It’s a sultry summer lunchtime in southwest France and I’m happily tucking into perfectly cooked (à point, since you ask!) lamb chops on the riverside terrace at Le Festin de Babette, a popular spot in St Antonin-Noble-Val. It’s the picture…
If you love France you’ll love these competitions! With a chance to win tips, experiences, food, drink and more, you could be one click away from an exciting prize! We put up new competitions regularly, so why not bookmark this…
In the mood for a juicy steak frites? How to request the ‘doneness’ of a steak in French.
Comté cheese has been produced in the Massif du Jura region of France for over 1,000 years, using only organic Montbéliarde and French Simmental cows’ milk. Its production is still based on artisanal traditions, lovingly crafted in around 160 small villages…
Crêpes are prepared using plain flour and are sweet. They are usually washed down with cider and are just as delicious with a cup of coffee or a steaming mug of chocolat chaud…
The Berry region is renowned for the quality of its goat’s cheese, some of which has the AOC award normally given to wine. Crottin de Chavignol, Selles-sur-Cher, Saint Maure de Touraine and Valencay are…
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The exact specifications of the true original cassoulet are difficult to make out, because there are as many stories about it’s origins as there are versions of the recipe. The name comes from the cassole, the earthenware pot that is traditionally used to cook it in.
Christmas dinner in France is usually a traditional affair, the highlights of which are a starter of oysters, a delicious stuffed roast goose or turkey,and a yummy Bûche de Noël (Christmas Yule Log) for dessert.
Find out how to help your local flock of birds in France thrive this winter. And with the right food, you may even be able to tempt in a new visitor or two
A full menu of delicious seasonal recipes. Chef Chris Lacey does Christmas, combining both French and British traditions.
Using a star French ingredient, a chef rustles up a long summer cocktail and one à la carte dish with cognac …
His move to Paris at the age of 22 marked the start of a lifetime love affair with l’Hexagone and French cuisine…
Le Cordon Bleu, the world’s leading network of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management institutes, opens its new Paris school in June
Bring a French touch to your menu with this creamy chicken in cider ‘poulet au cidre’, a traditional dish from Brittany.
Visiting an open-air market in Provence is one of life’s great little pleasures. Market day has been a way of life for Provençals for generations. The market serves a social function bringing together the community each week …
Christmas in a glass! A classic recipe for vin chaud, the traditional French winter warmer, with red wine, orange and spices. It’s so easy to make at home…
Cep mushrooms grow plentifully in France and are a much treasured speciality locally. Why not make use of them for this tasty and rustic dish…
When you are planning to visit Lyon, the French ‘Capital of Gastronomy’, it’s vital to not miss out on the best culinary experiences on offer in the city’s legendary bouchons and restaurants. A typical French dinner is a proper feast, long and filling and full of…
This is a favourite recipe with a Charentaise touch, and is a delicious way of serving beef tournedos… and very quick and easy to do! It will quickly become your favourite too.
It was a Saturday in July and my son and I had just arrived in Lyon, the city described as the ‘world capital of gastronomy’. Our quest was the restaurant ‘Chez Mounier’, a bouchon at 3 Rue des Marronniers,…
April in southern France is a gastronomic feast. The markets overflow with the luscious new vegetables and fruits of spring. Foremost amongst these are strawberries, the perfect ending to any spring dinner party.
Some call him the ‘Pope’ of French cuisine, others call him its grandfather, or even its emperor. We interview the living legend Paul Bocuse, whose list of accolades is as long as the menu of gourmet delicacies at his principal…
Stéphane Bern, the author of The Best Loved Villages of France, dedicated to France’s best loved villages, reveals his passion for village life and gives us a tour of Vézelay in Burgundy.
The Far Breton is a flan-based dessert originally from Brittany. Available in many versions, the Farz Forn remains the most well known, with additions like rum or plum liqueur.
Author Joanne Harris is best known for her novel Chocolat, which was made into an Oscar-nominated film. Here she tells FrenchEntrée about the effect that France has on her writing
Gloriously rich and sweet, with just the right amount of acidity, French onion soup defies the modest reputation of its main ingredient. However, when the dish was invented, it was simply a case of the allium being in the right place at the right time…
An excellent quiche using the local roquefort cheese from the Aveyron. Perfect for informal outdoor lunches accompanied with a green salad, or served in small bite-size pieces for apéritifs and picnics.
Guy Hibbert fulfils a long-held ambition, driving a classic Italian sports car on a 36-hour road trip through Languedoc-Roussillon, leisurely taking in the area’s hugely pleasurable range of seafood, wines, mountains and medieval architecture along the way…
Aligot is a fondue-like potato and cheese dish made by skilled men with vast wooden paddles and often served alongside local sausages or spit-roast veal, lamb or pork. Aligot transcends its simple ingredients and tastes best eaten outdoors in a crowded village square on a summer’s evening.
Dominic Bliss introduces his two young daughters to cuisine “outside their nutritional comfort zones” in the Limousin.
This is a quick and simple recipe for a french savoury ‘cake au jambon et aux olives’ or ham and olive bread. Very popular for snacks, picnics or informal apéritifs … just cut it up and serve!
La Tartine Gourmande Béatrice Peltre, Roost Books, $35 In the unforgiving world of social media for foodies, you don’t get 27,000 Instragram followers unless you cook brilliantly and take lovely photos. Béatrice Peltre, whose website we featured last issue, is very much in the vanguard of food writer/photographers,…
Comté cheese is a pressed, cooked cheese from the Massif du Jura region in eastern France. Its nutty flavour makes it perfect for hearty winter recipes such as this take on a British classic: chicken and leek pie. Combined with tarragon…
A classic French dish made with chicken braised in red wine. With its deep colour and rich flavour this coq au vin recipe is the perfect slow-food to make any dinner guest feel special.
France is renowned for its cuisine, and French chefs have traditionally set the standard for culinary excellence across the world… so what are the tools that French chefs rely on?
Any visitor to Boulogne-sur-Mer is in for a culinary treat as the city’s enormous fishing port is just a stone’s throw from a famous fromager selling hundreds of cheeses. Florence Derrick investigates.
In the winter we all need dishes such as this to nourish body and soul. Florence Derrick charts the origins and history of this all-time French classic, a slow-cooked stew that’s equally pleasurable at home or sampled at your favourite bistro
This is what they eat to warm themselves up in the Cévennes mountains in winter … if it works for them, it could help us through our cold winter too. Here is a delicious French bistro staple.
A little help goes a long way. Whether you need a a copper tube, double-glazing, paintbrush or electric drill, find the right word for the job.
Can the English be as romantic as the French? Author Julia Stagg shares a delicious tale of French romance in the mountain village of Fogas, where the characters already feel like family.
Popular at any time of year this crêpe recipe incorporates chestnuts – a Limousin speciality. The basic mixture is made separately so you can use your own imagination for the fillings, the possibilities are endless…..
Sarlat-la-Canéda is the heart of the Dordogne Valley and the capital of the Périgord’s gastronomic specialities: walnuts, black truffles and, most of all, foie gras. Florence Derrick ‘takes a gander’ at the town’s annual celebration of goose-based cuisine, Sarlat en Périgord Fest’Oie
The black truffle, also known as the ‘black pearl’ or ‘black diamond’ of the kitchen, is one of the most expensive edible mushrooms in the world. It is harvested from November to February not just in the Perigord, but also in a number of other regions where conditions are favourable, and that includes the Languedoc and Provence.
Sitting down at a picturesque restaurant only to discover that the “authentic” cuisine is in fact a reheated vacuum-packed or frozen mass produced dish is far from ideal. Visitors to these restaurants have vented their discontent in their guest reviews…
Want to impress your friends? Why not try out the most famous of all French dishes, le Boeuf Bourguignon? Here’s a tried and tested recipe.
No matter how prepared you are, those thoughftul final details make all the difference. Find inspiration in these simple and effective ideas.
A traditional French dessert served after the main Christmas dinner is la Bûche de Noël, a roll of light sponge cake, covered in chocolate or coffee butter cream textured to resemble bark as an evocation of the ancient tradition of burning the Yule log.
Best-selling author Mireille Guiliano demystifies one of the ultimate luxury foods. Follow her elegantly simple approach to how to taste an oyster, then decide for yourself whether you like them or not.
Roasting chestnuts is one of those rituals that bring back wonderfull childhood memories. Cook some just before going for a walk through the autumn leaves to keep your hands warm or enjoy them by the fireside with a glass of wine.
Renowned Breton baker Richard Bertinet is back with a stunning new guide to simple pastries and desserts that you can make at home. He talks exclusively to Florence Derrick about his inspiration and favourite recipes.
