Category: Food and Drink

AFTER a hot n’ sweaty six hours in the saddle, I arrived at a faux Louis IV château, ringed by huge oaks. Stone cottages straight out of ‘French Country quaint’ dotted the grassy, adjacent park, writes Christopher Strong.

And set, ever so tastefully in the midst, an azur swimming pool beckoned. Cigales chattered in the pines beyond. Hey – this could be do-able!

I announced myself to the receptionist. A barely adolescent Catherine Deneuve clone. She arched an obviously artificial eyebrow, while favouring me with a smile and a “bonjour” of the same quality.

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THE internet has changed the way many people do business on the web, but what abut the traditional trade of vineyards and wine suppliers?

Here Ryan O’Connell explains how he has used the internet and tools such as online video, blogs and photography to promote his parents’ vineyard in Languedoc, Ryan writes:

I’m only 24 so all this interactive communications technology has been a part of my life since the first time I saw my friends playing Doom II against EACH OTHER on different computers miles apart from each other using a mysterious process that involved plugging their computers into fax machines.

My six year old mine was blown.

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SHE was beyond elegant. Immaculately coiffed, exquisitely tailored, equally prêt for shopping on the Champs Elysee, or a stroll through the Bois du Bologne, writes Christopher Strong.

Her dancer’s body arcing delicate, repetitive motions with effortless grace. As I crossed the courtyard, our eyes met.

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WHAT preparations do you have to make, and what pitfalls do you need to look out for, if heading out on a cycling tour of France?

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EXITING the pigpen, and entering the pasture, we find the goose, writes Christopher Strong. Source of the delicacy that generates resounding bravos from foodies of all nations – foie gras, literally fat liver.

It comes from a, supposedly, free range bird, whose only function in life appears to be organ donation.

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WHAT are the French really like? A fair question to ask someone who has experience of their likes and dislikes, writes Christopher Strong.

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Of all the French words or phrases that have been universally adopted, one is first among equals, writes Christopher Strong.

It is the phrase that so perfectly describes social sins, that it has joined such mondiale stalwarts as sex, taxi and radar.

The phrase, of course, is faux pas.

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NICHOLAS Joly is equal parts philosopher, economist, poet, author, lecturer, country gentlemen, biodynamic advocate, and 100 per cent wine maker, writes Christopher Strong.

His Chenin Blancs are consistently rated ‘exceptional’ by all the critics, but Nicholas Joly, often labelled The Pope of biodynamics by one wine magazine takes no credit for his renowned wines.

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IF there is one thing that most Brits in France miss it’s a hot ‘n’ spicy curry on a bed of fluffy white rice.

When Lee Aston, who was originally from Coventry and now lives with his French wife in Normandy, helped a family member build a website he was thanked with a box of packet curries.

Then as his friends, both British and French, took a liking to the curries an idea grew and he realised that there was a demand for everything from a mild tikka masala to a fiery vindaloo.

Here Lee chats about how he started his business and the setting up of PacketCurry.com

FOR too long, Bergerac has bumped along in the wake of its more illustrious neighbour, Bordeaux, writes Phil Hargreaves.

Now, massive investment and a new generation of often innovative winemakers have put Bergerac back on the map.

The wines cover a whole range of tastes, from dry whites, reds from Montravel and Pécharmant and sweet whites from Saussignac and Monbazillac.

However, don’t underestimate the simple Bergerac appellation which affords some excellent value, from straightforward fruity wines to more expensive oak-aged cuvées.

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