exiled to<br />

St. Helena before he got it back.<br />

Medieval marvel Provins<br />

This is cruising at its slow tourism best. The<br />

boat holds just 22 passengers, and everything<br />

is inclusive from food to wine and spirits, plus<br />

all excursions. The Yonne is a working river,<br />

we passed pleasure ships and cargo barges<br />

The MS Deborah<br />

Vaux-le-Vicomte<br />

8 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 9


Fabulous Fontainebleau<br />

Onwards we sailed, past a pair of courting<br />

black swans and fishermen sitting patiently<br />

on pontoons, and yet, we’re only 55kms from<br />

Paris. Our next stop was the magnificent<br />

Chateau of Fontainebleau. If walls could talk<br />

then those at this enormous castle of some<br />

1500 rooms would have plenty to say.<br />

Collegiale Saint-Quiriace © Provins Cheyenne<br />

and watched silos filling bulky holds with a<br />

backdrop of pretty villages, vineyards, and<br />

lovely houses that sit at the edge of the river.<br />

Wild birds swoop overhead, and swans glided<br />

regally as we floated gently and admired<br />

the glorious countryside, and sometimes we<br />

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stopped at locks and watched the action from<br />

the sun deck, sipping the cocktail of the day.<br />

The fabulous food and wine and the relaxed<br />

ambiance soothe your soul. By day three you<br />

won’t remember what day it I, and you won’t<br />

care either, it’s totally relaxing.<br />

The Good Life<br />

France podcast<br />

Everything you want to know about<br />

France and more...<br />

thegoodlifefrance.com<br />

Chef Jonathan with dessert<br />

We docked at the lovely medieval town of<br />

Moret-sur-Loing, a designated “remarkable<br />

heritage site” and “Destination Impressionism”,<br />

a favourite of painter Alfred Sisley who lived<br />

here for 20 years. I was torn between taking<br />

a bike from the boat to cycle in the local<br />

countryside and discover the Chateau de By,<br />

once the home of painter Rosa Bonheur, but I<br />

went for a tour of Provins instead. All the guides<br />

for trips speak both French and English.<br />

Provins in the department of Ile de France,<br />

is one of those places that you think simply<br />

can’t exist – but it does. This fortified town is a<br />

UNESCO World Heritage Site, once under the<br />

rule of the powerful Counts of Champagne.<br />

Its cobbled, flower-filled streets and medieval<br />

buildings cover a huge area and there’s a lot<br />

to see from towers and turrets to ramparts,<br />

dungeons and underground tunnels. Once a<br />

hugely important commercial centre, goods<br />

came from around the world to be sold at one<br />

of the town’s famous grand fairs which lasted<br />

for weeks. There’s also a fabulous rose garden<br />

and shop/tea shop where everything comes<br />

up roses from sweets to ice cream!<br />

Famous staircase of Fontainebleau<br />

This castle is 500 years older than Versailles.<br />

The original chapel was consecrated by<br />

Thomas Becket (whose secretary incidentally<br />

lived for several years in Sens), AKA Saint<br />

Thomas of Canterbury and Thomas à Becket.<br />

This is the only royal and imperial chateau in<br />

France that was continuously inhabited for<br />

eight centuries. From the 12th Century, what<br />

was a royal hunting lodge in a vast forest<br />

was renovated, extended and embellished<br />

by various Kings, Queens Emperors and<br />

Empresses until it became the extraordinary,<br />

enormous castle you see before you.<br />

10 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 11


It’s chock-a-block full of tapestries, frescoes,<br />

paintings, and carvings – opulently furnished,<br />

truly dazzling. Napoleon Bonaparte lorded it<br />

up at this chateau, saying it was his favourite<br />

above all others. He commissioned a team of<br />

builders and gilders to bling it up and make<br />

it more to his taste. And it was from that<br />

horseshoe shaped staircase that he bade<br />

farewell to his guides before going into exile<br />

(and leaving his hat behind).<br />

Here King Francois I of France hung the<br />

Mona Lisa over his bathtub, Louis XIV fed the<br />

giant carp in the pond and Marie-Antoinette<br />

commissioned a gorgeous bed for her pretty<br />

boudoir, though she never laid her head there,<br />

she lost it in Paris instead. She did though<br />

recreate what she loved about this countryside<br />

Paris at her hamlet in Versailles.<br />

Fontainebleau - Napoleon's library<br />

Detail on the wall of the ballroom at Fontainebleau<br />

Glorious Fontainebleau<br />

Bucolic<br />

Barbizon<br />

For a complete contrast we<br />

next headed to Barbizon, a<br />

little village on the edge of<br />

the Forest of Fontainebleau.<br />

Once a tiny hamlet (it was<br />

upgraded to village status<br />

in 1903), a colony of artists<br />

formed here in the early<br />

1800s. There was then a tiny<br />

grocery shop and artists on<br />

their way from Paris to Fontainebleau would<br />

stop to buy supplies and noted how beautiful<br />

the scenery was. They started to linger longer,<br />

enraptured by the beauty of the countryside<br />

and rural life, and the canny shop owner<br />

converted the shop to an inn which became<br />

the Hotel Ganne. Then the artists stayed<br />

longer and more and more came, Rousseau,<br />

Millet, Díaz de la Peña. They were the<br />

precursor that led to impressionism and Monet<br />

and Renoir themselves also visited – but they<br />

wanted bigger landscapes – cities and coasts.<br />

The artists left Barbizon. They also left their<br />

mark. The Hotel Ganne is now a museum,<br />

where the furniture and walls are covered<br />

Barbizon<br />

with the etches and sketches of the artists<br />

who stayed here. Caricatures, saints, fairies,<br />

soldiers, whatever inspired them – they left a<br />

little of their work and soul behind.<br />

The town is pickled in the past and very lovely.<br />

It continues to attract artists and the shops,<br />

bars and restaurants look like set pieces from<br />

your dream of a French village.<br />

Pickled in the past<br />

Vaux-le-Vicomte<br />

Next up is the ravishing castle of Vaux-le-<br />

Vicomte, one of the largest privately owned<br />

residences in France with gorgeous gardens.<br />

Commissioned by Nicolas Fouquet, Louis<br />

XIV’s minister of finance it was almost<br />

completed in 1661 but Fouquet invited the<br />

boss to visit and that was his undoing. It was so<br />

beautiful that Louis was enraged with jealousy,<br />

Hotel Ganne Barbizon<br />

12 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 13


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Vaux-le-Vicomte – art de vivre was important here<br />

and, egged on by other scheming ministers,<br />

he had Fouquet thrown into prison, where<br />

the unfortunate minister died in 1680. Louis<br />

had the furnishings, ornaments and even the<br />

curtains and plants put in his own castles and<br />

then hired the team who created Vaux-le-<br />

Vicomte, to work on Versailles. Moral – never<br />

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Picture-perfect Paris<br />

From here we cruised to Paris, the riverbank<br />

villages giving way to warehouses, apartment<br />

blocks, restaurants, and office buildings. The<br />

sounds of the city filtered through the air<br />

coupled with the sounds of music as people<br />

tango’d and cha cha cha’d on the quaysides, or<br />

lazed in the sun, going about the life of a city.<br />

Meanwhile on the barge it remained tranquil.<br />

We passed under historic bridges and dock<br />

between the Statue of Liberty on the little manmade<br />

island called Île aux Cygnes, facing its<br />

big sister in New York, and the Eiffel Tower.<br />

That night we had a gala dinner as the<br />

Eiffel Tower sparkled nearby and we bid<br />

farewell to new friends. We were joined by<br />

an accordionist and Edith Piaf tribute singer;<br />

the haunting sounds carried across the water<br />

and drew a small crowd on the quayside as<br />

the sun set and metro train purred over the Bir<br />

Hakeim Bridge – a perfect snapshot of Paris<br />

and the perfect way to end a most fabulous<br />

barge cruise in the world’s most popular city. I<br />

looked at my fellow bargers as the words “j’ai<br />

deux amours” rang out, it’s clear they were as<br />

enchanted as I was.<br />

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INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS: Tel. 01756 691 269 • sales@croisieurope.co.uk<br />

(1) On majority of departures on French rivers. (2) Flights based on LGW-LYS with Easyjet and private airport-ship transfers. (3) Flights based on LGW-NTE with Easyjet and private airport-ship transfers.<br />

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MS CAMARGUE, AVIGNON<br />

All inclusive for drinks<br />

onboard (1)<br />

14 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 15


Charles de Gaulle Airport, plus it’s only 7.5<br />

hours from London by train!<br />

Avignon TGV (fast trains) station is on the<br />

outskirts of the city and connects via local<br />

trains (TER) directly into the city where the<br />

station is a short walk to the Popes Palace.<br />

Avignon © A Hocquel, Vaucluse Tourism<br />

LE CAR-FREE<br />

week-end<br />

in Provence…<br />

Discover the beauty, culture, museums, monuments, and gastronomy of Provence –<br />

without a car, says Janine Marsh<br />

I’m often asked if it’s possible to visit Provence<br />

without a car and still see the wonderful sights<br />

and sites – and the answer is yes! Absolutely.<br />

When it comes to exploring historic cities and<br />

lovely villages, here’s how to do it by public<br />

transport. And, whilst the lavender fields are<br />

in the middle of countryside, far away from<br />

train stations and bus stops, you can visit<br />

them by bike or take a half day or day trip<br />

with a tour company.<br />

Avignon, the capital of Vaucluse in the heart<br />

of Provence, makes for a great base, and it’s<br />

easy to get to by train with direct connections<br />

by TGV (fast train) to Paris, Marseille and<br />

Avignon<br />

The historic city of Avignon, surrounded by<br />

medieval ramparts, is small enough to easily<br />

walk around. Apart from its bridge, “Sur le<br />

Pont d’Avignon, L’on y danse, l’on y danse…”,<br />

it’s perhaps most famous for its monumental<br />

and wonderfully preserved 14th century<br />

Palais des Papes (both are UNESCO<br />

World Heritage sites along with several<br />

other sites).<br />

Explore the historic buildings, museums and<br />

picturesque streets and squares. Stroll along<br />

the photogenic rue des Teinturiers, rue<br />

Peyrolerie, place des Corps Saints, place<br />

Saint Didier and place de l’Horloge – in all<br />

these cobbled streets and squares you’ll<br />

find fabulous bars and restaurants, shaded<br />

by plane trees, hidden in courtyards and<br />

alongside streams – perfect for a taste of<br />

delicious Provencal cuisine.<br />

Whilst you might not want to leave this<br />

lovely city, there’s a lot to see and do within<br />

easy travelling distance.<br />

Villeneuve-sur-Avignon<br />

Across the river Rhône which skirts<br />

Avignon, Villeneuve-sur-Avignon is truly<br />

beautiful – a place that most visitors to<br />

Avignon never discover. The garden of the<br />

Abbey Saint André, perched on a hill, has<br />

a tranquil ambiance with wonderful views.<br />

The 17th/18th century abbey, a national<br />

Heritage Site, is where 6th century Saint<br />

Casarie once lived, she chose the hilltop<br />

above the abbey as a place of prayer and<br />

meditation. It’s an easy journey on line 5 of<br />

the Orizo network, taking just 11 minutes.<br />

16 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 17


Or see the village from a boat. The Grands<br />

Bateaux de Provence enable you to discover<br />

the most beautiful sights of Avignon and<br />

Villeneuve-sur-Avignon from the Rhone river;<br />

or, push the boat out on a discovery cruise that<br />

includes lunch or dinner.<br />

Orange<br />

Take a 20-minute train ride to Orange and<br />

then walk 1km to the city centre (or take a<br />

bus from outside the station) to discover the<br />

extraordinary Roman theatre, a UNESCO<br />

World Heritage site.<br />

Once the theatre hosted 10,000 Romans,<br />

incredibly its famous wall still stands, one of<br />

the best preserved in the world. Close by is a<br />

majestic triumphal arch, and don’t miss the<br />

Museum of Art and History, which houses<br />

mosaics, cadastral maps, ancient remains and<br />

artefacts. The town itself is enchanting, bijou<br />

boutiques, bars and brasseries will tempt you<br />

to linger.<br />

Villeneuve-sur-Avignon © A Hocquel Vaucluse Tourism<br />

Wine is part of the culture of Provence, and<br />

in Chateauneuf-du-Pape life revolves around<br />

the wine. The hilltop town rises like a ship<br />

amongst a sea of grapevines, topped by the<br />

ruins of a castle built by those 14th century<br />

popes to be their summer holiday home. It was<br />

the popes who first planted the vines here.<br />

And they chose well. The terroir, that French<br />

word that’s so hard to translate which refers<br />

to the conditions the vines grow in, makes<br />

for the most superb wines to this day. There’s<br />

plenty of opportunity to taste them in the town<br />

with a cellar or shop every few metres. Stroll<br />

the historic street, climb the hill to the ruined<br />

castle from which you have spectacular views<br />

and walk the marked circuit from the village<br />

through the vineyards.<br />

As you might expect, it’s not easy to plonk a<br />

train station and tracks down in the middle of<br />

vineyards, so take a bus from Avignon to the<br />

town, visit by bike which takes about an hour,<br />

or take a tour (ask at Avignon tourist office<br />

for details).<br />

L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue<br />

Carpentras<br />

It’s around 30 minutes by train from Avignon<br />

to l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and the train station is<br />

in the town so it’s a short walk to anywhere.<br />

This former fishing village has a laid-back<br />

charm, with water wheels along its canals,<br />

pretty houses and fabulous shops. Its fame<br />

is worldwide due to the many, many antique<br />

shops and annual antique fairs. This town is<br />

the number one antique centre of southern<br />

France, and third in Europe.<br />

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the source of the water<br />

that feeds the canals and river in l’Isle-sur-la-<br />

Sorgue, is close by and well worth a detour.<br />

Take Zou line 21 (8 July to 31 August), or rent a<br />

bike (7.5 km).<br />

Chateauneuf du Pape<br />

Provence is famous for its superb wines and<br />

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is where some of the<br />

finest wines in the world are produced.<br />

View of Orange theatre from the top of the wall<br />

Isle sur la Sorgue © Marianne Furnes<br />

A 30-minute train ride brings you to<br />

Carpentras at the foot of Mont Ventoux. This<br />

small city has a rather exotic feel, almost<br />

Roman with a jumble of terracotta roofs atop<br />

the higgledy-piggledy houses. The Romans<br />

were in fact here, and though there are few<br />

remains, traces of the city’s ancient history is<br />

everywhere you look.<br />

In 1313 Pope Clement V took up residence in<br />

Carpentras. His successor moved the Papal<br />

Court to Avignon before it was re-established<br />

decades later in Rome. Carpentras was the<br />

capital of what’s known as Comtat-Venaissin,<br />

territory which belonged at one time to<br />

the Counts of Provence, at another to the<br />

Catholic Church, and didn’t become French<br />

until 1791.<br />

One of the legacies of the French Popes in<br />

Carpentras is the Synagogue, created in<br />

1367. The Jewish community, expelled from<br />

France, was welcomed into Papal territory.<br />

18 | The Good Life France Chateauneuf du Pape © A Hocquel, Vaucluse Tourism<br />

The Good Life France | 19


Carpentas © A Hocquel, Vaucluse Tourism<br />

The synagogue is one of the oldest still active<br />

synagogues in Europe. Plus discover the Judaica<br />

Collection, an incredible assembly of ancient<br />

books, paintings and sculptures at Inguimbertine,<br />

the only library-museum in France.<br />

Carpentras’ Friday morning market is one of<br />

the best in France. Some 350 stalls snake their<br />

way along a warren of streets and plane tree<br />

shaded squares. You’ll find everything from<br />

clothes to baskets, shoes to cakes, fruit, veg,<br />

truffles, olives marinated a dozen different<br />

ways, pungent herbs, tangy cheese, aromatic<br />

lavender and mouth-watering street food.<br />

And if you're there on a Sunday morning,<br />

enjoy the flea market under the plane trees in<br />

the centre of town. Around 180 stalls set up at<br />

the Parking des Platanes.<br />

Carpentras is famous for its berlingot<br />

bonbons, hard, translucent, striped, multiflavoured,<br />

multi-coloured boiled sweets in<br />

a tetrahedron shape. You can watch these<br />

delicious little treats being made at the<br />

Confiserie du Mont Ventoux.<br />

Detours<br />

Want to explore further? From Avignon you<br />

can take a train to many southern French<br />

Lavender fields<br />

must-sees, including Nîmes, Montpellier,<br />

Marseille and Arles, or a bus to the centre of<br />

Aix-en-Provence.<br />

Detailed itinerary for car<br />

free Provence<br />

It’s very easy to discover Provence without a<br />

car, you’ll find a fabulous several day itinerary<br />

to visit Vaucluse and it’s prettiest villages here:<br />

provence guide.co.uk/routes<br />

Useful information<br />

Note: you can take bikes on TER trains (but<br />

not TGV).<br />

Avignon Tourist Office can recommend<br />

tours of the lavender fields as well as guided<br />

tours of Avignon (address: 41 Cr Jean<br />

Jaurès, 5 minutes from the train station)<br />

Guide to Hiking in Provence<br />

Guide to biking in Provence<br />

Find details of what to see and do in<br />

Vaucluse, plus transport details here:<br />

provenceguide<br />

20 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 21


©Vallée de la Gastronomie – France ® / Seense<br />

The Vallee de la<br />

Gastronomie<br />

Janine Marsh undertakes a gastronomic odyssey of France…<br />

The Vallee de la Gastronomie ® is a unique<br />

route dedicated to food and wine. It straddles<br />

three major regions of France from the<br />

north to the south: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,<br />

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Provence-<br />

Alpes-Côte d’Azur.<br />

It’s a path that follows a thousand-yearold<br />

trade route and which now celebrates<br />

passionate producers of the food world from<br />

farmers and wine makers to chefs and all<br />

involved in the production, processing and<br />

traditions that make the rich heritage of<br />

French gastronomy so incredible. It is the king<br />

of gourmet routes, running for an astonishing<br />

620km through France. Along the way it is<br />

liberally peppered with the most delicious and<br />

authentic producers, a mind-boggling 452<br />

who have signed up to offer a special welcome<br />

to visitors (usually in English as well as French),<br />

offering guided tours, sensational tastings and<br />

mouth-watering experiences.<br />

Whilst this gastronomic journey is perfect for<br />

a road trip, you don’t need a car, you can go<br />

from town to town by train and bus as I did,<br />

stopping off to meet with artisans, farmers<br />

and chefs, indulge at the most fabulous<br />

restaurants and explore gorgeous villages and<br />

historic cities.<br />

The Vallée de la Gastronomie website makes<br />

it super easy to find out more about these<br />

remarkable experiences.<br />

A tasty trek<br />

The Vallée de la Gastronomie broadly follows<br />

the path of the mighty Rhône River between<br />

vineyards and ancient towns, from Burgundy<br />

to the Mediterranean Sea. The climate and<br />

landscape differ hugely from place to place,<br />

and each area has its savoir-fair, it’s know-<br />

Marseille © Peter Jones<br />

how, specialities and rich culinary history. The<br />

Phoenicians founded Marseille and introduced<br />

vines to France, Roman winemaking was<br />

intensive along the Rhône Valley, in the 14th<br />

century the Dukes of Burgundy planted Pinot<br />

Noir grapes in Burgundy and the Popes of<br />

Avignon in Provence planted yet more vines.<br />

Meanwhile, the ‘gastronomic meal of the<br />

French’ is listed on the UNESCO world<br />

heritage list reflecting the exceptional<br />

standard of French cuisine. Every region has<br />

its own cuisine and specialities based on<br />

local products, Bresse chickens of Burgundy,<br />

bouillabaisse of Marseille, the black rice of the<br />

Camargue – the list is endless. And along the<br />

route of the Vallée de la Gastronomie, you’ll<br />

discover the culinary diversity of French food<br />

at its very best.<br />

22 | The Good Life France Marseille<br />

The Good Life France | 23


And though this route celebrates the historic<br />

tasty treasures of France, it also honours<br />

a constantly evolving gastronomic scene,<br />

innovative chefs and ardent artisans. To be<br />

included on the list requires the offering of a<br />

‘remarkable experience’ to visitors, and every<br />

applicant is carefully vetted before acceptance.<br />

What was most remarkable to me was<br />

how I discovered that everyone involved in<br />

gastronomy was fervent about supporting<br />

local producers, protecting traditions and<br />

practicing art de vivre, the art of living well, but<br />

also being innovative in creating food, being<br />

organic, recycling and respecting the land and<br />

the people who work on it. It was an ethos I<br />

encountered over and over, almost a movement<br />

that is people led – and people supported.<br />

Frankly, I could write a book about my journey<br />

but there isn’t room! At the centre of the trail<br />

is Lyon, AKA the foodie capital of France, and<br />

to the south of it, like a string of pearls, are a<br />

plethora of towns and cities that pack a big<br />

food and wine punch. Here is a tasty teaser of<br />

Aix-en-Provence<br />

what I discovered on my epicurean voyage of<br />

France in the southern half of the Vallée de la<br />

Gastronomie (the northern half will be in the<br />

Autumn <strong>2023</strong> magazine.<br />

Aix-en-Provence<br />

The sun-kissed cultural, cosmopolitan and<br />

elegant city of Aix is the Paris of Provence.<br />

Cut in half by the Cours Mirabeau – an<br />

avenue of stately mansions and bustling<br />

restaurants which separates the renaissance<br />

and medieval quarters, Aix is brimming with<br />

museums and art galleries, boutiques and<br />

a fabulous market, sunny terraces and<br />

tinkling fountains.<br />

Chocolate heaven<br />

Who doesn’t love a tour of a chocolate<br />

workshop?! At Chocolaterie de Puyricard,<br />

a film, tour and tasting (available in English<br />

– book in advance), will satisfy your inner<br />

24 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 25


Willy Wonka and then some. “Butter from<br />

Charente, cream from Alsace, almonds<br />

and candied fruit from Provence...” says the<br />

guide as I watch the magical transformation<br />

of these delicious ingredients turned into<br />

chocolate, calissons, ice cream and sweets.<br />

French people eat 7-12 kg of chocolate a<br />

year – I’m only surprised it’s not more when<br />

it’s this good. They also host workshops.<br />

Forget night in a museum, I’m dreaming of<br />

night in a chocolate factory!<br />

The Goat lady<br />

Cheese lovers will adore the Ferme du<br />

Brégalon. When I visited, Anais Girard, the<br />

goat lady, was surrounded by baby goats<br />

bleating and wanting cuddles or maybe to<br />

hear her play the piano she keeps in the barn<br />

“they love music as much as me” she says.<br />

The farm is in a lovely, tranquil location,<br />

perfect for picnics, about 20km from the<br />

city and Anais and her husband also breed<br />

goats for sale “we go on holidays at places<br />

where our goats are” she laughs, happiness<br />

is definitely goat shaped here. Production<br />

is organic, manual and carried out with<br />

love. You can meet the goats and taste the<br />

goat milk products from tangy cheeses and<br />

yoghurts to ice cream.<br />

Innovative beer makers<br />

In a former printworks factory turned<br />

brasserie in Aix, quench your thirst with Aixmade<br />

ale. What started as a passion project<br />

for a couple of young beer makers has won<br />

a legion of fans who flock to Aquae Maltae<br />

for the innovative beers served with tapas<br />

style snacks and a fun atmosphere. You’re<br />

likely to find their beers in local restaurants<br />

too – from lavender beer and garlic beer to<br />

their popular Sainte-Victoire, named after<br />

the local mountain that haunted the dreams<br />

of Cezanne, as well as Mistral, a blonde beer<br />

“perfect for hot days.”<br />

The goats love to hear the goat lady play the piano<br />

Gaodina<br />

Enjoy a beer at Brasserie Aquae Maltae<br />

Where to eat out:<br />

Locals love: Restaurant Gaodina – lunch<br />

or dinner here is like taking a mini holiday in<br />

just a couple of hours. Just a mile or so from<br />

the commercial centre, it’s surrounded by<br />

meadows of wildflowers and Judas trees and<br />

looks like a film set for ‘A Year in Provence’.<br />

A fabulous menu at a great price, plus a<br />

barbeque kitchen for sunny days and a<br />

delicious wine list – outstandingly scrumptious!<br />

Read our guide to Aix<br />

26 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 27


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Marseille takes the biscuit<br />

Marseille is famous for its bouillabaisse – a<br />

rustic and chunky fish soup, but ask the<br />

locals what they love best and they’re sure to<br />

mention Les Navettes des Accoules. Jose<br />

Orsoni, AKA “Jo Navettes”, loves to talk about<br />

the famous biscuits of Marseille which he<br />

makes at his store on the edge of Le Panier,<br />

the old district of the city just 5 minutes<br />

walk from the world-famous Museum of<br />

Civilisations of Europe, MUCEM.<br />

“Navettes are the perfect goûter, snack” he<br />

says “stick one in your pocket, it won’t break<br />

and you can nibble on it anytime – with coffee,<br />

with tea and perfect with champagne, they go<br />

with everything but not pastis” he grins.<br />

The store is filled with divine aromas of these<br />

unique to Marseille biscuits being baked in<br />

front of you – it’s the “orange blossom water<br />

that makes them so good, it’s not too sweet” he<br />

says. He tells me that they were invented 300<br />

years ago, and even after decades of making<br />

them, he still eats them every day. People come<br />

from far and wide for these sweet treats – if you<br />

want to make like a local, join the queue!<br />

28 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 29<br />

Jo Navattes<br />

Where to eat out<br />

Locals love: Sepia, perched on the Puget hill,<br />

there are fabulous views over the city as you<br />

indulge in the truly delectable dishes.<br />

Push the boat out: Restaurant Gerarh,<br />

50 Cours Julien, a vibrant quarter that the<br />

locals adore for its ambiance and brilliant<br />

restaurants. Chef Gerarh Habib epitomises<br />

the warm welcome of the south, with a<br />

restaurant both refined and cosy, and a menu<br />

that reflects his love of organic, local produce<br />

and spices. Food to make you smile.<br />

Stay at: Hôtel Maison Montgrand.<br />

© Marie de Saint-Seine - Restaurant Gerarh


Captivating Cassis<br />

I end my journey in style in the luminescent<br />

seaside town of Cassis with a stay at the<br />

magnificent Hotel Roches-Blanches, the<br />

white rocks. A former private mansion built<br />

in 1887, it became a hotel in the roaring 20s.<br />

Here where Winston Churchill played and<br />

Edith Piaf relaxed, you will find the sort of<br />

French paradise hotel that you dream of and<br />

see in films but don’t really believe it exists.<br />

There are 45 rooms, every one of them<br />

memorable. Four restaurants tease, tantalise<br />

and tempt your taste buds.<br />

And the view from my room over the beautiful<br />

Cap Canaille, the tallest cliff in Europe, glowing<br />

the colour of toasted apricots as the sun kisses<br />

the Mediterranean Sea at the close of day is<br />

nothing short of soul inspiring. It is one of those<br />

places that everyone should experience for true<br />

pleasure and French art de vivre.<br />

From Cassis (or nearby Marseille) the<br />

Calanques are a must-visit, soaring limestone<br />

coves lapped by the turquoise sea water – go<br />

in the morning if you can, the light is better!<br />

There’s just so much to fall in love with in this<br />

lovely little town from cobbled streets lined<br />

with boutiques, bars and bistros, to the famous<br />

route des Cretes along the coast and sandy<br />

beaches. But I’m here for the food and wine so<br />

I head to the restaurant La Vieille Auberge<br />

on the Quai Jean-Jacques Barthélémy for<br />

lunch. I would be happy just drinking in the<br />

views from this place but the menu is seriously<br />

lip-smacking.<br />

Cassis<br />

Room with a view at Hotel Roches-Blanches<br />

Les Belles Canailles restaurant,<br />

Hotel Roches-Blanches<br />

Nectar of the gods<br />

A stone’s throw from the centre of town,<br />

surrounded by vineyards you’ll find Domaine<br />

Tigana. And if that name rings a bell,<br />

it’s because the wine maker is legendary<br />

footballer and coach - Jean Tigana, formerly<br />

of Les Blues and Fulham FC amongst many<br />

other prestigious clubs. He produces 75%<br />

white and 25% rosé wines from 14 acres,<br />

“wine is about passion, not about money,<br />

Sunday brunch at Hotel Roches-Blanches<br />

30 | The Good Life France The Good Life France Cassis | 31


and yes football is about passion too though<br />

playing football is harder” he laughs gleefully.<br />

He’s here every day and totally hands on<br />

from serving customers to delivering to local<br />

restaurants which lap up his award-winning<br />

wines “there’s never enough left to export”<br />

he says as he pours me a glass after a tour of<br />

the vineyards and cellars (in English), though<br />

luckily, if you go to the shop you can buy it –<br />

and it’s seriously good.<br />

On my travels I only touched the tip of the<br />

taste sensation that makes up this incredible<br />

food and wine adventure trail – I’ll be back…<br />

You can find heaps of details about the<br />

experiences, offers, the territories and<br />

destinations and book your visit here:<br />

valleedelagastronomie.com/en<br />

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Cassis vineyard in the shadow of Cap Canaille<br />

Prices subject to specific promotional period and subject to<br />

availability. Latest prices on our website. Bookings and travel period<br />

valid until 10 December <strong>2023</strong>. Prices correct at times of printing.<br />

32 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 33


The French<br />

BASQUE Country<br />

Gillian Thornton soaks up the vivid colours and<br />

vibrant culture of French Basque Country<br />

Wherever you choose to holiday in France,<br />

there’s no escaping the blue, white and red of<br />

the French flag, patriotically displayed outside<br />

town halls and other civic buildings. But head<br />

to the far-southwest where the green foothills<br />

of the Pyrenees meet the rolling surf of the<br />

Atlantic and you’ll soon see that the Tricolore<br />

has competition.<br />

The vivid red and white flag of Basque<br />

Country celebrates the culture and lifestyle<br />

of an unofficial country within a country. Or<br />

to be entirely accurate, within two countries,<br />

for the seven historic provinces of Basque<br />

Country straddle the Pyrenean mountain<br />

range. The four largest ones lie in Spain,<br />

whilst the other three make up the western<br />

half of France’s Department 64, Pyrénées-<br />

Atlantiques. Historically, the provinces<br />

share customs, culture and even a common<br />

language, Euskara. Now widely taught in<br />

local schools it bears no resemblance at all to<br />

French, or indeed any other language.<br />

Basque architecture is as distinctive as<br />

the language. Wooden timbers painted in<br />

traditional ox-blood red or forest green splash<br />

across whitewashed facades at every turn,<br />

giving a permanently upbeat feel to towns<br />

and villages, whatever the weather. But<br />

there’s a grander side to the Pays Basque<br />

too in the Belle Epoque mansions of elegant<br />

34 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 35


Biarritz. Napoleon III and his wife Eugènie<br />

commissioned a sumptuous summer palace<br />

here on the seafront, now repurposed as the<br />

5* Hôtel du Palais. And where the emperor<br />

went, the aristocracy of Europe followed,<br />

building flamboyant seaside villas of their own.<br />

But in the 1950s, this chic seaside resort<br />

welcomed a new kind of clientele with the<br />

advent of Californian surf culture. Seventy<br />

years on, Biarritz still exudes this heady mix<br />

of period elegance and buzzing youth culture,<br />

and there are few nicer ways to soak it up than<br />

to walk the undulating promenade around the<br />

Grande Plage where surfers skilfully ride the<br />

waves towards the Casino.<br />

My favourite coastal stroll leads south, past<br />

the old fishing port with its buzzing quayside<br />

restaurants and round the headland to the<br />

town’s excellent aquarium. Opposite the Art<br />

Deco façade, a high-level walkway leads<br />

over the waves to the emblematic statue<br />

of the Virgin on a rock, so walk on water to<br />

catch those sweeping views back across the<br />

Grande Plage to the lighthouse. Stop off for<br />

a meal or a drink at the Vieux Port then drop<br />

down to the Côtes des Basques, birthplace of<br />

surfing in France, for more surfboard action<br />

and views to La Rhune, highest point in the<br />

western Pyrenees.<br />

But Biarritz isn’t the only gem on the French<br />

Basque Coast. Small resorts dot the sandy<br />

shoreline as you head towards Spain, but<br />

the must-see seaside town is Saint-Jeande-Luz<br />

where Louis XIV married Maria<br />

Theresa of Spain in 1660 at the church of<br />

St John the Baptist, today located on the<br />

main shopping street.<br />

If you’re searching for gifts, take a look at<br />

traditional striped Basque linens, buy a pair<br />

of local espadrilles, or maybe stock up at<br />

Maison Adam on scrumptious macaroons, first<br />

presented to Louis XIV before his wedding. His<br />

bride-to-be spent the eve of the ceremony at<br />

the pink-washed ‘Infanta House’ overlooking<br />

the busy fishing harbour.<br />

Across the harbour in Ciboure stands the<br />

birthplace of composer Maurice Ravel who<br />

Espelette<br />

The Virgin on the Rock<br />

penned his famous Boléro in 1928 whilst on<br />

holiday in St-Jean-de-Luz.<br />

North of Biarritz, the straight sandy shore of<br />

Anglet embraces a succession of well-serviced<br />

beaches such as Chambre d’Amour as far<br />

as the mouth of the Adour. A few kilometres<br />

upriver lies Bayonne, unofficial capital of<br />

French Basque Country and administratively<br />

linked with Biarritz and Anglet as B-A-B.<br />

Immerse yourself in what it means to be<br />

Basque at the Basque Museum, housed in a<br />

former merchant’s house on the quayside.<br />

Explore the narrow streets of half-timbered<br />

houses in the cathedral quarter. And, on<br />

Saturday mornings, browse the street stalls<br />

that fringe the quaysides and bridges around<br />

the covered market.<br />

For a true taste of the town, discover<br />

Bayonne’s two signature products, chocolate<br />

and ham. Chocolate first arrived in France<br />

in the 16th century via Jewish immigrants<br />

escaping the Spanish inquisition and there<br />

are many independent chocolate makers<br />

each with their own speciality. Look out too<br />

for producers of Bayonne’s famous cured<br />

ham, made from Basque Country pig meat<br />

that is cured and treated with local salt and<br />

with crushed pimentos from the nearby<br />

village of Espelette.<br />

Tempting though it is to linger by the<br />

ocean, the lush green interior of French<br />

Basque Country is a must-see. Take the<br />

cog railway to the top of La Rhune for a<br />

seagull’s eye view of coast and countryside.<br />

Go underground at the Grottes de Sare and<br />

the Grottes d’Isturitz and Oxocelhaya for<br />

fabulous rock formations. And at Camboles-Bains,<br />

stroll through the glorious formal<br />

garden and sun-drenched rooms of Villa<br />

Arnaga, former home of Edmond Rostand,<br />

author of Cyrano de Bergerac.<br />

Nearby Espelette is an extravaganza in red<br />

and white, not just in the architecture and<br />

flags, but in the ubiquitous strings of scarlet<br />

peppers that adorn houses, shop fronts, and<br />

restaurants. Along with Sare, Ainhoa and La<br />

Bastide-Clairance, Espelette is classified<br />

36 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 37


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required for Basque Country’s signature game,<br />

pelota, played squash-style against the wall.<br />

Variations of the game – some of them played<br />

indoors – use a leather glove, wicker basket or<br />

even a bare hand to hit the ball in this highoctane<br />

sport.<br />

But there’s a third sport that seems part of<br />

the Basque DNA. Several high profile rugby<br />

players hail from the region and a number of<br />

former internationals can be found running<br />

restaurants, bars and even clothing brands.<br />

Passions run high when the whistle blows and<br />

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38 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 39


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For centuries the Kings of France made the<br />

Loire Valley their royal playground, a favourite<br />

place to hunt, eat, drink and be very merry.<br />

With a mild climate, fertile soil that makes it<br />

the market garden of France and excellent<br />

wines, it’s no surprise that the lure of the Loire<br />

was irresistible. It still is says Janine Marsh...<br />

Every year Kings and queens and the nobility<br />

of France made their way from Paris to stay<br />

in their beautiful castles and create glorious<br />

gardens. They took with them beds, furniture,<br />

tableware, all the things that made life<br />

pleasant. In those days, items such as this<br />

were not so readily available and often had<br />

a huge price tag. King Francis 1, he who built<br />

the vast Renaissance chateau of Chambord,<br />

had so much baggage it took 12,000 horses to<br />

carry it all.<br />

40 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 41


Thankfully many of those glorious chateaux<br />

survived the destruction of wars and the<br />

French Revolution and a whole new legion<br />

of fans of the Loire Valley came along and<br />

it became especially popular with Parisians<br />

since, as it never ceases to surprise me, you<br />

can hop on a train in the centre of Paris and<br />

alight in Tours, the gateway to the Loire Valley,<br />

not much more than an hour later.<br />

Tours – at the heart of the<br />

Loire Valley<br />

Tours is central to the UNESCO-listed (World<br />

Heritage of Humanity) Loire Valley with its<br />

majestic chateaux which give it the nickname<br />

‘the valley of kings’. Surrounded by tranquil<br />

countryside, verdant vineyards, historic towns<br />

and charming villages, Tours itself is well worth<br />

a visit and makes a great base if you only have<br />

time for a weekend or short visit.<br />

Within a radius of less than 30 miles are<br />

some of the Loire Valley’s most stunning<br />

castles – picturesque Chenonceau, and Clos<br />

Lucé where Leonardo da Vinci lived out his<br />

last years having ridden a donkey across<br />

the Alps from Italy, carrying his not quite<br />

finished Mona Lisa with him. And a stone’s<br />

throw away, Amboise is where da Vinci is<br />

laid to rest. Meanwhile Villandry has quite<br />

possibly the most marvellous gardens of the<br />

Loire, Ussé AKA the ‘sleeping beauty castle’ is<br />

magical. And then there’s the stunning Azayle-Rideau<br />

set on its own little island, plus the<br />

nearby charming, less well-known Chateaux<br />

de l’Islette where the great sculpture Rodin<br />

stayed with his muse and lover Camille<br />

Claudelle, and Saché where Honoré de<br />

Balzac wrote some of his greatest works, often<br />

walking there from Tours, where he was born.<br />

Those <strong>Summer</strong> nights<br />

In the summer months, don’t miss the fabulous<br />

Guingette de Tours. Just a few minutes from<br />

Guingette dancers<br />

the centre of the city, you’ll find it by the<br />

landmark Ferris Wheel. Nip down the big<br />

staircase and there you’ll enjoy a laid-back<br />

meal at possibly Tour’s most welcoming, and<br />

delicious, outdoor restaurant as you bask in<br />

the twinkling lights alongside the mighty Loire,<br />

France’s longest river. There’s something a<br />

bit magical about the guingette, the sort of<br />

place a grown up harry Potter would love. On<br />

summer nights, as the sky turns the colour of<br />

the ripest peaches you ever saw, the sun’s rays<br />

create a glittering kaleidoscope reflecting off<br />

silver disco balls, as birds swoop across the<br />

river and people tango with abandon with<br />

a dance teacher on hand to help novices. If<br />

that sounds all too energetic, simply pluck a<br />

book from the shelves and relax in one of the<br />

comfy chairs.<br />

Cathedrale Saint-Gatien ©_ADT Touraine – Jean-Christophe Coutand<br />

The food is outstanding. It’s happy food. You<br />

look around and people are smiling as they<br />

eat. Bursting with flavour, pesto, basil, the<br />

freshest and local products. The portions are<br />

generous, but you won’t want to miss a single<br />

mouthful! This bar and restaurant is perfect<br />

for a romantic night out, for solo travellers like<br />

me, for families and for friends.<br />

This little piggy went to<br />

market<br />

France excels when it comes to mouthwatering<br />

markets – but the one in Tours,<br />

known as the belly of Tours – stands out. It’s<br />

the place to go for fabulous fresh produce,<br />

from pastries to chocolate and cheese,<br />

vegetables, wine and a whole lot more. The<br />

covered market is absolutely delicious. I<br />

didn’t intend to spend a whole morning here<br />

but I was so transfixed by the displays and<br />

the produce, some of which I’ve never seen<br />

anywhere else – like Sainte Maure de Touraine<br />

42 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 43


Loire Brakes<br />

Loire Brakes<br />

Slow Down And Enjoy The View<br />

Tour the beautiful Loire Valley at your own pace with a guided e-bike holiday<br />

loirebrakes.com<br />

cheese and pressed pears tapée (dried) tart –<br />

I couldn’t help myself.<br />

History and culture<br />

Visit the old town and wander the cobbled<br />

streets to admire the ancient half-timbered<br />

houses. Follow the historic Circuit Saint Martin<br />

in the footsteps of Saint Martin to discover<br />

the main monuments relating to the Roman<br />

officer who became Bishop of Tours. When he<br />

died in nearby Candes in November 397 AD,<br />

monks rowed his body to be interred in Tours<br />

and it was said that where they passed, flowers<br />

bloomed, trees grew leaves and birds sang<br />

giving rise to the French phrase St Martin’s<br />

<strong>Summer</strong> (in English Indian <strong>Summer</strong>). The<br />

pilgrimage of Tours is one of the oldest<br />

of Christendom.<br />

There are several art venues and museums<br />

including the Musée du Compagnonnage<br />

which is extraordinary. Dedicated to trades<br />

guilds, it’s located in the former monks<br />

dormitory of the Benedictine Abbey of<br />

Saint Julien (13th-18th century). UNESCO<br />

listed (Intangible Cultural Heritage)<br />

Compagnonnage dates back from the end of<br />

the Middle Ages, ''knighthood of the working<br />

class'' George Sand called it). You’ll discover<br />

an impressive display of tools, engravings,<br />

woodwork and even a chateau made of sugar.<br />

Stay at: Hotel de Cygne in the centre but<br />

in a quiet street, in one of oldest mansions in<br />

Tours. The renovated 18th century rooms are<br />

charming and have oodles of character.<br />

Day trips: Take a chateau day trip with<br />

French family-run Ophorus tours<br />

Stay longer and take a fabulous tour by e-bike<br />

and discover the Loire Valley with<br />

Loire brakes<br />

Tourist Office: touraineloirevalley.com<br />

44 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 45


Nibbling around<br />

NORMANDY<br />

Gillian Thornton samples and sips her way through cheese and cider country.<br />

In 1962, former French President Charles de<br />

Gaulle famously bemoaned the challenges of<br />

governing a country ‘with 246 different kinds<br />

of cheese’. So the task must be even harder<br />

for today’s President. Sixty years on from De<br />

Gaulle’s gastronomic analogy, France now lists<br />

over 400 varieties, including more than 60<br />

that have been awarded Appellation d’Origine<br />

Contrôlée (AOC) status in France and, more<br />

recently the European label, Appellation<br />

d’Origine Protegée (AOP).<br />

French cheeses come in all shapes, sizes and<br />

strengths, lovingly produced on both artisan<br />

and industrial scale from the milk of cows,<br />

goats and even sheep. But whilst some are<br />

appreciated only in their local area, one French<br />

cheese is famous throughout the world. One<br />

of four AOC cheeses to come from the lush<br />

farmland of Normandy, Camembert is instantly<br />

recognisable with its distinctive circular shape,<br />

wooden box and colourful label.<br />

Normandy’s magnificent coastline is famous<br />

for its top quality seafood but turn your back<br />

on the sea and the bocage landscape of<br />

cattle meadows and apple orchards combine<br />

to produce the perfect cheese course, not to<br />

mention a range of liquid accompaniments to<br />

carry you from apéro to digestif. Even better,<br />

you can always find someone willing to show<br />

you how these signature products are made<br />

and to sell you their produce direct from<br />

source – just ask at any local tourist office or<br />

go to normandie.tourisme.fr for inspiration.<br />

Bocage doesn’t get much more beautiful<br />

than in the Pays d’Auge which lies east of<br />

Caen, ducal HQ for William of Normandy in<br />

the 11th century and the last resting place of<br />

this illegitimate son who took England’s top<br />

job in 1066 as King William I. Think small,<br />

wooded valleys and rich pastures lined with<br />

thick hedgerows, spring trees laden with<br />

apple blossom, and traditional half-timbered<br />

houses. This is inland Normandy at its most<br />

picturesque with some of the most fetching<br />

cattle you’ll see anywhere – brown and white<br />

with uniform brown eye patches.<br />

Spread out around the town of Lisieux, the<br />

Pays d’Auge is the birthplace of traditional<br />

Camembert, invented by farmer’s wife Marie<br />

Harel. There’s a statue of her – and also<br />

one of a very fine cow – in the small town of<br />

Vimoutiers, but her famous cheese was created<br />

at the Manoir de Beaumoncel in the nearby<br />

hamlet of Camembert in 1791.<br />

A priest fleeing from revolutionaries in his native<br />

area of Brie shared a cheese manufacturing<br />

secret with Madame Harel, who went on to<br />

create the cheese we know today. During the<br />

First World War, large quantities were sent to<br />

French troops on the Western Front to boost<br />

morale, helping to turn Camembert into a<br />

national symbol. In 1983, authentic Camembert<br />

de Normandie was given protected status.<br />

46 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 47


Discover the full story at Maison du<br />

Camembert in the heart of the tiny village<br />

which includes a visit to the adjacent Clos de<br />

Beaumoncel cheese factory. Here you can<br />

look through glass to see how Normandy milk<br />

is transformed into traditional handmade<br />

Camembert – up to 6000 organic and AOP/<br />

PDO cheeses per week.<br />

Marie Harel statue at Vimoutiers<br />

And of course the visit ends with a<br />

comparative tasting of artisan and<br />

industrially made Camembert in the onsite<br />

shop. I lingered too over the display of<br />

colourful pictorial labels commemorating<br />

various anniversaries of the D-Day Landings<br />

in 1944. Each one is a mini work of art<br />

which graphically illustrates the attraction<br />

of taking up tyrosemiophilia as a hobby.<br />

Cheese label collecting to you and me!<br />

maisonducamembert.com<br />

Camembert nestles in the Orne department<br />

and a handy sign at the entrance to the<br />

village points the way to Normandy’s other<br />

AOC cheeses. Just 15km to the north in the<br />

department of Calvados is Livarot-Pays-d-<br />

Auge, home town of Livarot with its orange<br />

rind and powerful flavour. Don’t be surprised<br />

if you hear someone ask for a wedge of<br />

‘Colonel’ – Livarot’s nickname thanks to the<br />

five ‘military’ stripes of reed or paper around<br />

the circumference.<br />

Head north again and 54km from<br />

Camembert, Pont-L’Evèque nestles between<br />

Lisieux and Deauville, still within the<br />

Pays d’Auge area of Calvados. Square or<br />

rectangular in shape, its eponymous mild<br />

cheese is covered with a rind that ranges in<br />

colour from golden yellow to orange.<br />

For Normandy’s fourth AOP cheese, you<br />

need to cross the river Seine to Neufchâtelen-Bray<br />

in the department of Seine-<br />

Maritime, 171 km from Camembert. Covered<br />

in a thin white edible layer, Neufchâtel is a<br />

favourite for romantic dinners thanks to its<br />

traditional heart-shape that harks back to the<br />

Middle Ages when local girls would offer their<br />

cheeses to occupying English troops during<br />

the Hundred Years War.<br />

Few drinks go better with Normandy’s<br />

flavourful cheeses than a glass of local dry<br />

cider or – for the drivers – farm-produced apple<br />

juice. Normandy’s apple orchards stretch over<br />

a wide area, but the self-drive Route du Cidre<br />

winds its way through the heartland of the AOC<br />

Cidre du Pays d’Auge production area, linking<br />

the villages of Cambremer and Bonnebosq with<br />

the postcard-pretty community of Beuvronen<br />

Auge, classified amongst Les Plus Beaux<br />

Villages de France.<br />

Created in 1974, the Cambremer Cider Route<br />

was the first trail in France to be launched by<br />

producers keen to promote the quality of their<br />

products and their warm hospitality. Today<br />

you will find almost 20 ‘Cru de Cambremer’<br />

producers along the route, all open to visitors<br />

– find full details, including opening hours, on<br />

routeducidre.com<br />

Some farms only produce cider; others apple<br />

juice, cider jelly, and even cheese. Look out<br />

too for Pommeau AOC de Normandie, a<br />

delicious apple aperitif made from threeparts<br />

pressed apples – or must - to one part<br />

Calvados, the area’s famous apple spirit. And<br />

whilst Calvados improves with age – if you can<br />

resist opening it, of course – young Calvados<br />

works particularly well in cocktails.<br />

The Pays d’Auge is a delight for walkers with<br />

its gentle countryside, timber-framed manor<br />

houses, and pretty churches, as well as small<br />

stud farms producing the top quality horses<br />

for which Normandy is famous. There are<br />

surprises too. Bonnesbosq has named its<br />

sports ground after a famous Hollywood actor<br />

who owned a mansion in the neighbourhood<br />

– none other than Yul Brynner, star of 1956<br />

movie The King and I and, three years<br />

later, The Magnificent Seven. And close<br />

to Cambremer stands the bijou medieval<br />

castle of Crèvecoeur-en-Auge, which hosts<br />

exhibitions and ‘living history’ re-enactments<br />

during the summer months.<br />

Then there’s Beuvron-en-Auge, less than<br />

20 minutes’ drive from the seaside resort<br />

of Cabourg on the Côte Fleurie. Don’t<br />

miss it, but do try to visit outside of peak<br />

times, especially in summer, when its many<br />

restaurants and tempting antique shops are<br />

bustling with visitors. Expect crowds too during<br />

the cider festival in late October. But this<br />

elite Plus Beau Village is a gem with its broad<br />

square, covered market and craft workshops,<br />

all surrounded by tranquil countryside.<br />

Small wonder that it too has attracted a<br />

celebrity resident, world-famous British artist<br />

48 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 49


Neufchatel and Camembert<br />

David Hockney who moved close to the village<br />

in 2019. Inspired by the light of Norman skies<br />

and the arrival of spring in the Pays d’Auge,<br />

Hockney produced a 90-metre frieze from<br />

scenes ‘painted’ on an iPad and inspired by<br />

the Bayeux Tapestry. First displayed at Salts<br />

Beuvron en Auge<br />

Mill near Bradford in his native Yorkshire,<br />

A Year in Normandie has also been exhibited<br />

in Paris and most recently at Bayeux, a<br />

glorious tribute to this tranquil corner of<br />

Norman countryside.<br />

Boozy baked Camembert recipe<br />

Unwrap the cheese and then place back<br />

in the box. Tie some string around the box<br />

so it keeps its shape.<br />

Make small incisions in the top of the<br />

cheese. Peel and finely slice the garlic<br />

and poke it into the Camembert with a<br />

few small sprigs of thyme.<br />

250g Camembert<br />

Bunch fresh thyme<br />

2 cloves of garlic<br />

1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)<br />

1 tablespoon brandy<br />

Mix the honey and brandy together and<br />

drizzle over the cheese.<br />

Bake at 170°C for around 20 minutes.<br />

Peel back the top and dip, dunk and<br />

dollop chunks of bread in, crackers, or a<br />

very easy to make tarte de soleil which<br />

will give this dish a whole load of wow<br />

factor appeal!<br />

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50 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 51


Saint-Cirq<br />

Lapopie<br />

The ‘pearl of the Lot Valley’ a wondrous,<br />

cliffhanging beauty of a village in the<br />

Lot… by Sue Aran and Janine Marsh<br />

“It was in June 1950, as we rode by car…that I<br />

first saw Saint-Cirq, blazing with Bengal Fire,<br />

like a rose in the night…It was love at first<br />

sight…Above any other place in the world,<br />

in America or Europe, Saint-Cirq is my one<br />

place of enchantment…I stopped wanting to<br />

be elsewhere” – André Breton, writer and one<br />

of the founders of the surrealism movement<br />

Saint-Cirq Lapopie, officially one of the most<br />

beautiful villages in France, lies within the<br />

Parc natural régional des Causses du Quercy<br />

in the Lot. It’s an area known historically<br />

as Aquitania Prima, the ancient Quercy<br />

region in southwest France, composed of the<br />

Lot, Lot-et-Garonne and Tarn-et-Garonne<br />

départments.<br />

The best way to reach it is via the road from<br />

Cahors, just 18km to Saint-Cirq (pronounced<br />

Saint ’Sear’). The route is lined with cliffs<br />

and threads its way through the majestic Lot<br />

Valley. Then suddenly medieval Saint-Cirq is<br />

above you, perched almost 100m above the<br />

Lot river, looking like a mirage.<br />

Saint-Cirq, enclosed by fortified gates and<br />

punctured by picturesque bridges, is small but<br />

perfectly formed. Once a castle crowned its<br />

heights, perfect for seeing long distances, it<br />

made the town a defensive stronghold. Built in<br />

the 8th century by the Duke of Aquitaine, the<br />

castle became the property of the Lapopie<br />

family and did its job well. Even Richard<br />

the Lionheart couldn’t capture it. But those<br />

defences worked too well, and afraid that<br />

it would fall into enemy hands one day and<br />

never be retrieved, Louis XI of France ordered<br />

its destruction in 1471. From the ruins there are<br />

beautiful views over the rooftops of the village.<br />

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, nicknamed the ‘pearl<br />

of the Lot Valley’ was the first village to be<br />

crowned “favourite village of the French” by<br />

the France Télévisions program in 2012. There<br />

are more than a dozen historical monuments<br />

and clifftop cobbled streets, hollyhocks grow<br />

out of cracks in the pavement bordering the<br />

ancient houses, cafés, charming restaurants<br />

and artisan shops.<br />

The 16th century Gothic church, l’Église de<br />

52 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 53


Saint-Cirq is topped by a mighty bell tower,<br />

above a chapel built during the Gallo-Roman<br />

era. Beautiful 13th to 16th century stone<br />

and half-timbered houses (13 of which are<br />

registered historic buildings) line the steep<br />

winding streets.<br />

The River Lot curls its way along the bottom<br />

of the limestone cliff. Head to the bottom of<br />

the village for a 3-mile walk along the river.<br />

You’ll be glad to know it’s flat, and well worth<br />

the effort for the beautiful scenery. You can<br />

rent a boat or take a guided river tour from<br />

the tiny port.<br />

The 17th century locks of the Lot river helped<br />

the village to prosper commercially as<br />

garbarres (flat bottomed boats) transported<br />

local produce, tobacco and wine to Cahors<br />

and Bordeaux. The village was famous for its<br />

craftsmen woodturners and it’s said that they<br />

collectively invented the wooden taps for wine<br />

barrels! Today the village is home to many<br />

artisans and galleries and boutiques line its<br />

medieval streets.<br />

During the middle of the 20th century, the<br />

pointillist artist, Henri Martin and the Catalan<br />

artist, PIerre Daura loved to holiday in Saint-<br />

Cirq, as well as the American photographer<br />

Man Ray. The surrealist writer, André Breton<br />

spent his summers here and his former 13th<br />

century house, the oldest in the village and a<br />

former sailors inn, now hosts the International<br />

Centre of Surrealism.<br />

Over many thousands of years humans have<br />

left their handprints, quite literally, in the<br />

Quercy region. Some of the earliest traces<br />

of cave dwellers dating back to 25,000 BC,<br />

can be found in the Grotte du Pech Merle,<br />

just below Saint-Cirq. The caves are still<br />

open to the public, unlike the famous caves<br />

of Lascaux, a 100 km northwest, which have<br />

been closed since 2006.<br />

There are plenty of places to take a break,<br />

watch the life of the village going on, indulge<br />

in the local cuisine and a glass of the fullbodied<br />

red wine the area is famous for. There’s<br />

a tiny wine museum which showcases local<br />

produce and wines including tastings. For<br />

LE MOULIN<br />

SUR CÉLÉ<br />

An enchanting luxurious riverside retreat in the beautiful Célé Valley<br />

Experience la France Profonde<br />

www.lemoulinsurcele.com<br />

an authentic taste of the Lot, Le Gourmet<br />

Quercynois will satisfy your soul. In a 17thcentury<br />

house, regional specialities star - duck,<br />

truffles and their renowned apple pudding<br />

which features pastis and plum liqueur in puff<br />

pastry served with salted caramel ice cream.<br />

Tip: Drive to the upper parking lot unless you’re<br />

a seasoned climber, as the lower parking lot is<br />

quite a strenuous hike to the village proper.<br />

Stay at: Le Moulin-sur-Célé opens its doors<br />

in the summer of <strong>2023</strong>. An exquisite holiday<br />

home in a magical setting, surrounded by<br />

glorious countryside and vineyards in the<br />

Lot Valley. Less than 30 minutes from Saint-<br />

Cirq-Lapopie, Cahors and the wonderful<br />

Rocamadour, Le Moulin-sur-Célé is a<br />

destination in itself, a private refuge, perfect<br />

for families, couples and friends in a sublime<br />

natural environment with pool, tennis court<br />

and private sandbank along the river. Find our<br />

more: lemoulinsurcele.com<br />

Tourist office: cahorsvalleedulot.com<br />

54 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 55


HIDDEN<br />

GEM:<br />

Le Grand<br />

Bornand,<br />

Haute-<br />

Savoie<br />

Vue village © C. Chabod - Le Grand Bornand Tourisme<br />

Le Grand Bornand near Aravis, within<br />

the Annecy Mountains region is a skier’s<br />

delight, but it’s also an absolutely fabulous<br />

summer destination. You’ll discover a<br />

vibrant little town, with plenty of shops, bars<br />

and restaurants plus a plethora of activities<br />

including fantastic hiking and biking routes,<br />

as well as culture and heritage, set against<br />

a backdrop of mountains covered in<br />

greenery and wildflowers. It really is a little<br />

hidden gem…<br />

What to see and do in<br />

the town<br />

Le Grand Bornand is small enough to get to<br />

know it well in a day, big enough to keep you<br />

happy for a week or more, and surrounded by<br />

glorious countryside.<br />

This is a town that loves cows and there’s a<br />

year-round Cow Art Trail, an open-air tour<br />

featuring artworks paying homage to the<br />

humble cow!<br />

You’ll also find here the shop of Didier Perrillat,<br />

one of the last artisans making leather goods<br />

in Haute-Savoie, including necklaces for cows!<br />

Did you know every cow has a unique bell?<br />

And a good farmer can recognise an individual<br />

cow by its ring? Cows here wear daytime bells<br />

but they may have a special “dress” bell which<br />

is much bigger and heavier and worn for shows<br />

and special occasions. Didier makes beautiful<br />

leather straps for the bells to hang on for those<br />

special occasions! You can watch him creating<br />

all sorts of leather goods from purses to bags<br />

in his cosy shop Chez Le Bourrelier.<br />

Nature lovers and families will love La Source, an<br />

authentic farm with exhibition rooms, workshops,<br />

play areas, a quirky cow sculpture (of course),<br />

plus a bar and café set in stunning surroundings.<br />

The town makes for a great base for touring<br />

the area by car, bike, on foot or even on roller<br />

skis, great practice for the winter season and<br />

Didier in his workshop<br />

56 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 57


a terrific way to get fit. It’s the outstanding<br />

natural beauty of the area that is the real star<br />

though with a photo opp at every step.<br />

Around and about<br />

A short drive from Le Grand Bornand you’ll<br />

find the Col des Aravis. At 1498m it has<br />

magnificent views that take your breath away.<br />

Those ski lifts that make skiers life easy, also<br />

work in the summer and make for a fun ride.<br />

Mountain bikers will love the 178km of cycle<br />

paths weave their way through the Massif des<br />

Aravis mountain range - there are 16 trails,<br />

a bike park and even a bike school offering<br />

guided night-time e-bike rides including dinner<br />

in a high-altitude restaurant and a starlit<br />

descent to the village. Don’t fancy breaking<br />

into a sweat? Hop on an e-bike and take an<br />

18km route that offers spectacular views over<br />

the Aravis Mountains, great for the whole family<br />

with a farmhouse auberge stop en route.<br />

Hikers are spoiled for choice with a huge<br />

variety of signposted walks for those who like<br />

a challenge, or those who like to wander in<br />

peace and not run out of puff.<br />

Art Vache © Alpcat Medias<br />

Eat out<br />

The high street of Le Grand Bornand is lined<br />

with delicious gourmet food shops – cheese,<br />

chocolate and charcuterie galore. There’s<br />

an award winning boulangerie at Le Petit<br />

Marquis with speciality breads of Savoie,<br />

and if you’ve got a sweet tooth, head to<br />

Gourmandises d’Antan and try the “alpine<br />

snowflakes”, “Aravis crystals” and more<br />

delicious little treats.<br />

There are plenty of restaurants and bars in the<br />

town from gastronomic to traditional. Head up<br />

into the mountains for glorious views and more<br />

fabulous restaurants.<br />

Enjoy a meal high up in the fresh air, there’s<br />

nothing quite like it to whet your appetite<br />

58 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 59


and there’s lots of great choice. For<br />

views, ambiance and scrumptious dishes,<br />

Restaurant les Rhodos ticks all the boxes<br />

Don’t miss a cheese tasting – this is<br />

Reblochon cheese country. First produced<br />

in the 13th century, it’s a traditional taste<br />

of the Mountains. Find out more about<br />

the history of the area, life in the past<br />

and Reblochon cheese at the Le Hameau<br />

des Alpes museum at nearby La Clusaz.<br />

And don’t miss out on tartiflette, a melted<br />

cheese melange of lardons, cream, onion<br />

and potato topped with Reblochon -<br />

perfect after a bike ride or ramble on a<br />

summer’s day.<br />

Chalet Alti<br />

Chalet Argali<br />

Stay at:<br />

Chalet Alti - Just 700m from the centre of<br />

Le Grand Bornand, the five star, beautifully<br />

furnished chalet offers a fabulous mountain<br />

getaway at any time of year and sleeps up<br />

to 14 guests. Offering amazing views, guests<br />

can enjoy the hot tub in the garden, a sauna<br />

and a dedicated children’s floor.<br />

Chalet Argali - A gorgeous five-star chalet<br />

which sleeps up to 14, set on the edge of Le<br />

Grand Bornand Chinaillon, with easy access<br />

to fantastic walking and cycling. With a<br />

sauna, a lovely sunny terrace with outdoor<br />

dining area, a petanque court, table football<br />

and board games, this is a perfect mountain<br />

chalet for all the family.<br />

60 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 61


CHOCOLATE –<br />

France’s mild obsession<br />

We all know Paris as the city of love or the<br />

city of lights - but did you know it is also the<br />

city of chocolate shops? The ‘Chocolate<br />

Capital’ boasts over 300 dedicated stores,<br />

claiming the title around the world. It’s no<br />

wonder we think the French have a mild<br />

obsession with chocolate says food writer<br />

Ally Mitchel…<br />

France is besotted, and produces around<br />

700 000 tonnes of chocolate each year.<br />

This love goes back all the way to the 17th<br />

century, when chocolate was an aphrodisiac<br />

drug lorded around Versailles, and nobles<br />

hired their own personal chocolate makers.<br />

However, it wasn’t all chocolate parties –<br />

it’s a tale of trade wars and greed which<br />

brought chocolate to the French stage.<br />

For thousands of years, the Olmecs, then<br />

Mayans of ancient Mesoamerica (the<br />

Mexico of today), drank a brew of cacao.<br />

And by the 1500s, the Aztecs had adopted<br />

a similar cultural practice, drinking xoc*l*tl<br />

meaning ‘bitter water’, and traded the<br />

beans as currency. This ‘drink of the gods’<br />

was consumed by the King Montezuma 50<br />

times a day and was said to possess mystical<br />

medicinal and aphrodisiac properties.<br />

In the 16th century, Christopher Columbus<br />

allegedly brought cacao beans back to Europe<br />

after exploring the Americas, but these fruits<br />

were considered too bitter to gain any public<br />

excitement. However, when the Spanish<br />

conquistadores including Hernán Cortés<br />

returned with the beans in the late 1500s, the<br />

publicity grew - especially when the Spanish<br />

court added other colonial imports, including<br />

sugar, to make it more palatable. The Spanish<br />

then kept the joy of chocolate a trade secret<br />

for the next decade.<br />

Chocolate came to southern France in the<br />

early 1600s, introduced by Jewish migrants<br />

who settled in Bayonne, bringing with the<br />

secret of chocolate-making. Over the next<br />

two hundred years, this community founded<br />

the first French chocolate companies,<br />

and established Bayonne as France’s first<br />

chocolatier city. Finally, the Spanish secret of<br />

chocolate was released around Europe.<br />

By 1615, chocolate was the darling of the<br />

French court. The 14-year-old Spanish<br />

princess Anne of Austria presented her<br />

betrothed King Louis XIII with a chest filled<br />

with chocolate, and from then on it was the<br />

exclusive indulgence of the Kings of France<br />

and their courts. Consumed in liquid form, this<br />

exoticism was flavoured with other mystical<br />

ingredients such as coffee, cloves and vanilla,<br />

all considered to possess medicinal or druglike<br />

qualities. Most of all, the French court<br />

deemed chocolate an aphrodisiac thanks to<br />

its revitalising qualities and its Aztec roots,<br />

which, to the French aristocrats’ sensibilities,<br />

meant it was wildly sensual. In 1702, a doctor<br />

reported that, ‘Chocolate's properties are<br />

such that they stimulate Venus' ardour’.<br />

Under Louis XIV, chocolate in all its forms was<br />

a feature of Versailles’ cuisine. Confectioners<br />

were hired exclusively to make the nobles<br />

daily hot chocolates. He himself developed<br />

such a taste for chocolate, that it was deemed<br />

a continuous supply was essential. So he<br />

ordered the cultivation of cocoa beans in<br />

62 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 63


the French-owned West Indies. His own<br />

chocolatier David Chaillou was bestowed<br />

with the privilege of being the country’s<br />

only chocolate trader. He opened the first<br />

chocolate factory in 1659, a monopoly that<br />

lasted for 29 years.<br />

The fascination for chocolate continued with<br />

the king’s successors. Louis XV could be found<br />

in the kitchens making his own hot chocolate,<br />

the recipe of which still survives today. His<br />

favourite mistresses, Madame de Pompadour<br />

and Madame du Barry regularly drank hot<br />

chocolate and inspired court gossip. Madame<br />

de Pompadour’s low libido was notorious so<br />

drinking chocolate ‘heated her blood’ whereas<br />

Madame du Barry was at the opposite end of<br />

the spectrum, and it was claimed chocolate<br />

elicited her ‘insatiable lust’.<br />

Louis XVI, along with Marie-Antoinette, was<br />

a connoisseur of the beverage. The queen’s<br />

own chocolate maker was none other than<br />

Chaillou’s great-great-grandson Sulpice<br />

Debauve. By now, all noble families had their<br />

own chocolatier, yet the royal couple had two,<br />

including the king’s personal physician since<br />

chocolate was still believed to be medicinally<br />

beneficial. Marie-Antoinette started each<br />

day with a cup of hot chocolate served<br />

with whipped cream in the Viennese style.<br />

Debauve made her chocolate medallions<br />

Step back in time<br />

and discover the past at<br />

Azincourt 1415 historic centre<br />

Azincourt1415.com<br />

24 Rue Charles VI<br />

62310 Azincourt<br />

64 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 65


Pistolles de Marie-Antoinette © Debauve & Sulpice<br />

which disguised the taste of bitter medicine<br />

that the Queen took for her headaches. Known<br />

as “Pistoles de Marie-Antoinette” they were the<br />

first chewable chocolates. They were such a<br />

success that, in 1823, at his Parisian chocolate<br />

shop, he created ‘dietary’ chocolates for<br />

good health - flavoured with orange blossom<br />

and vanilla. To this day “Pistoles de Marie-<br />

Antoinette” are still made by Debauve & Gallais<br />

– though without the headache medicine.<br />

By then, in the post-revolution climate,<br />

chocolate was finally available to the masses,<br />

yet was still considered to be a medicine,<br />

so it was marketed by pharmaceutical<br />

company, Menier. The company opened their<br />

first factory in 1814 and sold chocolate as a<br />

soothing yet mildly stimulating recreational<br />

drug. By the end of the 19th century, it was<br />

La famille du Duc de Penthièvre AKA the cup of chocolate,<br />

1768 Jean-Baptiste Charpentier le Vieux<br />

believed to be the world’s largest chocolate<br />

factory with plantations and railroads, and<br />

sold wrapped chocolate bars, recognisable as<br />

the chocolate we know and love today.<br />

France’s hold over chocolate may have waned<br />

over the last century, especially with Menier<br />

being absorbed by global conglomerate<br />

Nestle, but there is still an illicit charm to<br />

French chocolate. The devilish chocolate<br />

truffle is uniquely French, allegedly created<br />

by the Dufour family in 1895. La Maison du<br />

Chocolat and Valrhona are two high-quality<br />

French brands loved around the world, and<br />

we must not forget the one and only pain au<br />

chocolat – France’s disguised excuse to eat<br />

chocolate for breakfast – and of course, the<br />

very French chocolat chaud, a taste of an<br />

abandoned opulence.<br />

66 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 67


Hyères, the Presqu’île<br />

Hyères in the Cote d’Azur, southern France has it all – sun, sea, sand, stunning<br />

architecture, superb restaurants, delicious local wines and the chance to go island<br />

hopping says local Aaron James.<br />

and its Islands:<br />

HIDDEN GEMS<br />

of the Côte d’Azur<br />

A sunny ‘Belle Epoque’ town of the French<br />

Riviera, this beautiful coastal hub boasts 2,400<br />

years of history and is home to remarkable<br />

natural heritage such as the National Park of<br />

Port-Cros and the Ile d’Or Archipelago.<br />

History lovers will adore the intricate medieval<br />

quarter and ancient Greek archaeological site.<br />

There are perfect conditions for water sports<br />

and remarkable wildlife for those who love the<br />

Beach Hyères<br />

outdoors. And if you want to relax by the sea,<br />

you’re totally spoilt for choice with numerous<br />

coves and glorious soft sand beaches spread<br />

along the Presqu’île de Giens and its islands.<br />

Few foreign tourists choose to holiday in<br />

Hyères, opting instead for the town’s glitzy<br />

neighbour St Tropez. While this won’t mean<br />

that hotels and restaurants are empty (it’s<br />

a favourite with the French), it certainly<br />

means that the area possesses a more<br />

authentic, ‘unspoilt’ feeling.<br />

A little bit of history<br />

As the oldest resort on the French Riviera, it<br />

is hardly surprising that the town is steeped<br />

in history. You can’t help but marvel at<br />

the remains of the Hellenic city of Olbia,<br />

established in 4BC, or at the ancient Greek<br />

archaeological site near Almanarre beach.<br />

Meanwhile, just up the road, there was a<br />

Roman settlement at Pomponiana.<br />

Pass through the Porte de la Rade, erected<br />

in the late twelfth century, and you’ll feel<br />

as if you’ve stepped back in time as you<br />

stroll the town’s medieval winding streets<br />

and ogle the centuries old houses. Don’t<br />

miss the Tour de Blaise as you check out<br />

the delicious delicatessens and lively<br />

fishmongers, artisan shops and booksellers<br />

en route. Also known as the Tour des<br />

Templiers, this tower is the last vestige of a<br />

larger chapel constructed by the Knights<br />

Templar some eight hundred years ago.<br />

Nowadays, it serves as a cultural space and<br />

hosts many theatrical shows.<br />

Although in ruins, the castle which<br />

overlooks Hyères has not lost its majesty.<br />

Gazing across the Provençal countryside,<br />

and out towards the peninsula, it’s easy to<br />

imagine how it looked in the 16th century.<br />

68 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 69


Hyères<br />

Calanque du Maure - Hyeres and Toulon on the mainland in the background<br />

Your Corner of Paradise on the Côte d'Azur<br />

5 hectare site, with views of the Meditarranean and beautiful pine groves<br />

Hyères has long attracted artists and writers,<br />

including Victor Hugo and R.L. Stevenson,<br />

and the 100-year-old this year Villa Noailles,<br />

now open to the public, was a magnet for the<br />

avant-garde artists of the early 20th century<br />

from Jean Cocteau to Pablo Picasso.<br />

paths for exhilarating bike rides under pure<br />

blue skies. On the eastern side, the unspoilt<br />

Badine beach offers the perfect conditions<br />

for both thrilling water sports and relaxed<br />

sunbathing as well as yoga on the beach.<br />

The best of the south of<br />

France on your doorstep<br />

Apartments, villas<br />

and hotel<br />

Beachside bar and<br />

restaurant<br />

Watersports centre<br />

Private beach and pool<br />

Gastronomy<br />

Being by the sea means that seafood<br />

favourites like moules frîtes and bouillabaisse<br />

are popular on menus and there are many<br />

great restaurants in and around the old town<br />

and the Port d’Hyères. Afternoons whiled<br />

away here, with a glass of perfectly chilled<br />

wine in the sun, is true Riviera living.<br />

There are lively weekly markets at both<br />

Hyères and on the Giens Peninsula where<br />

you can find the very best of Provence’s fruit<br />

and vegetables, cheeses and plenty of baked<br />

goods too.<br />

The Presqu’île<br />

The Presqu’île – a much more romantic way<br />

to say peninsula – stretches its reach into<br />

the deep blue Mediterranean and is home to<br />

several seaside resorts and wild flamingos.<br />

To the west, marvel at kite surfers floating<br />

their colourful kites along the 4km long<br />

Plage d’Almanarre. And, on especially clear<br />

days, you can see the harbours at Toulon<br />

and Carqueiranne. The saltmarshes, with<br />

their famous flamingos, provide the perfect<br />

The island of Porquerolles<br />

At the tip of the Presqu’íle is Tour Fondue, a<br />

small port named after its 16th century fort.<br />

From here ferries leave daily to the islands<br />

off the coast of Hyères. The most famous of<br />

them is Porquerolles – often compared to<br />

the Caribbean due to its relaxed atmosphere<br />

and clear blue waters. Since cars aren’t<br />

allowed here, the best way to see the island<br />

is by bike – you’ll find plenty of bike hire<br />

companies along the harbour.<br />

Although there are restaurants, bars and<br />

a hotel on the island, the Plage de Notre<br />

Dame is best enjoyed with a hearty picnic of<br />

fresh baguette, sundried tomatoes and the<br />

cheese you bought from the morning market<br />

– and a glass of local rosé.<br />

Get there: Flights operate from Gatwick to<br />

Toulon (20 minutes by car), from June<br />

to September<br />

Stay at: Domaine de la Mer, offers hotel<br />

rooms, apartments, villas and cottages on<br />

the edge of the beach, a little corner of<br />

Paradise: domainedelamer.com<br />

At the Domaine, the environment is at<br />

the heart of everything we do<br />

Talented kitchen team which<br />

specially selects fresh, local produce.<br />

Organic cleaning products which are<br />

good for the evironment and our<br />

guests.<br />

Bedding made from 100% recycled<br />

material, 28% of which from the sea.<br />

To find out more and book for the summer:<br />

+33 4945 82101 - contact@domainedelamer.com<br />

Stay up to date...<br />

FOR AUTUMN <strong>2023</strong><br />

Le Domaine des Artistes:<br />

Enjoy seminars from a range<br />

of writers, academics and<br />

philosophers on a variety of<br />

interesting topics every<br />

weekend, culminating in our<br />

first Ideqs Festival in June<br />

2024.<br />

Activities for all the family<br />

Watersports centre Le Domaine de la Glisse<br />

offering classes in paddleboarding,<br />

kayaking, kitesurfing and more!<br />

Entertainment every night of the summer at<br />

our famous beachside restaurant.<br />

Badminton and volleyball court, bike rental,<br />

classes in yoga, HIIT, boxing and pilates.<br />

NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW -<br />

70 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 71


Jeremy Flint explores the extraordinary Mont-Saint-Michel and uncovers the secret<br />

parts and the must-sees plus what to see and do in the area.<br />

Mont-Saint-Michel,<br />

Normandy<br />

Mont-Saint-Michel is a remarkable tidal<br />

island located in the Manche department,<br />

Normandy. Sitting just off the impressive<br />

coastline between Normandy and Brittany,<br />

this is one of France’s most impressive<br />

sights. The mount’s spectacular Abbey is the<br />

crowning glory, perched atop a rocky outcrop<br />

in the heart of the bay which provides breathtaking<br />

views from all around.<br />

One of the most popular attractions in the<br />

country, second only to the Eiffel Tower, both<br />

the abbey and the bay have held UNESCO<br />

World Heritage status since 1979. The iconic<br />

sanctuary has been attracting pilgrims for<br />

centuries, with vast numbers drawn to the<br />

scenic splendour, beautiful buildings and the<br />

glory of Saint Michael. For centuries, devotees<br />

would risk crossing the bay with strong tides<br />

and precarious quicksands to reach this<br />

spiritual place. Even today, a stream of around<br />

3 million visitors and pilgrims flock each year<br />

to the island and its spectacular bay.<br />

Whether you arrive on foot, by bike or by bus<br />

along the permanent path that connects the<br />

island to the mainland, there are a wealth of<br />

things to explore from the authentic, medieval<br />

streets to the historic ramparts, the Abbey,<br />

and its cloisters.<br />

You can’t help but be wowed by the<br />

fortified walls and towers of this worldfamous<br />

landmark that rises up to the<br />

clustered buildings of the village. Pass the<br />

drawbridge and enjoy a stroll through the<br />

Grande Rue (main street) lined with fine<br />

hotels, restaurants and shops. Sample the<br />

local cuisine at La Mère Poulard (Mother<br />

Poulard), which serves omelettes cooked on<br />

an open-wood fire, a gastronomic emblem.<br />

Developed by Annette Boutiaut Poulard<br />

in the 19th century, they are described as<br />

‘the most famous omelettes in the world’<br />

and have been enjoyed by many renowned<br />

visitors including Ernest Hemingway, Winston<br />

Churchill and even Marilyn Monroe. The<br />

Drawbridge<br />

Auberge de la Mère Poulard is also a great<br />

place to stay on the island.<br />

Visit the village museums that resurrect the<br />

history of the site, and explore the hidden<br />

walkways round the ramparts for excellent<br />

panoramic views. Stop by the 15th and 16th<br />

century parish church of St Peter, a place of<br />

devotion to the Archangel Michael for pilgrims<br />

arriving at the mount. Don’t miss the statue<br />

of Saint Michael slaying the dragon inside the<br />

side chapel. The church provides the perfect<br />

oasis to pause and take a break from the<br />

hustle and bustle of the Grand Rue before<br />

climbing the steep, lung-busting stairways to<br />

the Abbey.<br />

72 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 73


The Grand Degré, a narrow staircase of 350<br />

steps leads you to the Abbey entrance. Here<br />

you can experience the splendour of the abbey<br />

and explore the labyrinth of buildings linked by<br />

suspended passageways over three floors.<br />

Inside the magnificent Gothic-style<br />

Benedictine Abbey, the imposing 11th century<br />

nave is an impressive sight with its grand<br />

arches, galleries and tall windows. Services<br />

are still held here daily (except Mondays) and<br />

there are weekend masses.<br />

The west terrace offers a unique view of the<br />

spire of the church tower mounted with a gravitydefying,<br />

gilded copper statue of Saint Michael<br />

and views of the Breton town of Cancale to the<br />

west, the cliffs of Normandy to the east and the<br />

archipelago of the Chausey Isles (where granite<br />

was sourced to build the abbey) out to sea. Here,<br />

you can also appreciate the small monastic<br />

and village gardens from above.<br />

The walkway continues around a courtyard<br />

through the cloisters, small columns create<br />

constantly changing views before arriving in<br />

the refectory, and it’s here that monks once<br />

ate their meals in reverent silence. Finally, you<br />

can descend to the underground crypts and<br />

their magnificent stone pillars supporting the<br />

weight of the church and acknowledge this<br />

true architectural marvel.<br />

Tombelaine Islet<br />

Cloisters<br />

Back at the base of the mount, you can walk<br />

in the bay up to the Islet of Tombelaine on<br />

a guided tour and discover the quicksands<br />

and bird life – the islet is a bird reserve and<br />

Statue st Micheal<br />

protected breeding ground for gulls and<br />

passerines. Alternatively, take a hike along the<br />

coastline for the most beautiful views of Mont-<br />

Saint-Michel.<br />

Dine at: Restaurant La Ferme St Michel<br />

Sample salt marsh lamb and whelk specialities<br />

served in the airy, stone-walled farmhouse,<br />

Route du Mont-Saint-Michel, La Caserne.<br />

When to visit<br />

June to August is one of the best times to visit<br />

with the warmest temperatures in Normandy<br />

and pleasant weather but be aware that these<br />

are also the busiest months and Mont-Saint-<br />

Michel can be very crowded. Another great<br />

time to visit is during Spring with the largest<br />

tides in Europe surrounding the Mont and you<br />

can witness an extraordinary sight as the Mont<br />

becomes an island, enveloped by the ocean.<br />

What to see and do nearby:<br />

Avranches<br />

Extend your visit and discover the other<br />

delights of the bay and surroundings. In nearby<br />

Avranches, there is a Scriptorial museum<br />

which guards and preserves the Abbey’s<br />

ancient manuscripts which were found in the<br />

Abbey treasury. Take some additional time to<br />

see Avranches’ amazing architecture including<br />

charming churches, the old castle and the<br />

majestic town hall.<br />

Dine at: La Toque Aux Vins, a newly<br />

refurbished bistro and bar that the locals<br />

love for the relaxed ambience and exquisite<br />

cuisine, 8 Rue de la Mairie.<br />

Stay at: La Croix d’Or, a charming<br />

hotel-restaurant (and former coaching<br />

inn) in the centre of Avranches, 83 Rue<br />

de la Constitution.<br />

Moidrey Windmill and salt marsh sheep<br />

One of the highlights of the peaceful<br />

landscapes around the bay is the Moulin de<br />

Moidrey, a stunning Norman windmill, located<br />

within 5 kilometres of Mont Saint Michel. Also,<br />

inland from Mont Saint Michel you can see<br />

sheep graze on the salt marshes at low tide<br />

and enjoy this distinctive agricultural practice.<br />

Dine at: the nearby Le Grillon in Pontorson<br />

with tasty pancakes and an awesome grill, 37<br />

Rue Couesnon.<br />

74 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 75


Saint Malo @NickHallFineArt<br />

Cancale<br />

West of Mont Saint Michel, the headland<br />

offers a picturesque coastline dotted with<br />

oyster farms and wonderful views where La<br />

Pointe du Grouin provides one of the best<br />

outlooks to sea and further west towards Saint<br />

Malo. Visit the Ferme Marine oyster farm to<br />

learn about the history and heritage of oyster<br />

farming and sample these fantastic delights of<br />

the ocean.<br />

Saint-Malo<br />

The beautiful town of Saint-Malo and its natural<br />

harbour are a wonderful place to explore where<br />

the ramparts rise proudly above the beaches<br />

and port making it a unique sight. Unearth<br />

Saint-Malo’s beauty and charm with a walk<br />

along the historic walls, visit the Chateau and<br />

marvel at the old city views from the lookout<br />

towers, then see the wonders of the sea at the<br />

aquarium before refuelling at a creperie.<br />

Visit a farm<br />

Finally, with farming being such an important<br />

way of life in the region, seize the opportunity<br />

to visit one of the local farms and enjoy their<br />

local products. Cara-Meuh farm in Vains is<br />

an organic, third generation farm in the bay<br />

of Mont Saint Michel that produce delicious<br />

products including cheese, cream, butter,<br />

milk, eggs, honey, pork, beef and their famous<br />

artisanal caramels (made from their very own<br />

milk and butter) with different flavours from<br />

salted butter to chocolate and apple, a local<br />

delicacy of the region. Tour the farm and<br />

treat yourself to their goods in the farm shop,<br />

besides other local produce.<br />

INFO<br />

For more information about visiting Mont<br />

Saint Michel and the bay (including parking<br />

and entry tickets to the Abbey), times of<br />

services in the abbey, and to find out about<br />

hotels on the island (which is how Jeremy got<br />

to see it like this – empty of visitors!) visit<br />

ot-montsaintmichel.com<br />

<strong>2023</strong> is a special year that marks the<br />

millennium since the Romanesque<br />

abbey’s construction in 1023. The Mont<br />

will celebrate 1000 years of history and<br />

creation with activities and exhibitions<br />

between May and November including a<br />

summer solstice light show.<br />

Listen to the most beautiful<br />

French songs on your mobile,<br />

Smart TV, Radioline, TuneIn etc.<br />

parischanson.fr<br />

FRENCH IMMERSION PROGRAMS<br />

• Homestay at your certified private tutor’s residence<br />

• Learn French & discover culture in the most beautiful places in France<br />

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slimmersion-france.com<br />

76 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 77


PIERREFONDS<br />

Never underestimate the power of the imagination. Gillian Thornton enjoys the<br />

medieval fantasy that is Château de Pierrefonds.<br />

Walking steadily up through the grounds of<br />

Château de Pierrefonds, I half expect to<br />

see Cinderella come running down the path<br />

towards me. Or maybe Rapunzel letting her<br />

hair down from one of the gleaming white<br />

towers. Even a fire-breathing dragon wouldn’t<br />

surprise me, though I’d certainly hope he was<br />

friendly. Because here at the Château de<br />

Pierrefonds, anything seems possible.<br />

The small town of Pierrefonds nestles in the<br />

far south of the Hauts de France region in the<br />

department of Oise. There has been a fortress<br />

on the hill here since the 11th century, but in<br />

1393, Louis of Orléans, younger brother of<br />

Charles VI was created Count of Valois. And,<br />

in a stirring story of family power play, Louis<br />

promptly ordered the construction of three<br />

new castles, including a rebuild at Pierrefonds.<br />

Using state of the art medieval design and<br />

technology, The Count commissioned an<br />

impenetrable fortress, designed to repel his<br />

cousin Jean sans Peur, Duke of Burgundy, as<br />

they fought for the French crown. But in 1407,<br />

Louis’s takeover plans came crashing down<br />

when he was assassinated by the devious Duke.<br />

The Count’s lavishly decorated castle<br />

remained empty until the early 17th century<br />

when enemies of Louis XIII took refuge<br />

behind its seemingly impenetrable walls. Bad<br />

decision. Artillery weapons had moved on<br />

and Pierrefonds was no longer impenetrable.<br />

Captured by the king’s troops, it was<br />

subsequently dismantled, a threat to royal<br />

supremacy no more.<br />

So how am I now able to walk beneath<br />

magnificent round towers with ornate<br />

medieval turrets, through an impressive<br />

gateway, and into an ornate inner courtyard to<br />

the foot of a magnificent staircase? For that,<br />

we have to thank not kings, but emperors.<br />

Fast forward to the 19th century and the age<br />

of Romanticism when artists arrived to paint<br />

the ruined walls at Pierrefonds and writers<br />

dreamed amongst its old stones. In 1811,<br />

Napoleon I bought the crumbling castle, but<br />

it was his nephew, Napoleon III, who was to<br />

breathe new life into Pierrefonds.<br />

The Emperor already owned a grand imperial<br />

palace across the forest at Compiegne where<br />

he held lavish receptions designed to impress,<br />

but he wanted a private residence too where his<br />

close family could stay. The ruins at Pierrefonds<br />

– barely ten miles from Compiègne – offered<br />

enormous possibilities in the right hands.<br />

78 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 79


Pierrefonds chapel<br />

Pierrefonds interior<br />

Enter Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, the must-have<br />

architect of the age, who was passionate<br />

about the medieval period and had travelled<br />

widely in Italy and France with his friend<br />

Prosper Mérimée, then inspector of historic<br />

monuments. Mérimée entrusted his travel<br />

companion with the restoration of important<br />

religious and civic buildings including the<br />

Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, Mont<br />

Saint-Michel in Normandy, and the walled city<br />

of Carcassonne. Pierrefonds was to be his last,<br />

and arguably most imaginative project.<br />

Viollet-le-Duc began work at Pierrefonds<br />

in 1857, but to modern standards, his idea<br />

of restoration is somewhat controversial.<br />

‘Restoring a building is not maintaining,<br />

repairing or redoing it,’ he declared. ‘It’s<br />

restoring it to a complete state that may never<br />

have existed at a given time.’ In the process,<br />

he wasn’t beyond removing original features.<br />

So rather than an authentic medieval rebuild,<br />

the Château de Pierrefonds we see today is<br />

Viollet-le-Duc’s idea of how he felt a castle<br />

from the Middle Ages should look. Fanciful<br />

it may be, but his work had a hugely positive<br />

influence on public interest in historic<br />

monuments, and his illustrated books on<br />

architecture would be used by generations of<br />

architects to come.<br />

So as I walk up through the park on a sunny<br />

summer day beneath eight soaring white<br />

towers, I’m not surprised to see a carved figure<br />

adorning each one. Not medieval knights<br />

though, but famous warrior kings from across<br />

the centuries including David and Joshua,<br />

Caesar, Alexander the Great, and King Arthur.<br />

Step into the inner courtyard and the style<br />

changes again. I’m no architect but I do<br />

know a Renaissance window when I see one,<br />

although I’ve never seen rooftops embellished<br />

with stone cats before, a nod to Viollet-le-<br />

Duc’s own cat who kept him company while<br />

he worked. If you have young ones with you,<br />

download the children’s activity booklet and<br />

complete the puzzles with Théobald the cat as<br />

your guide.<br />

Whichever way I turn, I spot another<br />

eye-catching feature. Three giant stone<br />

salamanders with gaping mouths embellish<br />

blank walls, whilst an equestrian statue<br />

of Louis I of Orléans stands by the grand<br />

staircase that leads to the main entrance.<br />

Inside there are more surprises. The castle’s<br />

permanent exhibition presents decorative<br />

pieces from the Monduit workshops, famous<br />

for their sheet metal work, which features<br />

here at Pierrefonds. And on the chapel<br />

gate, Viollet-le-Duc is depicted in pilgrim’s<br />

clothing, accompanied by Louis of Orléans<br />

and his wife Valentine Visconti of Milan.<br />

In medieval times, the castle keep would<br />

have contained the apartments of the<br />

ruling family, the last retreat in the event<br />

of a siege. At Pierrefonds, you can expect<br />

lavish decoration around the walls ranging<br />

from carved animals and plants to symbols<br />

of the Empire. And as the last word in 19th<br />

century home comforts, you’ll even find<br />

flushing toilets.<br />

The castle cellars date back to the 14th<br />

century but the vaults were rebuilt in the 19th<br />

century and it is here that I find Le Bal des<br />

Gisants, one of the most unexpected exhibits<br />

at Pierrefonds. A gisant is a recumbent statue<br />

usually found on tombs and this collection<br />

of replicas was commissioned by King<br />

Louis Philippe to pay tribute to an eclectic<br />

collection of figures who had brought glory to<br />

France across the centuries, including Louis<br />

d’Orléans, builder of Pierrefonds. Originally<br />

kept at Versailles, the gisants are now kept<br />

here, atmospherically displayed beneath<br />

moving coloured lights against a soundtrack of<br />

whispered poems<br />

Viollet-le-Duc’s fanciful interpretation of the<br />

Middle Ages may not please visitors who come<br />

to Pierrefonds hoping for a true-life medieval<br />

experience, but I loved it. Not authentic for<br />

sure, but quirky, imaginative and beautiful<br />

in its own unique way. Pierrefonds was one<br />

of several European castles that inspired<br />

Walt Disney for classic tales such as Sleeping<br />

80 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 81


Beauty, Cinderella and Snow White, and it<br />

has been used as a film set for many movie<br />

directors since.<br />

Last stop for visitors is the model castle,<br />

made in stone for the Exposition Universelle<br />

in Paris in 1878 and weighing 4500 kg.<br />

Created under the guidance of Lucjan<br />

Wyganowski, inspector of the castle works,<br />

it was designed to show the public the scale<br />

and importance of the reconstruction works.<br />

Nearly 150 years later, it still has the power<br />

to amaze.<br />

Begun in 1857, Viollet-le-Duc’s fantasy<br />

castle took more than 20 years to complete<br />

and was unfinished at the time of his<br />

death in 1879. But the work was carried<br />

out according to the master’s plans by his<br />

son-in-law, artist Maurice Ouradou. Finally<br />

completed in 1884, this fairy tale castle<br />

never became an Imperial residence but<br />

opened to the public in 1867, a stunning<br />

museum of medieval architecture with just a<br />

few more contemporary extras!<br />

Bal des Gisants<br />

Château de Pierrefonds is open daily,<br />

apart from 1 January, 1 May and 25<br />

December. For opening hours, see<br />

chateau-pierrefonds.fr<br />

For information on local walking trails,<br />

heritage visits and remembrance<br />

sites, visit destination-pierrefonds.fr<br />

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82 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 83


As a colour enthusiast, I well remember my<br />

first months in the Bearn, walking around local<br />

villages with my head constantly cranking<br />

upwards, then forwards, then up again as I<br />

collected photos of shutters and doors in their<br />

hundreds. I saw shutters in my sleep; subtle<br />

shades of blue so close to one another…<br />

yet just different enough to make me revisit<br />

those houses again and again. What was<br />

it that made them so special, I wondered;<br />

there couldn’t have been that many shades<br />

available fifty or sixty years ago when they<br />

were painted. And then I realised: this was<br />

the baked-in patina. I began to notice that<br />

the blue-painted shutters and doors on southfacing<br />

sides of the buildings were slightly<br />

more sun-faded compared with their northfacing<br />

cousins; these were more weatherbeaten<br />

in appearance, after decades of<br />

being battered by storms blown inland from<br />

the Atlantic. Some paint colours were so<br />

old – and flaking away badly – that only a<br />

single precious chip remained, clinging to the<br />

timber. It was at this stage that I decided to<br />

start collecting samples and convert each one<br />

Orthez<br />

How to find<br />

the perfect<br />

French blue<br />

Sara Silm, photographer, stylist and author of How to French Country, lives in a<br />

Béarnaise village at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, from where she shares<br />

her love of the many shades of French blues and greens<br />

84 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 85


into an international paint code that could be<br />

authentically reproduced to create an exact<br />

version of the original.<br />

Like any collector, I wanted to keep a record,<br />

an archive, safely stored away. But I also did it<br />

because there’s one question I’m always asked<br />

by people who’ve visited France and left with a<br />

burning desire to bring a little bit of it back to<br />

their home: ‘How do I find the perfect French<br />

blue?’ (Followed by: ‘where would I find that<br />

beautiful green door colour?’…)<br />

There are certainly plenty of commercial<br />

colours that fulfil this brief to perfection,<br />

and I’ve arranged a series of colour choices<br />

for you. But what you can’t find in a paint<br />

catalogue are the paint codes I’ve created<br />

myself. I’ve collected these colours in the<br />

same way a mad botanist walks the fields and<br />

mountains collecting plants and seeds. Some<br />

of them will never be seen again, because<br />

their years of patina will have disintegrated<br />

into tiny fragments by the time you read this…<br />

The colours have been categorised into the<br />

towns in which they were found and paired<br />

with their National Colour System (NCS) to<br />

create a kind of colour by numbers, if you will.<br />

So, if you see a colour that would be perfect<br />

for you, simply take the code to a paint-supply<br />

store with the facilities for mixing international<br />

paint colours and, with the shake of a tin, it will<br />

be yours.<br />

CHAMPAGNE HOUSE<br />

https://frenchcountryadventures.com/<br />

Just one example of many colour charts in the book<br />

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wherever you are. Capturing the beauty<br />

and tranquility of the region, interior<br />

designer and journalist Sara Silm distills<br />

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86 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 87


Your Photos<br />

Rue Galande Paris,<br />

by Dawne Polis<br />

In the 5th<br />

arrondissement<br />

(district) of Paris, a<br />

stone’s throw from<br />

the great Cathedral<br />

of Notre Dame is a<br />

rather secret part of<br />

the city nicknamed the<br />

Latin Quarter or the<br />

Sorbonne district…<br />

Find out more: Secret<br />

Paris – the Sorbonne<br />

district<br />

Every weekend we invite you to share<br />

your photos on Facebook and Twitter –<br />

it’s a great way for everyone to “see”<br />

real France and be inspired by real<br />

travellers snapping pics as they go.<br />

Every week there are utterly gorgeous<br />

photos being shared, and here we<br />

showcase just a few of the most<br />

popular. Share your favourite photos<br />

with us and the most ‘liked’ will appear<br />

in the next issue of The Good Life<br />

France Magazine<br />

Lavender field in Vaucluse, Provence by<br />

Elmar Pogrzeba<br />

Discover the most picturesque lavender spots in<br />

Provence: Lavender fields photo guide<br />

Join us on Facebook and<br />

Twitter to like and share<br />

your favourite photos of<br />

France...<br />

Claude Monet’s Garden, Giverny,<br />

Normandy by Anne Bruner<br />

Find out more about Monet’s garden<br />

and take a free virtual tour (link in post):<br />

Monet’s Garden, Normandy<br />

88 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 89


What’s<br />

NEW<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />

Major Anniversaries<br />

50th year of the Marc Chagall National<br />

Museum in Nice, inaugurated by the artist in<br />

1973. Dedicated exhibitions from 28 January<br />

<strong>2023</strong> to 8 January 2024.<br />

60 years of the Matisse National Museum in<br />

Nice, temporary exhibitions plus concerts and<br />

heritage tours throughout <strong>2023</strong>.<br />

Celebrating France’s National Parks: Happy<br />

50th to Écrins National Park (1973) and 60th<br />

anniversary of the world’s first marine park<br />

was created (1963), in Hyères, Port-Cros<br />

National Park .<br />

Son et Lumières show at the Abbaye de<br />

Valloires, Somme. French screenwriter,<br />

director and artistic director Bruno Seillier<br />

has designed a magical journey in the<br />

gorgeous gardens and ancient corridors of<br />

the abbey, retracing 900 years of history at<br />

the Cistercian Abbey. You’ll feel as if you’ve<br />

stepped straight into a fairy tale.<br />

What’s on<br />

Calvi on the Rocks, Corsica 3 June-3 July.<br />

Visual arts, electronic music and the Corsican<br />

art of living form an artistic course through the<br />

city, the beaches and the citadel of Calvi.<br />

Abbey Valloires<br />

Moving to France<br />

There’s loads going on throughout France this summer – here’s our pick of some of<br />

the best events this season…<br />

Plus here’s our handpicked choice of the best tours and places to stay: Best of France <strong>2023</strong><br />

Across France<br />

Fête de la Musique: 21 June <strong>2023</strong>, France’s<br />

national music day features everything from<br />

street parties to major concerts - pop to rock,<br />

jazz to classical and everything in between.<br />

July 14: a national holiday in France,<br />

commemorates the French Revolution of 1789.<br />

Festivities begin the night before with firemen’s<br />

balls held in fire stations and continue into the<br />

next day with military parades on the Champs<br />

Elysées, plus fireworks displays.<br />

Tour de France: 1 – 23 July <strong>2023</strong> The world’s<br />

most famous cycling competition takes in<br />

stunning French landscapes including this<br />

year - Bordeaux, Burgundy, Bayonne and<br />

Beaujolais, as well nail-biting sections of the<br />

French Alps before ending as always in Paris.<br />

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international journey…<br />

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90 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 91


Fête du Cognac, Cognac/Nouvelle Aquitaine – 27-29 July, <strong>2023</strong>. Takes place along the<br />

banks of the River Charentes and features concerts and local gastronomy, including of course<br />

the famed drink of the same name. Details: lafeteducognac.fr<br />

Festival d'Avignon © A Hocquel, Vaucluse Tourism<br />

Festival d’Avignon, Avignon, Provence – 5-25 July, <strong>2023</strong>. France’s most important theatre<br />

festival has a backdrop of the majestic Palais des Papes, the largest medieval gothic palace<br />

in the world. The event takes over the entire town with fabulous performances in the historic<br />

streets. Details: festival-avignon<br />

Cite des Climats de Bourgogne: A network<br />

of cultural and tourist venues dedicated to<br />

Burgundy wines opens to the public in mid-<br />

June. Known as the Cité des Climats and<br />

Bourgogne wines they are based in three key<br />

Burgundy wine producing areas: Chablis,<br />

Beaune and Mâcon. Discover the history and<br />

culture of Burgundy wines and take a tasting.<br />

Details: citeclimatsvins-bourgogne.com<br />

CroisiEurope launches new cruise through<br />

the captivating Oise Valley: Europe’s largest<br />

river cruise operator, CroisiEurope, has<br />

launched a brand-new 6-night, hotel barge<br />

cruise through France’s beautiful Oise Valley.<br />

Starting and ending in Paris, highlights include<br />

Château de Malmaison, bought by Napoleon<br />

Bonaparte for his wife Josephine, plus the<br />

Chateau de Chantilly, and a masterclass<br />

Macon Climats<br />

by a member of<br />

the Confrérie des<br />

Chevaliers Fouetteurs<br />

to learn how to<br />

make perfect crème<br />

Chantilly. It also<br />

takes in the Pissaro<br />

Museum in Pontoise,<br />

follows in the footsteps<br />

of Van Gogh at the<br />

Musée de l’Absinthe in<br />

Chantilly<br />

Auvers-sur-Oise, and<br />

the Armistice Memorial in Compiègne. Fully<br />

inclusive with gastronomic meals and great<br />

wines, bikes and jacuzzi.<br />

Details: croisieurope.co.uk<br />

Coming up<br />

Rugby World Cup<br />

France hosts the Rugby World Cup in <strong>2023</strong>.<br />

7 glorious weeks of sports: 48 matches, 660<br />

players, 20 teams from 5 continents, and 45<br />

days of rugby – and festivities. A whopping<br />

450,000 fans are expected to visit France<br />

and millions will watch the games on television<br />

all around the world.<br />

The matches take place in 9 host cities<br />

each with their own unique character and<br />

charm: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille,<br />

Nantes, Nice, Paris, St Denis, Saint-Étienne<br />

and Toulouse.<br />

The Olympic Games are coming!<br />

Around fifty official Games Preparation<br />

Centres are gearing up to welcome athletes<br />

prepping for the 2024 Olympic Games, with<br />

an Olympic sailing test event scheduled in the<br />

Bay of Marseille in early July. In September,<br />

skippers will be training for the 2024<br />

America’s Cup off the coast of Saint-Tropez.<br />

Meanwhile, Nice – the traditional venue for<br />

the Ironman France triathlon challenge every<br />

June – will be hosting the final of the men’s<br />

Ironman World Championship in September<br />

for the first time in 40 years.<br />

92 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 93


One thing you learn very quickly when you move to France is that you don’t really<br />

have a choice about the order in which you do things. That’s because you often need<br />

to complete one step in order to move on to the next step.<br />

Planning to live and<br />

work in France?<br />

Janine Marsh, shares some top tips…<br />

Whether you decide to buy or to rent, it usually<br />

means you’ll need a French bank account.<br />

That means you need to have an address<br />

– it can get complicated if you’ve sold your<br />

property to move to France but don’t have<br />

a permanent address yet. In order to have a<br />

French resident’s address, you need a visa<br />

(unless you live in a country that’s a member<br />

of the European Union). The visa entitles you<br />

to live in France which in turn enables you to<br />

apply for medical care.<br />

You may want to work in France, and that<br />

means you need to register to pay tax and<br />

social contributions.<br />

And yes, at times it can all feel a bit<br />

overwhelming, time-consuming and<br />

occasionally frustrating – but nothing<br />

ventured, nothing gained as the saying goes.<br />

Of course, if you don’t fancy dealing with all<br />

the paperwork yourself to become French<br />

resident and all that goes with it, there are<br />

companies that will help you and take the pain<br />

away. I got help with my move because I was<br />

working such long hours, I didn’t have time to<br />

deal with paperwork, answering questions by<br />

phone (I had to be interviewed at one point<br />

by one of the government bodies), registering<br />

on multiple systems, setting up to pay tax etc.<br />

For me it was worth every penny to get help.<br />

6 months from start to finish I had everything<br />

sorted including the Carte Vitale (access to<br />

the excellent health care service), being set up<br />

to work as a micro entrepreneur (freelance)<br />

and pay tax, plus sort out my Carte de Sejour,<br />

residency permit.<br />

Visas<br />

There are 17 different types of visas for France<br />

because one size does not fit all. Retirement<br />

visa, student visa, working visa etc. – there’s<br />

a different one to suit several situations, and<br />

there are strict criteria to suit the visa you<br />

94 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 95


want. Check on the French Government<br />

website to see which suits you best. It depends<br />

on where you live as to how long it takes to<br />

sort out a visa, but allow at least 2-3 months:<br />

france-visas.gouv.fr<br />

Once you’re in France, in order to stay<br />

permanently, you’ll need to apply for a Carte<br />

de Sejour. Read more about applying for visas<br />

and completing this process in detail here.<br />

Healthcare<br />

If you’re employed by a French company<br />

– you should get access to healthcare<br />

straightaway. If not, whether you’re retired or<br />

working for yourself, you’ll need to be resident<br />

in France for at least three months before you<br />

can apply.<br />

Vitale (healthcare), driving licence etc. Have<br />

the originals and, importantly, copies of these<br />

documents to hand. The chances are that<br />

you’ll need to send documents multiple times.<br />

And some authorities may require you to<br />

organise authorised translations. At the very<br />

least, here’s what you’re likely to need.<br />

• Birth certificate<br />

• Marriage certificate<br />

• Driving licence<br />

• Diplomas if thinking of setting up<br />

a business<br />

• Proof of purchase of home in France/proof<br />

of residency<br />

• Bank statements for last 12 months<br />

Working in France<br />

Some people retire, some people continue<br />

to work for the same company they did<br />

back home – but from France. Fast internet<br />

for home working is available in much of<br />

France (but if you do rely on this, check the<br />

area you’re buying in first – some places<br />

still have slow Broadband. If you want to<br />

earn an income in France then one of the<br />

most popular ways is to go freelance, and<br />

registering as a microentrepreneur is one of<br />

the most popular ways to do that. Basically<br />

it means you are the founder of a micro<br />

business, generally a small company with<br />

minimal investment. You’re restricted as<br />

to how much your business may turnover<br />

before needing to register as something else<br />

other than micro entrepreneur (currently it is<br />

between €77,700 and €188,700 per year,<br />

depending on what type of business it is).<br />

And certain types of business are excluded<br />

from becoming microentrepreneurs, for<br />

instance some finance companies, health<br />

professionals and accountants.<br />

fabulously easy.<br />

Insurance services for English speakers in France<br />

Speak to a dedicated<br />

English-speaking Broker<br />

who’s also a French native<br />

speaker so to avoid the<br />

pitfalls and headaches of<br />

the French system.<br />

Medical Insurance<br />

Home Insurance<br />

Car Insurance<br />

Visa Insurance<br />

and more<br />

We work with more than 30 insurers and many more providers so we are<br />

always able to find the best and most affordable solution for your situation.<br />

We’ve got you covered.<br />

33 (0)5 35 65 50 50 hello@fabfrenchinsurance.com<br />

www.fabfrenchinsurance.com<br />

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Paperwork<br />

You will need paperwork to apply for just<br />

about everything: Carte de Sejour, Carte<br />

The benefits of setting up as micro<br />

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96 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 97


Becoming a<br />

micro entrepreneur<br />

We chat to micro entrepreneur Sophie<br />

Green, who is based in the Dordogne.<br />

Sophie works for Leggett Immobilier<br />

International as a sales agent in<br />

Dordogne as well as in neighbouring<br />

department Haute-Vienne.<br />

How did you come to be<br />

living in France?<br />

I lived in Northamptonshire in the UK, trained<br />

as a Legal Executive and as a Financial<br />

Advisor and Mortgage Advisor working<br />

within Solicitor practices. When I became<br />

pregnant with our first son Louis in 2008,<br />

my husband had an idea to open a sandwich<br />

shop in our village so instead of going back<br />

to work fulltime for someone else, I could<br />

be my own boss. I have to say, I have never<br />

worked so hard in my life. Then three years<br />

later I became pregnant with our second son,<br />

Freddie, and the thought of getting up at 5am<br />

to butter sandwiches lost its allure!<br />

We bought a caravan and decided to go on<br />

holiday to France. We fell in love with France<br />

from the minute we got here and immediately<br />

started house hunting. Just before this, my<br />

lovely mum had passed away. She had lived<br />

in the same village as us and life didn’t feel<br />

the same without her. We didn’t know exactly<br />

where we wanted to live and spent holidays<br />

travelling around Brittany and Dordogne.<br />

When we stayed in a very small rural campsite<br />

in Dordogne, we both knew this was it, our<br />

dream area. We found our house and moved<br />

to France in July 2013. My eldest was just<br />

about to start school in the UK so it was<br />

perfect timing for a move. He went straight<br />

into the local school in our village.<br />

How did you become a<br />

micro entrepreneur in<br />

France<br />

I was too young to retire, and I wanted a<br />

new challenge. In addition to our house,<br />

we bought some lakes nearby, run as<br />

GoGreen Holidays, and I looked after<br />

the rental of the onsite cabin and gypsy<br />

caravan. But I needed more from a job, I<br />

wanted to learn more French, to get out<br />

and meet people and explore the area.<br />

I have a love for property, and I love<br />

looking around houses. Working as an<br />

agent for Leggett Immobillier seemed a<br />

perfect fit.<br />

Leggett offered everything I needed and<br />

was flexible, so I could work around looking<br />

after the lakes and the children – by then<br />

we had another child, Francesca.<br />

What’s it like working<br />

as an agent for Leggett<br />

Immobillier in France?<br />

Leggett have exceeded my expectations. I<br />

joined them in 2018, after meeting with an<br />

Area Coordinator and chatting through the<br />

role which helped me to decide whether<br />

it was right for me. I completed a training<br />

course at Head Office which is in Dordogne.<br />

I really like that you get the benefits of<br />

working for a family-run business so you’re<br />

not just another number, but it’s also an<br />

award-winning, big international company<br />

so there’s a massive multi-lingual support<br />

network available to all agents.<br />

There’s a fantastic Sales Support Team who<br />

help organise all my visits, the Marketing<br />

Team do a great job promoting all the<br />

properties I list for sale, and the IT team have<br />

developed a fantastic back-office system to<br />

make life easier to manage the admin. There<br />

is also a terrific Legal and Contracts team to<br />

help with all the admin requirements and we<br />

are regularly updated with changes in laws.<br />

We have access to a lot of online training<br />

which is great and saves time with not having<br />

to travel. Plus, we’re assigned admin support,<br />

my fabulous assistant Zoe who is a fountain of<br />

knowledge, works in the Contracts Team and<br />

does all my compromis de vente work (sales<br />

documentation), and helps me manage all<br />

my sales.<br />

As an agent, it’s essential to be organised<br />

and flexible. You need to be able to manage<br />

not only your own time but also that of your<br />

vendor’s and clients.<br />

What’s it like being selfemployed?<br />

I run everything as a stand-alone business. I<br />

set up as a micro entrepreneur and it is quite<br />

a simple regime. I pay cotistations (French<br />

National Insurance) monthly, based on what<br />

98 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 99


ecoming a Leggett Agent so that he can help<br />

with viewings when I get really busy.<br />

Jessica Viel - Loire Valley<br />

There’s also scope for career progression in<br />

this job, in fact I have become a Coach and<br />

have my own small team now. I love helping<br />

new agents and supporting them in running<br />

their own successful small business in France.<br />

Helena Hermanns - Paris/Île-de-France<br />

I never thought of doing this job when I first<br />

came to France, but it’s changed my life, I<br />

earn a good income, I love what I do, I can<br />

manage how much I want to do, it’s flexible<br />

and there is potential to go further in the role<br />

if I want to.<br />

Andrea Bevan - Alpes<br />

Start a<br />

new career<br />

as an<br />

independent<br />

sales agent<br />

Elske Koelstra - PACA<br />

Andrew Guck - Occitanie<br />

Scan for more information<br />

I have earned, and I pay tax in one go at the<br />

end of the financial year.<br />

Because it’s a simple way to set up a business<br />

I get to spend more time on what I love<br />

doing – going out and finding new properties,<br />

exploring them and seeing what is hidden<br />

behind the front door! I also love meeting new<br />

people and getting out and about in the area.<br />

Deborah Cherry - Nouvelle-Aquitaine<br />

Daniela & Dickjan Poppema -<br />

Provence<br />

Declan McCann - Brittany<br />

It’s been a really successful business for me<br />

and in fact my husband is just in the process of<br />

Leggett Immobillier are recruiting agents in all areas – if you’re interested,<br />

find out more and contact them at.<br />

Recruitment@leggett.fr<br />

05.53.60.82.77<br />

QR Code “Request a Recruitment Brochure”<br />

Join our team in France and become part of a<br />

company unique in it’s field!<br />

If you would like the freedom to grow a successful business supported<br />

by an award winning team, please contact our recruitment department:<br />

www.leggettfrance.com<br />

+33 (0)5 53 60 82 77 recruitment@leggett.fr<br />

100 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 101


Narbonne<br />

SPOTLIGHT<br />

on living in<br />

Languedoc Roussillon<br />

Some call Languedoc Roussillon the true<br />

South of France – especially those lucky<br />

enough to live there! Edged by the sea,<br />

Languedoc Roussillon always seems bathed in<br />

glorious sunshine. Its coastline stretches from<br />

very edge of Provence to the Spanish border<br />

and Catalonia – some 220kms.<br />

Languedoc’s name derives from the ancient<br />

romance language which once dominated this<br />

area. It’s still spoken, to greater or lesser extent,<br />

in southern France, northern Spain, Monaco<br />

and even parts of Italy. In this medieval<br />

language the customary word for yes was ‘oc’<br />

and it became known as langue d’oc. Langue<br />

d’oc split into increasingly distinct dialects -<br />

from Gascon to Catalan, and Provençal.<br />

Languedoc Roussillon stretches all around<br />

France's most eastern seaboard with the<br />

Mediterranean and now forms part of the<br />

larger administrative district of Occitanie.<br />

In some ways it almost appears to be an<br />

amphitheatre for this part of the Western<br />

Mediterranean with its terraced vineyards.<br />

Around one third of all French wine is<br />

produced in this sunny region. Reds tend to<br />

be full-bodied and fruit driven, then there's<br />

the 'black' wine of Cahors, Côtes de Nîmes,<br />

unoaked white wines, and the palest pink rosé.<br />

There's Cremant de Limoux – supposedly<br />

older than Champagne – and unctuous sweet<br />

wines from Muscat to Maury – the latter is<br />

reputed to last up to 100 years.<br />

And then there's the food... They say<br />

Languedoc Rousillon sits between the olive<br />

groves of Provence and the Landes of<br />

Gascony – you could say between garlic<br />

and foie gras – and they use the best of<br />

these ingredients in their dishes. The coast<br />

102 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 103


Montpellier<br />

Pezenas<br />

National Park Cevennes © Fred Tassart<br />

is always close by so of course this means<br />

fish and oysters, mussels, scallops and clams<br />

to be eaten with garlic shallots and parsley.<br />

The traditional Bourride of Sète is made<br />

from the bony anglerfish – closely related<br />

to bouillabaise from Provence with broth<br />

strained at the end of cooking before being<br />

thickened with delicious aioli. Brandade de<br />

Nîmes is well known in France, salt cod with<br />

a mixture of oil and milk and it tastes much<br />

better than it sounds! As soon as you head<br />

southwards towards Montpellier food starts<br />

to change – there are little pies – petit pâtes<br />

of Pezénas and Beziérs made with mutton,<br />

mutton fat, raisins, brown sugar. And then<br />

there is Cassoulet with varying recipes – the<br />

one from Toulouse includes goose or duck,<br />

mutton, famed Toulouse sausages, haricots<br />

and other delicious morsels. Then there are<br />

pâtés of foie gras and walnut. Olive oil is used<br />

in abundance, plus lots of game.<br />

Spain is not far away and the strong Catalan<br />

influence around the southernmost part of<br />

Languedoc Roussillon is reflected in both the<br />

wine and food. Banyuls, a delicious, fortified<br />

wine, comes from around the beautiful port<br />

of Collioure close to the border with Spain.<br />

Around here many of the dishes are cooked<br />

in the more robust Catalan style – including<br />

anchovy pâtés or cod cooked in a spicy<br />

mixture of aubergine, peppers and tomato.<br />

This part of France has only been French since<br />

the time of Cardinal Richelieu (chief Minister<br />

of Louis XIII and of the Three Musketeers time)<br />

so both the style of eating and living are a mix,<br />

and some of the older people still speak the<br />

local Catalan.<br />

The northernmost reaches of Languedoc take<br />

in the southern section of the Massif Central<br />

– the Haut Languedoc and Cévennes national<br />

park. These have traditionally been sparsely<br />

populated areas with extensive forests, fast<br />

flowing streams and have strong appeal for<br />

the adventurous or those who wish to fish for<br />

trout. Further south are Nîmes, with its Roman<br />

remains, and Montpellier closer to the sea.<br />

This area was less ‘well fought over’ than many<br />

other parts of France, so villages were less<br />

likely to have been built defensively. Many<br />

still have half-timbered village houses which,<br />

in summer when brilliant flowers fall lushly<br />

from balconnières to adorn stone grey walls,<br />

are very picturesque. Downstream from<br />

the spectacular gorges the river Tarn flows<br />

through beautiful pastoral landscapes en<br />

route to Albi. Midi Pyrénées lies open like a<br />

flat book between the Massif Central and the<br />

Pyrénées mountain range. Also inland are<br />

Carcassonne, Toulouse and the luscious rich<br />

countryside of the Midi Pyrénées.<br />

Inland Languedoc Rousillon is diverse and<br />

beautiful, as is the Mediterranean coast. The<br />

very first time I drove back from close to the<br />

Spanish border with my daughter I was struck<br />

by the sight of the white faced low mountain<br />

ranges over the coastal plains – painted so<br />

lovingly by Cézanne they had always seemed<br />

to be drawn from the improbable imagination<br />

of an Impressionist painter and yet here they<br />

are for real. Vast fishing areas lie to the right<br />

as you drive northwards. Oyster beds are<br />

nurtured here in the salt water étangs – the<br />

perfect place to stop for a seafood lunch.<br />

Collioure is popular with overseas buyers,<br />

as it was with Matisse. Not for nothing is this<br />

Toulouse<br />

104 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 105


Our latest properties for sale in Languedoc-Roussillon<br />

chalet villa château farmhouse apartment vineyard gîte cottage coast country city<br />

NImes<br />

fishing port known as the jewel of the Côte<br />

Vermeille. Moving further north, you cross the<br />

end of the Canal du Midi near Marseillan to<br />

arrive at Sète, the perfect place to watch the<br />

sun set sitting beside one of its canals for a<br />

splendid fish supper!<br />

There’s so much choice when it comes to<br />

where to live in Languedoc Roussillon and<br />

of course local agents know all villages and<br />

towns and can advise exactly what suits your<br />

dream list. Some of my favourites include the<br />

Catalan village of Fuilla from where it’s under<br />

an hour to the ski slopes or sea. It’s southwest<br />

of the ancient city of Prades, where Spanish<br />

guitarist Segovia lived for many years.<br />

Rieux en Val is an historical village between<br />

Carcassonne and Lezignan, with a Roman<br />

bridge famed for its appearance in the classic<br />

‘60s film ‘Le Miracle des Loups’.<br />

Pézenas is the most enchanting ancient town<br />

famed for antique shops and markets, ideally<br />

situated between the sea and hills of Haute<br />

Collioure © Maree Lavin<br />

Carcassonne © Michele Bond<br />

Languedoc close to Cap d’Agde and with a<br />

wonderful climate. Montpellier and Bèziers<br />

with their airports are also close by.<br />

The ancient town of St Hippolyte du Fort<br />

boasts no less than 17 fountains and several<br />

dozen sundials! Northwest of Nîmes on the<br />

road to the Cevennes national park, it's<br />

known for its ancient fort as well as an old<br />

silk factory.<br />

Carcassonne and the Roman city of<br />

Narbonne, about 45 minutes’ drive to the<br />

Mediterranean beaches and an hour and a<br />

half’s easy drive to Spain.<br />

With such a varied choice of towns and<br />

villages, Occitanie might be the perfect<br />

place to say ‘oc’ to a new life in the sun…<br />

Joanna Leggett is marketing director at<br />

Leggett Immobilier – you can view their full<br />

portfolio of properties for sale in France at<br />

www.leggettfrance.com<br />

EXCLUSIVE<br />

Pyrénées-Orientales €519,400<br />

Ref: A20768 -Set of 2 houses with heated<br />

swimming pool, set on 2,725m² of land.<br />

6% agency fees included paid by the buyer.<br />

Energy class: G Climate class: C<br />

EXCLUSIVE<br />

Full of Charm<br />

Vibrant Village<br />

Hérault €240,000<br />

Ref: A20924 - Gorgeous 3-bedroom house<br />

with 2 courtyards, in a sought-after village.<br />

7% agency fees included paid by the buyer.<br />

Energy class: D Climate class: B<br />

EXCLUSIVE<br />

Spruce Me Up !<br />

Gard €92,950<br />

Ref: A20977 - Lovely 1-bedroom house<br />

to renovate in a charming village.<br />

Agency fees to be paid by the seller.<br />

Energy class: E Climate class: B<br />

EXCLUSIVE<br />

Lock Up And Leave<br />

Hérault €99,000<br />

Ref: A16697 - Exceptional 2-bedroom<br />

lock-up-and-leave holiday home.<br />

Agency fees to be paid by the seller.<br />

Energy class: G Climate class: C<br />

EXCLUSIVE<br />

Business Opportunity<br />

Pyrénées-Orientales €1,597,000<br />

Ref: A20565 -14-bedroom gîte complex<br />

with 3 pools, set on a large private plot.<br />

Agency fees to be paid by the seller.<br />

Energy class: D Climate class: B<br />

Aude €625,000<br />

Ref: A21175 - Stunning 3-bedroom, 194m²<br />

villa with garden and pool in calm location.<br />

Agency fees to be paid by the seller.<br />

Energy class: B Climate class: A<br />

EXCLUSIVE<br />

Private Villa<br />

Aude €285,000<br />

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Agency fees to be paid by the seller.<br />

Energy class: D Climate class: B<br />

EXCLUSIVE<br />

Gorgeous Garden<br />

Hérault €235,000<br />

Ref: A20507 - Beautifully designed 2-<br />

bedroom villa with landscaped garden.<br />

Agency fees to be paid by the seller.<br />

Energy class: C Climate class: A<br />

Pyrénées-Orientales €416,000<br />

Ref: A20600 - Lovely property with a<br />

2-bedroom house and 2 studio apartments.<br />

Agency fees to be paid by the seller.<br />

Energy class: C Climate class: A<br />

Start your property search today!<br />

+33 (0)5 53 60 84 88 · leggettfrance.com · info@leggett.fr<br />

Information on the risks to which these properties are exposed is available on the Geohazards website:<br />

www.georisques .gouv.fr<br />

106 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 107


MAYENNE<br />

Mayenne in the Pays de la Loire is a<br />

landlocked department with three districts:<br />

Château-Gontier, Mayenne, and Laval. It’s<br />

a tranquil land of rivers and forests, small<br />

villages and historic towns, and it’s a place<br />

where the property prices, and a laid-back<br />

way of life, are seriously tempting.<br />

With a population of around 300,000,<br />

Mayenne is uncrowded. The department is<br />

named after the 121-mile-long River Mayenne,<br />

which, long abandoned by commercial traffic<br />

is now a popular cruising waterway and flows<br />

to Angers in neighbouring Maine-et-Loire, at<br />

the edge of the Loire Valley.<br />

The department takes a pinch of influence<br />

from its neighbours the Loire Valley,<br />

Normandy and Brittany and then it adds a<br />

little je ne sais quoi of its own. For instance,<br />

it has its own microclimate which means it’s<br />

warmer than Normandy. Like the Loire Valley,<br />

it’s lush and green and has fabulous vineyards<br />

and loads of Chateaux. And like Brittany,<br />

the local produce is delicious with the main<br />

industry of Mayenne being agricultural.<br />

Transport links for Mayenne are excellent.<br />

The fast TGV train links Laval to Paris in little<br />

over an hour, nearby Rennes airport has flights<br />

to several cities in the UK as well as Europe.<br />

Calais is 4.5 hours away by road and it’s a<br />

2.5-hour drive to Dieppe for the ferry service<br />

to Newhaven. Trains to Paris from Laval take<br />

from 1 hour and 44 minutes, and it’s just an<br />

hour to Le Mans by car.<br />

There are numerous cycle routes including<br />

the Velo Francette which runs through<br />

Mayenne’s glorious countryside and stretches<br />

from Ouistreham in Brittany to La Rochelle in<br />

Charente-Maritime. The Mayenne Valley is a<br />

network of hiking, walking and cycling paths,<br />

crossed by lakes and tributaries.<br />

Mayenne has flattish arable land in the south<br />

and more rolling hills to the north. There are<br />

thriving towns, and the department has a rich<br />

history and plenty of cultural treasures such as<br />

the magnificent grottoes at Saulges with cave<br />

paintings from pre-history, the 2000-yearold<br />

Roman capital of Jublains, as well as the<br />

astonishing Robert Tatin Museum near Laval.<br />

108 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 109


The largest city is Laval, the capital, though<br />

it’s the sort of small city where you can walk<br />

everywhere quite easily. It’s a designated<br />

“town of art and history” and very pretty.<br />

There's plenty to see and do in the town.<br />

On market days (Tuesday and Saturday),<br />

in Place de la Trémoille, steaming pans of<br />

paella, roasted chickens and huge bowls of<br />

buttery new potatoes stop you in your tracks.<br />

Jet black shiny mussels are bagged up by<br />

vendors at a rate of knots, alongside plump<br />

oysters from Cancale. At one end of Place de<br />

la Trémoille a church looms and its bells toll<br />

on the hour. Its mellow stone walls a brilliant<br />

backdrop for the market. At the other end is<br />

the chateau of the Lords of Laval, its bright<br />

white exterior glistens in the sunshine. Now<br />

an art venue which hosts one of the largest<br />

naieve art collection in France and features<br />

major works by Henri Rousseau who was born<br />

in the town. In the side streets are cobbled<br />

wiggly roads and half-timbered houses, cosy<br />

cafés, dinky creperies and bistros. Don’t miss<br />

the local cheese specialities: the famous<br />

Port-Salut is made at Entrammes, just outside<br />

Laval. Other Mayenne-made cheeses include<br />

Chamois d’or, Chaussée aux Moines, Vieux<br />

Pané, Saint Paulin, Rouy, Babybel, Bons<br />

Mayennais and Président.<br />

The department is a leading dairy producer<br />

which make it an ideal choice for the world’s<br />

largest dairy museum Lactopole in Laval.<br />

Once hardly known even to the French,<br />

Mayenne has become more popular in the<br />

last few years as home buyers seek tranquil<br />

locations with plenty of space, surrounded<br />

by countryside. Property prices remain<br />

affordable with plenty of bargains to be found,<br />

especially for those willing to take on some<br />

renovation. Being a somewhat undiscovered<br />

area means that there is plenty of reasonably<br />

priced property from chateaux – possibly the<br />

most famous being that of Dick and Angel<br />

Strawbridge of Escape to the Chateau whose<br />

Chateau de la Motte Husson is about 20km<br />

from Laval - to farmhouses, farm workers<br />

cottages and traditional stone houses. For<br />

those seeking equestrian properties, Mayenne<br />

is definitely an area to consider with lots of<br />

space and properties with lots of land.<br />

The warm weather arrives early in spring and<br />

can last right through to October or even<br />

November. In winter it can get cold, but rarely<br />

snows and the cold months don’t last too long.<br />

If you’re looking for a tranquil and sunny area,<br />

where property prices are tempting then this<br />

could be just the place.<br />

We can help with:<br />

• Moving to France or Spain<br />

• Setting up and running a business<br />

• Help with VISA, residency and<br />

work permits and taxes<br />

• Legal advice and Insurance<br />

• Healthcare advice<br />

*on purchase of a pack, valid till 16 September 2022<br />

50€* off<br />

with the<br />

code<br />

TGL05<strong>2023</strong>SM<br />

B +33 950 75 81 92 a +34 711 05 32 28 pleasehelp.eu k <br />

110 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 111


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food from Britain and Ireland.<br />

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Free home delivery France, Belgium & Luxembourg<br />

baconbythebox.com<br />

FOUGASSE<br />

with goats<br />

cheese<br />

INGREDIENTS<br />

500 g (scant 4 cups / 1 lb 2 oz) all- purpose<br />

(plain) flour (T55)<br />

300 g (1 ¼ cups / 10 ½ oz) water at<br />

20°C (68°F)<br />

100 g (scant ½ cup / 3 ½ oz) Liquid Levain<br />

(you can find the recipe here)<br />

5 g (1 ½ tsp) fresh yeast, crumbled<br />

10 g (2 tsp) Guérande sea salt<br />

30 g (2 tbsp / 1 oz) extra-virgin olive oil + extra<br />

for brushing<br />

100 g (scant ½ cup / 3 ½ oz) crème fraîche<br />

100 g (scant 1 cup / 3 ½ oz) grated<br />

Emmental cheese<br />

200 g (7 oz) goat cheese, sliced<br />

METHOD<br />

Serves 4<br />

Preparation time 15 min<br />

Resting time 3 h 15 min<br />

Baking time 18 min<br />

Put the flour, water, levain, yeast and salt into a<br />

stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix and<br />

knead for 5 minutes on low speed, then for 7<br />

minutes on high speed. Add the olive oil and<br />

knead for another 3 minutes. Gather the dough<br />

into a ball, cover with a damp cloth and leave to<br />

rest for 2 hours at room temperature. Midway<br />

through the rest, deflate the dough by folding<br />

it in half. It will have increased in volume by the<br />

end of the resting time.<br />

On a floured work counter, divide the dough into<br />

four equal pieces. Working with one piece at a<br />

time, turn it around on the work counter, bring<br />

the edges in to the middle and press down. Turn<br />

it again and shape into a ball, tucking the seam<br />

underneath. Repeat with the other three pieces<br />

of dough, then cover them with a damp cloth<br />

and rest for 15 minutes.<br />

Use a rolling pin to roll each piece of dough into<br />

oval flatbreads, around 40 cm (16 inches) long<br />

and about 5 mm (¼ inch) thick. Spread one half<br />

of each flatbread with crème fraîche, leaving a<br />

2cm (¾-inch) border around the edge. Sprinkle<br />

with grated Emmental and top with slices of<br />

goat cheese.<br />

Use a dough cutter to make 3 wide slashes on<br />

the ungarnished half of each flatbread, then fold<br />

it over the other half. Seal all the edges. Place<br />

the fougasse on lightly oiled baking sheets.<br />

Cover with a damp cloth and prove (proof) for 1<br />

hour at room temperature.<br />

Place a baking pan on the lowest oven rack<br />

and preheat the oven to 235°C (455°F). Once<br />

the oven is hot, pour 50 ml (3 ½ tbsp / 1 ¾ fl oz)<br />

water into the hot baking pan. Put the fougasse<br />

and pan of water into the oven and bake for<br />

4 minutes. Lower the temperature to 220°C<br />

(425°F) and bake for another 14 minutes.<br />

Remove the fougasse from the oven, brush them<br />

lightly with olive oil and cool on a wire rack.<br />

112 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 113


Plaited (braided)<br />

BRIOCHE<br />

Extracted from The Bread Book: 60 artisanal bread<br />

recipes from one of the world’s greatest bakers –<br />

French chef, master baker and best-selling author Éric<br />

Kayser. Published by Phaidon Press 2022.<br />

Photography © Massimo Pessina<br />

Éric Kayser comes from a long line of French bakers,<br />

and is the founder of the awardwinning<br />

international bakery Maison Kayser.<br />

Makes 3 brioches<br />

Preparation time 50 min<br />

Resting time 18 h<br />

Baking time 25 min<br />

EQUIPMENT:<br />

3 loaf pans,<br />

25 x 11 cm (10 x 4¼ inches)<br />

INGREDIENTS<br />

600 g (4¼ cups / 1 lb 5 oz) cake (pastry) flour<br />

(T45/farine de gruau)<br />

11 g (2 tsp) fine salt<br />

22 g (generous 2 tbsp / ¾ oz)<br />

fresh yeast, crumbled<br />

85 g (scant 1/3 cup / 3 oz) water<br />

at 20°C (68°F)<br />

90 g (6 tbsp / 3¼ oz) full-fat (whole) milk<br />

5 eggs<br />

90 g (scant ½ cup / 3¼ oz)<br />

caster (superfine) sugar<br />

10 g (2 tsp) dark rum<br />

6 g (1 tsp) orange flower water<br />

6 g (1 tsp) vanilla extract<br />

140 g (scant 2/3 cup / 5 oz) butter, softened<br />

For the finishing<br />

1 egg, beaten, for glazing<br />

1 tbsp full-fat (whole) milk<br />

pinch of fine salt<br />

METHOD<br />

The previous day, mix 100 g (¾ cup/ 3 ½oz)<br />

of the flour with 2 g (1/3 tsp) of the salt in a<br />

bowl, using a whisk. In a small bowl, dissolve<br />

2 g (½ tsp) of the yeast in the water. Mix the<br />

dissolved yeast into the flour and salt mixture<br />

with a rubber spatula. Transfer the dough<br />

to a floured work counter and shape into<br />

a non-sticky ball. Put the dough into an<br />

airtight container with a lightly greased lid<br />

and refrigerate for at least 15 hours.<br />

On the day, combine the milk with the eggs,<br />

sugar, rum, orange flower water and vanilla<br />

extract in a stand mixer fitted with a dough<br />

hook. Mix on low speed, then crumble in<br />

the remaining yeast and add the rest of<br />

the flour and knead on low speed until<br />

all ingredients are incorporated. Add the<br />

remaining salt while kneading. Incorporate<br />

the fermented dough from the previous day<br />

and mix on medium speed for 15 minutes<br />

until the dough comes away from the sides<br />

of the bowl. Gradually add the butter and<br />

knead for 15 minutes on high speed, until<br />

the dough again comes away from the<br />

sides. The dough should be smooth and<br />

glossy. Transfer to a lightly floured bowl,<br />

cover with cling film (plastic wrap) in direct<br />

contact and leave to rise for 30 minutes at<br />

room temperature. The dough should only<br />

rise slightly. Refrigerate for between 2 hours<br />

and overnight.<br />

Preheat the oven to 30°C (86°F). On a<br />

floured work counter, divide the dough into<br />

nine pieces of equal weight (about 145 g /<br />

5 ¼ oz each). Roll them into uniform<br />

25–30-cm (10–12-inch) strips (a) (b) (c)<br />

(d) (e). Place three strips vertically and<br />

seal them together at one end. Then plait<br />

(braid) them together (f) (g). Seal the other<br />

end and tuck both ends under (h). Repeat<br />

the operation to make two more brioches.<br />

Transfer the brioches into greased loaf pans<br />

and brush them with eggwash made by<br />

beating the egg, milk and salt together. Turn<br />

off the oven and put the brioches inside to<br />

prove (proof) for 1 to 1½ hours.<br />

Remove the brioches and preheat the oven<br />

to 150°C (300°F). Glaze the brioches again<br />

with eggwash and bake for about<br />

25 minutes, keeping an eye on them.<br />

Remove the brioches from the oven, then<br />

cool on a wire rack.<br />

114 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 115


Scallop &<br />

vegetable<br />

‘hot-air<br />

balloons’ with<br />

champagne sauce<br />

Montgolfière de Saint-Jacques, petits légumes et sauce champagne<br />

Serves 4<br />

Active Time: 35 minutes<br />

Cooking Time: 15–20 minutes<br />

Chilling time: 20 minutes<br />

Freezing time: 15 minutes<br />

EQUIPMENT<br />

Fine-mesh sieve<br />

4 lion’s head (small, deep, ovenproof)<br />

soup bowls<br />

INGREDIENTS<br />

Scallop and vegetable filling<br />

3½ oz. (100 g) button mushrooms<br />

Butter<br />

Olive oil<br />

3 ½ oz. (100 g) broccoli<br />

3 oz. (80 g) celeriac<br />

3 oz. (80 g) green asparagus<br />

3 ½ oz. (100 g) baby carrots, tops on<br />

2 oz. (60 g) thin French green beans<br />

12 scallops (about 1 lb./480 g)<br />

Salt and freshly ground pepper<br />

Champagne sauce<br />

2 oz. (60 g) tomatoes<br />

3 ½ oz. (100 g) shallots<br />

1 tbsp (15 g) butter<br />

1 ½ tbsp (15 g) flour<br />

1 2⁄3 cups (400 ml) champagne<br />

Generous ¾ cup (200 ml) white chicken stock<br />

(fond blanc de volaille)<br />

¼ cup (1 ½ oz./40 g)<br />

crème fraiche<br />

To assemble<br />

9 oz. (250 g) quick puff pastry<br />

1 generous tbsp (12 g) toasted sesame seeds<br />

1 egg<br />

2 egg yolks<br />

To garnish (optional)<br />

Shaved white truffle<br />

METHOD<br />

Preparing the scallop and vegetable filling<br />

Wash and quarter the mushrooms and brown<br />

them in a skillet over medium-high heat with a<br />

little butter and olive oil. Season with salt and<br />

pepper. Wash the broccoli, remove the florets,<br />

and cut the most tender parts of the stalks into<br />

small dice. Peel the celeriac and cut into ½ ×<br />

1 ¼-in. (1 × 3-cm) sticks. Cut off the asparagus<br />

tips ¾ in. (2 cm) from the ends (reserve the<br />

tips for another use) and cut 1¼ in. (3 cm) off<br />

the bases (discard). Cut each remaining stalk<br />

into 4 diagonal pieces. Wash and scrub the<br />

carrots and cut off the tops, leaving ½ in. (1<br />

cm). Trim the ends off the green beans. Poach<br />

all the vegetables (except the mushrooms) for<br />

a few seconds in a large saucepan of boiling<br />

salted water and plunge into ice-cold water to<br />

stop the cooking. In a skillet with a little olive<br />

oil and butter, cook the vegetables separately<br />

over medium-high heat until lightly golden.<br />

Season with salt and pepper, then chill until<br />

assembling. In a clean skillet with a pat of<br />

butter, brown the scallops on one side over<br />

high heat for 1 minute, then place in the freezer<br />

for 15–20 minutes to prevent them from overcooking<br />

in the oven.<br />

Preparing the champagne sauce<br />

Wash and cut the tomatoes (skin on) into ½-in.<br />

(1-cm) dice. Peel and finely chop the shallots<br />

and cook in the butter over low heat until<br />

softened. Stir in the flour and tomatoes. Pour<br />

in the champagne and reduce by half. Add the<br />

stock and let cook for about 10 minutes, then<br />

stir in the crème fraîche and cook over low<br />

heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.<br />

Strain through the fine-mesh sieve into a bowl,<br />

pressing down to recover all the liquid.<br />

Assembling the “hot air balloons”<br />

Preheat the oven to 450°F (240°C/Gas<br />

Mark 8). Roll the pastry to a thickness of 1⁄16 in.<br />

(1.5 mm) and cut out 4 disks with a diameter<br />

about ¾ in. (2 cm) greater than that of the<br />

soup bowls. Divide the vegetables between<br />

the bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds.<br />

Add 3 scallops and about ¼ cup (2 oz./60g)<br />

of champagne sauce to each bowl. Whisk<br />

together the egg and egg yolks to make an<br />

egg wash and brush around the edges of each<br />

pastry disk, making a ¾-in. (1.5-cm) border.<br />

Place the disks over the bowls with the egg<br />

wash side down. Gently press down around the<br />

edges to seal the pastry to the bowls. Brush<br />

the tops with egg wash, poke a small hole in<br />

the center of each one to let steam escape,<br />

and score decoratively with a fine-tipped knife.<br />

Place in the oven, reduce the temperature to<br />

430°F (220°C/Gas Mark 7), and bake for<br />

20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and<br />

golden brown. Serve immediately, garnished<br />

with shaved white truffle, if you wish.<br />

Extracted from<br />

Charcuterie: Pâtés,<br />

Terrines, Savory Pies –<br />

Recipes and Techniques<br />

From the Ferrandi<br />

School of Culinary<br />

Arts by Ferrandi Paris<br />

(Flammarion, <strong>2023</strong>)<br />

Photography credit © Rina Nurra<br />

116 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 117


might be same ad<br />

Last<br />

Word<br />

19 years ago this year, on a cold and sleety February morning, I boarded a ferry at<br />

Dover and watched the famous White Cliffs fade as I headed to France on a day trip<br />

with my dad and my husband. We were going to buy wine and cheese, have lunch<br />

and head back home with our booty.<br />

It didn’t quite work out as planned. We bought the wine and cheese. We couldn’t find<br />

anywhere open to have lunch as we left it too late, and we succumbed to a cup of<br />

coffee offered to us by a property agent who spotted not just our rather miserable<br />

faces peering in his window but also an opportunity! Despite my adamant assertion<br />

that 1. we didn’t want a house in France and 2. we couldn’t afford a house in France,<br />

he persuaded us (me) to look at his three cheapest properties. And somehow I fell<br />

in love with one of them despite the fact that frankly it was a hovel. I bought it there<br />

and then (it was very cheap, less than the price of one of Kim Kardashian’s designer<br />

handbags), though my dad said it was a ‘never ending job.’<br />

Well this year may be the year we finally finish renovating. Stage one. Dad was<br />

probably right. The house is now comfortable and I think, rather nice. We basically<br />

built a house within the shell of an old barn that was insulated with tons of a mix of<br />

muck, mud and straw which we spent many fun-filled days (not) removing. I’ve filled<br />

the house with mementoes of my travels around France and with animals – 4 dogs<br />

and 8 cats and occasionally a hedgehog called Charlie and a dove called Doris –<br />

though it being summer, they are outside now with the chickens, ducks and geese.<br />

Where I live in Pas de Calais, is very rural, very authentic, my dad used to say it<br />

was like going back 50 years in England. There are no shops, bars or cafés in my<br />

village, just 150 people – mostly farm workers – and 1000 cows in a very green<br />

corner of paradise.<br />

My 90-year-old neighbour Claudette has watched us toil on our house these past<br />

two decades, laying floors where there was once dirt, putting in windows where there<br />

were once holes and fixing a roof that you could once see the stars through.<br />

“A house is built of logs and stone, of tiles and posts and piers” she said to me<br />

recently, quoting her favourite author Victor Hugo. “A home is built of loving deeds<br />

that stand a thousand years…”<br />

Janine<br />

Janine Marsh lives in France with her husband and around 60 animals. Her books My Good Life<br />

in France, My Four Seasons in France and Toujours la France are available at Amazon and all<br />

good book shops. Her new book How to be French will be published in October <strong>2023</strong>.<br />

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118 | The Good Life France<br />

The Good Life France | 119


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