Easter in France
During Easter in France, chocolate eggs are just as popular as chocolate fish and bells, as you may have noticed from the irresistible displays in shop windows.
garden
Buying a holiday home in France …?
A holiday home in France is a great idea but like all good things, it takes some planning and a little effort to make it work. Here are a few practical tips to help you get the most out of your maison secondaire
Termites in French Houses
Termites – the underground menace eating your house from the inside out When buying a house in France, the vendor is obliged to have a termite report carried out. If you live in a termite-infested area in France, you must,…
Top 10 tips to buy property in Paris
Thinking of buying of property in Paris? Read our top 10 tips for a well-informed decision.
Narbonne Property Guide
For many the ancient city of Narbonne and its surrounds is the ideal property location in the Aude department – right at the crossroads of the two main motorways, easily accessed from 4 airports, close enough to the beach for day- tripping, and steeped in history and culture. “Narbonne Property Guide”
How to feed the little guests in your French garden in winter
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
The Compromis de Vente and the Promesse de Vente
The Compromis de Vente is the first formal and legally binding stage in the property purchase process in France.
A night at the museum: see your favourites under a different light
A number of museum in France stay open until midnight and offer special events to nocturnal visitors.
French flavours in the kitchen: cooking with cognac
Using a star French ingredient, a chef rustles up a long summer cocktail and one à la carte dish with cognac …
30 Wildlife Friendly Plants for Your French Garden
Want to invite more birds, butterflies, and bees into your garden? Here are the plants and flowers that will encourage biodiversity …
A taste of France: Corsican delicacies
These local specialities provide a real insight into the place they are produced. Ingredients like chestnuts and citrus fruits crop up time and time again… as do names like fiadone and frappes
Markets in Provence
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 …
France Calls Ban on Sales of Roundup Weedkiller
France’s Minister Ségolene Royale has called for a ban on over the counter sales of the weedkiller Roundup, as part of a larger offensive with regards to the banning of pesticides.
Market day in the Dordogne
Market day is important in rural Dordogne – an opportunity to buy fresh food from local producers and catch up on news from friends and neighbours in the area. If you are used to supermarket fruits and vegetables, be prepared to change your shopping habits forever.
Gardening Observations: Your French Garden in May
May must be just about the busiest month in the French garden. Now is the time for planting out all the summer vegetables and salads, the tender annuals and putting out the hanging baskets.
Muguet – a May Day Tradition Dating Back to 1561
The 1st of May in France is a holiday to celebrate labour day, and it also carries the even older tradition of offering a sprig of muguet. But what does it mean?
Snakes in France: something in the woodpile
I knew there were snakes in France and, in particular, vipers, but fortunately I had never seen anything up close and personal until the snake slipped as smoothly as its skin into our woodpile. A shiver shot down my spine.…
Seasonal change: springtime in France
A strange thing happens in France when the fire-wood runs low. Deserted villages and small quiet rural towns breathe a sigh of relief and disgorge winterized humans into the pale spring sunshine. This seasonal migration from a central, warm winter…
Retiring to France? What you need to think about
Ham & Olive Bread, a French apéritif favourite
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!
Impressions of Renoir’s Home in Cagnes-sur-mer
It is a well-documented fact that my trips to Giverny have been sabotaged for over ten years now. I’m hoping that this coming summer will be my time for Claude Monet’s spirit to sit atop my shoulder and finally guide…
Literary Paris
So much has been written in and about Paris. Many renowned writers, such as Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway, chose to live and work there. Here are some of the capital’s popular literary hotspots.
Secret gardens of the Loire: La Chatonnière
Head to the heart of the Loire, where a château visit rewards you not with one garden but 12. La Chatonnière in Azay-le Rideau has an ecelectic range of beautiful jardins, including the Garden of Fragrance and the intriguing Theatre of Impertinence.
Spectacular robbery of priceless treasures at Château de Fontainebleau in France
Just before six in the morning on Sunday, the Château de Fontainebleau, one of the most extraordinary cultural sites in France, was the target of a carefully planned robbery. Priceless treasures from the Chinese wing are missing.
Market day in Foix, the heart of the Ariège
Florence Derrick travels to a Midi-Pyrénées town where organic and fair trade products are the norm
Grow your own vegetables in France
There’s nothing like the pleasure of eating vegetables fresh from your own garden. The flavour and texture far exceed anything you can buy in a shop. Growing vegetables is also a natural incentive to to spend time outdoors. It is not necessary to have a large space to begin a vegetable garden, you can start one with just a few pots.
Valentine’s Day and Romance in France
The French are renowned as a nation of romantics. From the amorous cartoon skunk Pépé le Pew with his overcooked accent to gorgeous actors like Jean Dujardin and Gregory Fitoussi, the romantic ideal often adopts a French accent. And, of…
Fifty shades of French: words of love and intimacy
What could be more romantic than a few sweet nothings whispered softly in the language of love? Here are some key French words and phrases.
Wedding traditions in France
If you are lucky enough to have been invited to a wedding in France, or are planning to get married in France, then here are a few wedding traditions you might not have seen before!
The best gardens and parks of Paris
At times we all need to escape the frenetic pace of city life, and luckily France’s capital has no end of green spaces. Read on to discover Florence Derrick’s top three parks in which to steal a breath of fresh air in Paris.
Winter in Brittany
Brittany tends to get overlooked in the winter. It only has one mountain peak, which is the mysterious and magical Menez Hom, but at 381 metres it certainly isn’t the place for a ski resort. Think of Brittany in winter…
New edition of FrenchEntrée Magazine OUT NOW!
The latest edition of FrenchEntrée Magazine is on sale now! It looks like this: It’s packed with great holiday inspiration for 2015, including: Our pick of great events to add to your diary, including Menton’s magical lemon festival (pictured) Foodie tours…
Show off your French garden for a good cause
Two years ago four British garden owners in the Creuse had an idea. What if they could develop an open garden scheme in France, like the ones in other countries?
Water Supply in France
Some useful facts and tips about water supplies in France and how to get your home connected.
World-class art in the Midi-Pyrénées: Albi and Rodez
Art runs through Albi just as the Tarn runs beneath its statuesque skyline. But Rodez, too, now has world-class credentials with its Musée Soulages. Justin Postlethwaite explores two Midi-Pyrénées cultural gems.
Learning how to taste wine
Wine is a complex beverage, or at least it should be, and to understand a wine’s complexity and depth you need to analyze it.
Vide-greniers: how to bag a bargain in France
There’s a fine and fluctuating line between clutter and collecting which is, in our household at any rate, often crossed. As an ardent and somewhat militant minimalist the prospect of a morning rummaging through the jetsam and flotsam of someone’s…
Like a Fine Burgundy Wine, Château D’igé Just Gets Better
Some years back, Vincent decided that we would drive from Paris to the south. Although the drive can be done in a day, he decided to stop for the night midway into our journey. Keeping his choice a surprise, I…
A Day Trip from Paris to Giverny?
Our American contributor Cathe outlines some more of the trials and tribulations – and joys – of French in-laws! Will she make it to Monet’s Giverny?
Lot-et-Garonne: ‘my heart is in Castillonès’
Tony Bennett only left his heart in San Francisco because he hadn’t been to Castillonès first. The Lot-et-Garonne village may not have the international renown of the Californian city, but visitors are drawn back to it year in, year out.…
Le great French bake off!
This October on TV5MONDE there’s fantastic foodie TV on the menu with our top gastronomy programmes all subtitled in English for everyone to enjoy – Sky 796 / Virgin 825
Ephrussi: the French Riviera’s villa of dreams
Guy Hibbert journeys southwards to tour the nine themed gardens of the spectacular Villa Ephrussi-de-Rothschild at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, a fantastic confection which sits jewel-like above the azure waters of the Mediterranean
Annoix, memories of a French exchange
English heart, French soul… Linda Welch pens her memories of a French exchange in the Cher, where she first discovered her love for France. Annoix is so much more than its entry in Wikipedia, ‘A commune in the Cher department in…
Is the French work-life balance under attack? [poll]
The French lifestyle balance is once again in the crosshairs. This time the stalker is the Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF) with a controversial report aimed at reducing the number of national holidays on the French calendar.
The Haute Somme: a wealth of heritage to be discovered
The Haute Somme’s varied landscape consists of a high meandering valley, dotted with lakes surrounded by lush greenery and starting points for pleasant walks and bike rides. The historical legacy of the Great War is brought to the fore in…
My French village: between light and shadow
This Sunday we had a memorial ceremony for the 70th anniversary of a brutal WWII battle that took place in my placid little village in deepest rural France. As in art, there is no light without shadow, so the harsh history of this…
Seasonal shifts: when summer turns to autumn
I have just got off the phone from the Maire’s secretary in the village down the road where we own a small cottage. She discreetly informed me that the Veolia engineer had just called into the office, asking directions as…
Land dispute? Love thy French neighbour
Boundaries can look like abstract arbitrary lines on a map … until your immobilier informs you that your front garden wall has actually been built on your neighbour’s land.
smallholdings
Smallholdings in France Welcome to our comprehensive guide to Smallholdings in France. A complete on-line resource for information for those who have or are thinking about buying a Small Holding in France. The laid back French lifestyle along with the…
My Favourite Time of Year: The Appeal of L’arrière Saison in France
Just after the tail-end of the summer holidays –once tourists have packed up their parasols and children are back in school– there is a magical time when nature seems in perfect stasis. It’s the shoulder season in France, and my…
