"A taste of Provence"

What an evening that was once again!  We transported ourselves, all fourteen of us, all the way to sunny Provence.  We marvelled at the colours of its landscapes,the vibrant ochre hues of the village of Roussillon, the dry dazzling white of Le Mont Ventoux, the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea at one with the sky.  We visualised the rocky coast of the Côte d'Azur and its spectacular calanques, even heard  cigales' monotonous shrieking in the heat of a summer day, thanks to Corentin's perfect imitation. We also learnt about pétanque and pastis and about the importance of the shape of  wine bottles (but that shall remain a secret).  The fascinating Museum of Ménerbes entirely dedicated to corkscrews was mentioned and a hundred of other little details that make a region quite unique.  We even went to the market and sang Gilbert Bécaud's famous song "Les Marchésde Provence" full of all the vocabulary we needed for cooking our meal, complete with the accent de Marseille!
And there was a quiz or two one involving the mind, the other one making us guess the name of ingredients through tasting and smelling.  Not as easy as it sounds! There was also the most exciting hands -on cooking experience under Christine's expert guidance.  This ended with a very tasty Provençal meal that was enjoyed by all.  Many of us found it hard to leave and went on speaking French over a glass of Cointreau at the cosy bar of Cook's Barn until much much later...  That was another memorable night.
Remember that you can join us too.  There are two more workshops before the summer break.  The next one  on Wednesday 9th of May at the usal time of 6pm will explore the whole region of the south of France from the Alps to the Atlantic Ocean.  The last one on Saturday 23rd of June will start at 4pm.   We will take you to the Pays de la Loire.  Remember numbers are limited so do let us know if you wish to attend as soon as you can.  See you soon!

" J'irai revoir ma Normandie ♪ "

What a pleasure it was to spend a few moments in the company of our friends at Cook's Barn, our familiar venue, last Thursday. Our last workshop took us to the beautiful coast of Normandy from the white cliffs of Etretat to the famous beaches of D Day landings in Arromanches. We went inland to Rouen where we discovered the Gros Horloge surrounded by old Norman houses with"colombages" and the XVth century stained glass windows set in the futuristic architecture of Jeanne d'Arc church. We enjoyed Caen and its Peace Memorial, Bayeux and we discovered that the spectacular Jumièges cathedral was identical to the first Westminster Abbey...

We also visited Villequier and were moved by the tragedy that struck Victor Hugo's family there when his beloved daughter, Leopoldine was drowned in the river Seine. Lots of local celebrities were mentioned and then we moved on as usual onto our favourite topic.... gastronomy and what better place than Normandy for it!

We enjoyed studying the recipes, played with the vocabulary and learned lots of idiomatic expressions. Once the linguistic side of things was mastered we went to the kitchen and starting cooking under Christine's supervision.   Last but not least we sat round the table to enjoy a beautiful meal were cream, butter and cheese ruled! We ended the evening singing quite appropriately the classic "J'irai revoir ma Normandie".  Memorable!  Our next workshop will be a first as it will take place on a Saturday and start at 4.30pm.  A few places are still available.  Contact us soon as possible to share in the fun.  We'll help you prepare for your next holiday in the South of France the topic will be "A taste of Provence".

The "name game" at Madingley Hall

What a weekend that was! Our latest residential French course took place in beautiful Madingley Hall near Cambridge and the experience is still lingering in our memory.  We gathered in the spacious Board Room on Friday night after a superb candlelit dinner.  Surrounded by some fifty  portraits of French celebrities looking down on us with mysterious smiles on their faces! Armed with maps, brochures, books and encyclopedias, we embarked on a very special journey.  The aim of the course was to place in time and in space some of the famous writers, artists, musicians, scientists, historical figures or politicians whose names are attached to the streets and avenues of France as well as to schools and buildings of all sorts. A wealth of history and culture is bound up in those street names.

Very often the celebrity comes from that town or region and there will be a museum and places to visit, festivals, exhibitions and lectures to attend throughout the year, centennials and bicentennials to take part in.  This is the case in England too where Thomas Hardy, D.H. Lawrence or Beatrix Potter amongst others are remembered in that fashion.  However in France this phenomenon takes a much greater dimension.  We explored France region by region from north to south and west to east.

We even had the pleasure of welcoming Thirza Vallois on Saturday afternoon who delighted the audience with a powerpoint presentation of the region of l'Aveyron.  Thirza, better known for her historical guides of Paris  has recently written a book about the place and the people of that part of France: "Aveyron, A bridge to French Arcadia".
We met of course the great figures of Victor Hugo, Maupassant, Colette,  Pasteur or Monet but many more names equally important. Equally interesting to discover: someone like Paul Riquet whose masterpiece the "Canal du Midi" is now part of Unesco World Heritage along side the great pyramids of Egypt. We also learned about Jean Jaurès the great political figure assassinated on the eve of the First World War and whose name has been given to 414 schools and lycées.  Flora Tristan was the first French feminist and grandmother of Paul Gauguin, and Parmentier the promoter of the potato to the French. We also remembered beloved comic actor Bourvil and the unforgattable entertainer Josephine Baker, the latter whose name hs been given to a square in the XIVth arrondissement in Paris.  Many other celebrities and historical figures popped in throughout the weekend and by the end there was quite a crowd around the seventeen initial people who took part in the course!  Now they will no longer be travelling through France without trying to find out the story behind the street signs.

Paris in the Spring!

Film makers love Paris, and so do we! For our first trip to Paris of 2012, from March 23rd to 25th, we thought it would be fun to help you discover some of Paris' most famous cafés.  

You will not only have time to take in the sights and ambience, you'll also be sitting 'on location' of where some of the most iconic scenes in cinema have been shot. Join us for Paris autrement: Cafés et cinéma from March 23rd to the 25th for a dose of culture, history and cuisine. We'll even help you brush up your French! 

Some of the cafés that have appeared in movies include Le Train Bleu near the Gare de Lyon, which along with Le Procope, inspired the backgrounds in "Ratatouille", and was also where "Mr Bean's Holidays" was shot. The Café de la Mairie in the 6th was a set for "La Discrète" just across the road from where the "Da Vinci Code" church scene was shot!

The Café des deux Moulins served as location for "Amélie Poulain" and Woody Allen's latest film "Midnight in Paris" was shot at the "Polidor". And finally to illustrate the point, who wasn't impressed by the scene in "Inception" where Leonardo DiCaprio's protégée first learns how to "map" a city sat at the café Café Debussy in the 15th?

Is it too obvious to say that the French capital, is one of the most filmed cities in the world! Join our tour of Paris' famous cafés for just £125 per person for a weekend that includes language tuition as well as a full schedule of activities organised and chaperoned by our team (details below). As always we will give you all plenty of opportunity to explore on your own. We let you book your own travel and accommodation so you decide where you stay, for how long and how you prefer to get there. Early birds will get the best prices, so book your place now and start to dream of your trip to Paris in the Spring!

DETAILS

Price for the workshop is £125 and includes: 

• 15 hours French conversation
• Programme of activities
• Useful addresses & documents
• Guidance and coaching

A deposit of £60 is required to secure your place. Detailed programme available upon reception. Full amount payable a minimum 2 weeks prior to departure.

ACCOMMODATION & TRAVEL
We also recommend you BOOK now to save money on your travel arrangements and hotel booking. To give you some options, we recommend booking at least 30 days prior to travel on Eurostar to ensure return rates as low as £69 per adult, pending availability. Note we cannot offer travel arrangements as we are not an agent, yet we know from experience of regular trips to Paris, that deals are to be had the earlier you book. We can however, help you with booking your accommodation, for a small additional fee, if you are not confident using your French. Below are some suggestions of local hotels:

• Hôtel St Pierre 4 rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, 75006 Paris. Tel : +33 (0)1 46 34 78 80 
• Hôtel St André des Arts 66 rue Saint André des Arts, 75006 Paris
• Grand Hôtel des Balcons 33 rue Casimir Delavigne, 75006 Paris : +33 (0)1 46 34 78 50
• Odéon Hôtel 3 rue de l'Odéon, 75006 Paris : +33 (0)1 43 25 90 67

We look forward to exploring several cafés while following the footsteps of celebrities, stopping to sit and eat in the very places where past and present actors, writers, artists and historic figures have frequented!  

"Paris is magical at all times and who could ask for more than you as a companion!" Clare P, Cambridge

Thursday March 8th find out about “La belle Normandie” so close and yet so different…

Just a short way across the Channel, by ferry, train or plane, is the Normandy region which bears an uncanny likeness to the Southwest of England: it’s so green, so lush, so peaceful and the food is so good! Yet it is definitely a different world altogether, this region of France is not only famous for its local dishes of course, its verdant landscapes, its spectacular coast, and its architecture but also for its historical past. What makes it interesting particularly to English visitors is the connexion they can witness and feel with their own history. Further to being annexed by the Romans first then by the Vikings, it was disputed for centuries by English and French kings and it is where D-Day armies landed. 

Through the past centuries Normandy has been the home of numerous French celebrities, there’s even a tour called “La route des écrivains” that will lead you from the home of one author to another. On this "roadtrip", you will discover the lives of Flaubert, Maupassant, Claude Monet, Eugène Boudin and Victor Hugo, while setting your eyes on beauty spots along the River Seine, the coast between Honfleur and Deauville or further west the Mont Saint Michel (a larger version of Mount St Michael near Penzance).

As usual we will be carefully study the workshopt's recipes and you will get a chance to help cook some of the regional specialties for your dinner complete with the famous “trou Normand”! After the sacrosanct Aperitif we will learn to bake a Camembert as a starter, and prepare a traditional Poulet à la crème, Normand Chicken of course, served with a Salade campagnarde and the dessert will have to be a Tarte au pommes au Calvados. There will be a choice of cider and wines from the Pays de Loire. 

A few spaces are still available on Thursday 8th of March, for our next "French on your plate" workshop, so don’t miss this opportunity to practise your French! It's only £60 and includes the meal above, plus 4 hours of French conversation and tuition. Here's what previous participants walk away saying "Great food, great recipes and learning French at the same time"

And later in March we will be embarking on a trip to “Another Paris”. Contact us if you wish to join us and don’t forget to keep an eye on the next entry of this blog for more details.

The France Show to launch 2012 in style!

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.  

We’ll bring you our own brand of France Show!  Our next meeting will be at Cook’s Barn onThursday 9^th of February.  We’ll make a quick visit to Brittany and Normandy this time.  You will discover one thousand and one ways of making and enjoying pancakes and the French way of  celebrating “La Chandeleur”…..

A Taste of Christmas in beautiful Provence

What better way of preparing both heart and mind for the holiday season than by turning to the Provence region and its traditions, including the absolutely magical world of  Provençal "santons"! This is where our "Noël in Provence" workshop transported us to last week at the equally magical venue of Cook's Barn, near Cambridge.

Starting with a overall presentation of the region, from the marshland Camargue to its rocky hills made famous by such artists as Paul Cézanne, our group rediscovered how beautiful Provence is in all seasons.  At this year's workshop we specifcially focused on the period that leads to Christmas and the way in which the Nativity is celebrated there.  We marvelled at how extraordinarily different from our Northern habits the Provençal traditions are.  We essentially enjoyed learning about the presentation of the Nativity scene in Provençal homes (and homes throughout France) and regional Christmas Dinner specialties.  

From December the 4th, the population, young and old alike, gets into the "faire la crèche" mood.  This activity is not restricted to churches and has become over the years a most enjoyable pastime for the entire family.  The traditional little clay figurines can be bought of course in shops or at the Christmas market. Making "santons" has become an art practised by "maîtres santonniers" such as Charbonnel, Scaturro or Escoffier, some of them are renown internationally and take part in exhibitions and festivals in Provence, Italy and even as far afield as South America. Yet anyone can have a go at modelling the little "santons"! A lot of families encourage children to make their own.  

Over the centuries, legends, stories and songs even have evolved from and around the characters, departing from a strictly religious nature to become a way of artistic and folkloric expression.  The "santons", or "little saints" in Occitan language soon took on the attributes of the society and the customs around them, creating a sort of ideal Provençal village from the olden days with its various artisans, shopkeepers, country people of all ages including Monsieur le maire of course but also sheep, horses, goats, dogs and cats placed in a hilly landscape complete with miniature houses, windmills, trees, rivers and bridges. "Crèches" take pride of place in households and include, in a prominent place, the stable complete with a kneeling Virgin Mary and Joseph standing up, the ox and the donkey watching over the empty manger. They are joined by a couple of shepherds who are also patiently awaiting the arrival of the baby Jesus.  Later in January the Three Wisemen will make their entrance!  The"santon petit Jesus" or "pitchoun" will only be placed at midnight on December 24th.  People add to the scene of the "crèche" year after year, some even have a whole room dedicated to it and give freedom to their imagination and creativity.  One can have members of their own family represented there or even local or national celebrities. By coincidence the capital of "santons" making, Aubagne happens to be Marcel Pagnol's birth place. Very naturally the characters of Pagnol's own literary and cinematic world found themselves transformed into "santons", thus reinforcing the local tradition. A visit to the Musée des Santons in Fontaine de Vaucluse will illustrate this well.

 














To make this event even more exciting we had the pleasure of welcoming Thirza Vallois to our workshop that evening.  The comments based on her great historical knowledge provided us with further insight into the subject. Bearing in mind that our workshop is not only about the language and the culture of the region but also about its culinary specialties, we then joined Christine a Provençal native and The Way to France advocate Marie, who were poised in the kitchen to prepare the "Gros souper".  The dinner is, despite the name, traditionally a rather simple meal of fish and vegetables.  What makes it special are the Thirteen Desserts and the ritual around it. The table is covered by three tablecloths, with three candles in the middle symbolising the  Holy Trinity. An empty seat is always kept at the end of the table for the "pauvre" or the "absent person " (during war time). 

We enjoyed eating delicious "filets de rougets" with olives and tomatoes, a scrumptious "gratin de cardes" and a Christmas salad with (and without) "anchoïade".  We also enjoyed sharing the thirteen desserts of raisins, figs, nuts, nougats, calissons  and all sorts of regional fruits as well as learning about their symbolism. 

We discovered the "méréville", this unique water melon that can only be found in this part of the country.  The méréville "panade"  prepared by Christine and Marie came as a surprise and completed the Thirteen Desserts perfectly.  

The delicious meal was accompanied by a superb Mont de Ventoux wine, to make for another memorable evening.  We are very much looking forward to 2012 and look forward to travelling around France with you throughout the year....  Keep an eye on our calendar and book your place for our workshops and trips as early as possible as numbers are limited for greater enjoyment. Date for our next French on your Plage meeting is on February 9th with a festival of pancakes 

In the meantime all of us at the Way To France we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. A big thank you to all the members of the team, from Francine!