Last weekend thousands of visitors attended the latest and probably one of the best France Show of this decade. Thousands of visitors had the pleasure of sharing some of the most attractive things that France has to offer: its food and wines of course, the infinite variety of its landscapes presented by people from the very region themselves:
Languedoc, Auvergne, Limousin, Provence, Nord-Pas de Calais, Bretagne, Berry, Pays de la Loire or Pays Cathare to name but a few. There was music and dance all day long with the periodical performances of a group of energetic and colourful "French cancan" dancers, lecturers, writers and artists, chefs, in immaculate whites, demonstrating recipes, as well as a couple of friendly "gendarmes" walking around. There was even a well-attended "pétanque" pit lined up with onlookers enjoying a drink of "pastis" kindly offered by the Maison Ricard and not far from it a traditional French market from Normandy. To capture the flavour of the show have a look at the beautiful photos of the France Show taken by talented photographer Maksim Kalanep.
There were over 200 stalls and an amazing crowd of people from all over Britain and France. The air was vibrant, joyful, electric and friendly and yet strangely peaceful. People talked easily to one another. I made fast friends in a brief moment with Ani and Andy and shared views on cooking and eating, guided expertedly by another newmade friend of mine, a lovely and lively chef (and his Fine Art of Dining group) based in Cambridge. We kissed each other goodbye the French way. Ani took a picture of us and we swapped email addresses. That was a delightful moment indeed. At the France Show one is always bumping into interesting people on both sides of the exhibition stalls and gathering useful information as varied as the best way to follow the "Route des fromages d’ Auvergne", the cultivation of the precious spice of saffron in the Berry region, Le Touquet first centenary celebrations or the presence near Arras, of the impressive Wellington Quarry, an underground town set up by New Zealanders in a series of huge connecting chalk quarries to shelter 20,000 soldiers of the Commonwealth during the first World War. A visit not to be missed! I was also reminded in passing that Normandy had entered its 12th century(time does fly!) and that the Unesco had made the Cévennes part of the World Heritage. Robert Louis Stevenson would appreciate the hommage. A holiday in his footsteps might be a way of celebrating the fact.
There were exhibitors offering various services or suggesting new ways of enjoying France such as becoming the owner of a row of vines in a French vignoble. An organisation encourages the French to learn English in the Mayenne region using creative methods and bringing greater understanding between our two countries. A very helpful group based in Brittany assists both English and French home owners by maintening the property in their absence. If you have a second house in France look up Les Bons Voisins for some great advice and tips. They can also help British people relocating to France or wishing to run a business there. Another group organises cookery classes in English in various parts of France and many other organisations run exciting ventures for all.
Everyone kept smiling, answering questions, telling anecdotes, offering you a glass of wine or some goodies to munch on the whole day long, not minding one bit standing on their feet and hardly taking the time to have a break. I have to congratulate and thank them all here and encourage you to attend next year's show and meet some of them. Our favourite stall was of course that of Made in Provence, held by our very own cheerful Christine and her friend Véronique. Christine was one of the stars of the France Show this year. Her daily cookery demonstrations attracted close to a thousand visitors over the weekend and many more visited her stall too to have a taste of Provence. The organisers of the show actually ordered hampers from Made in Provence to hand out as free gifts to any new Subscribers at the Show. That choice was probably influenced by Maison Blanc who selected these delicious products last year for their own shops across the UK. We're happy for The Way To France to be in such good company.Keep an eye on the calendar and join our "French on your plate" workshops this year so that you can be part of it too.
