SOME might say that selling English cheese in France is a bit like sending coals to Newcastle, but for Adrian Perryman it’s a chance to show off the rich tastes the UK has to offer.
Since moving to France in 2003 with his partner Jannie, the former chef and builder has become a regular at village markets around the Creuse offering up a cheeseboard bearing some of the most famous names from England.
DESPITE a busy and successful career Sue Boxell knew there was something niggling away in the back of her mind.
That something was Burgundy; its wine, food and people. So much so that Sue left the UK on an old Dutch barge to sail across to France and make a fresh start in the vineyards of the region.
“I was a project manager for Eurotunnel and was based in Calais, but our head office was in Victoria, in London, and obviously this was before the shuttle was finished and so I was up at the crack of dawn crossing the Channel either by ferry or hovercraft,” Sue said.
Chinon sits on the banks of the scenic Vienne river, just south west of Tours, at the heart of the Loire Valley, writes Beryl Brennan.
It was the birthplace of Cardinal Richelieu, the writer Francois Rabelais, and Richard the Lionheart is said to have died here in 1199 from a crossbow wound.
It is also famous for its wines; the appellation covers over 2,000 hectares and some 200 vignerons produce wines from 18 villages situated on both banks of the river.
WHEN visiting a place like Flavigny sur Ozerain it would be unthinkable not to try the gastronomic delights.
Le Relais de Flavigny offers a warm welcome in this mediaeval village where they serve authentic French cuisine.
SET in the heart of the Auxois countryside you will find the vineyard of Le Domaine de Flavigny-Alésia.
The trellised vineyards on the slopes behind Le Domaine give forth beautiful grapes.
Here you can taste the wines from Flavigny, one of the oldest vineyards in France; documented well before Charlemagne, in 741.
WHEN farmer Robert Berthaut and his wife realised in 1956 that the Époisses cheeses were becoming extinct the couple were determined to do something about it.
They decided that the traditional heritage should be revived and set about learning the skills surrounding this specialist cheese
The Berthaut cheese company is deeply rooted in history founded on time honoured techniques and traditions and is situated on what had at one time been an ancient religious community, with its buildings built to blend in with the old curing room.
ONE of the most famous recipes of Burgundy is the one that includes its name, Boeuf Bourguignon.
This version is taken from that used by the chef at The Hotel Dieu, Monsieur Vernet.
BOURGOGNE or Burgundy is a historic region of France, which has been inhabited by the Celts, Gauls, Romans, and various Germanic peoples, the most important of which were the Burgundians; an East Germanic tribe from mainland Scandinavia who immigrated to an island called Bornholm, in Old Norse Burgundarholmr, the island of the Burgundians.
In time, the region was divided between the Duchy of Burgundy (west of Burgundy) and the County of Burgundy (east of Burgundy.) The Duchy of Burgundy became the more famous of the two being the one that achieved historical fame.
Later the Duchy of Burgundy became the French province of Burgundy, while the County of Burgundy became the French province of Franche-Comté (free county.)
Following an investigation by France Boisson-Gira, it appears that the number of cafés in the Cote d’Or department is falling. With an 18% drop in the last three years the days of sitting with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine outside a café watching the world go by could be a thing of the past.
MANY people head to France with a business idea or two in an attempt to ensure they can enjoy life in their new home.
But few will look to start a truffle farm deep in the countryside of the Gers but that is what Dick Pyle has done.