"Friandises de Pâques" on 7th April 2011

Want to find out how the French celebrate Easter?  We can teach you how to “play” with chocolate among other ingredients, how to make biscuits and sweets and other equally naughty French cakes.

Why not learn as well about all the different festivities that the French enjoy celebrating throughout the year, regionally and nationally? Some are quite unique, most of them include scrumptious delicatessen, others flowers such as lily of the valley on May the first and chrysanthemums for Halloween as well fancy-dress costumes for Carnaval and street parties on Bastille Night. There are many other festivals throughout the year including the national Music Festival every June, where music plays throughout France non-stop 24 hours a day over a long weekend, as well as other festivals for all seasons and many other fascinating customs.

 

Join us at Cook's Barn on Thursday 7th April 2011. Contact us for more details.

We crossed the Channel and had a ball!

“Thank you once again for a wonderful evening! I had no idea how many interesting things there were to learn about Northern France - I am already planning a trip to explore the surrounding area especially Lille and Le Touquet. As always delicious food based on the local cuisine of the region you were highlighting and excellent company - it’s amazing how one’s confidence to speak comes to the fore when you are enjoying yourself. I am certainly looking forward to learning more about the different regions of France.” D. Nicholson. Debden 

Another memorable, entertaining and enjoyable evening took place at Cook’s Barn last week leaving all who took park eager to cross the Channel to experience for themselves the beauties of Northern France.  The testimonials say it all!

Thanks to Pascale for preparing such a beautiful meal. It accompanied the language workshop, illustrating aptly one of the region’s best kept secrets: its gastronomy.   We set our eyes on the beautiful Côte d’Opale beaches, totally mesmerized by the shades of green of the sea unfolding its slow waves along miles of flat white sands.  

To get into the spirit of Northern France, we listened to the beautiful songs of “Les Corons” et “Les gens du Nord”, hummed the delightful  lullaby of “Le P’tit Quinquin" talked about Carnaval and « Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis » in Bergues.  We were transported to the centre of Lille and visited Paul’s  boulangerie  by the “carillon”.  Going from one belfry to the other, we talked about the markets and the “braderies”, the “estaminets”, the “confréries”, the thousand festivities this hospitable population loves to celebrate. 

All agreed that the people of Northern France have in their heart the sunshine they don’t physically have outside, true to the song by Enrico Macias! The plan now is for us to go there for a day or a weekend to see first hand how true this is. 

“This evening was an eye-opener to a part of France about which many of us English are ignorant and have totally ignored: the North. We learnt about various interesting towns, festivals and customs which encouraged us to think of visiting the region to enjoy the very different experiences it has to offer- and not just to pass through that part of France rapidly, on the way to elsewhere! At our convivial dinner we enjoyed, amongst others, two dishes using chicory, one of which was hot and delicious- a new taste for most of us. With local beer- for a non-beer drinker I could be converted- and wine, we relaxed and tried out our French. The evening was great fun! We all came away with the warm pleasure that Francine's 'French on your plate' evenings provide, and enthusiasm for more such occasions!” F. Ballantine, Hitchin

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Discover the "Ch'ti" country on March 3rd 2011 from 6pm

Previously, The Way To France workshops have tranported to Provence, the Languedoc, and just last week to Brittany. How about crossing the Channel and enjoying Northern France with us for a change?! See below how much fun we all had celebrating "la Chandeleur" on Thursday 3rd of February during our last workshop at Cook's Barn. 

In this session, we will allow you to take the time to admire the magnificent 'Côte d’Opale' and the gentle hills of Boulonnais and Picardie regions. You will also discover the amazing city of Lille, complete with its belfry chiming “Le p’tit Quinquin” all day long, its old squares, gardens and museums, its gigantic open air market and its futuristic metro with no driver! 

The landscapes, the architecture, the history and the gastronomy hold their own in relation to other parts of France.  What makes it even more exciting is that it is only a couple of hours’ reach by train or by car, so once you've been introduced to this region, you can go explore in person.  

We’d love to encourage you to cross the Channel more often and enjoy the best of the “Ch’tis” country.  And we'll show you how to cook some of their absolutely delicious specialties.  An evening not to be missed! Contact us for more information and to book your space now.

Would you recommend this type of course?

• Yes, very much!
• Absolutely!!
• Yes, definitely
• Yes, certainly
• Yes, Yes, Yes

Was it good value for money?

Yes, great food, great recipes and learning French at the same time. 

What did you enjoy the most? 

• The camaraderie and good humour! 
• Everything  
• The food  
• Speaking French + ambience + food!  
• Eating delicious food whilst listening to French.  
• Everything: interesting talk, delicious food, good company.

Beautiful Brittany right here on your plate…

A memorable evening that was at Cook’s Barn last Thursday!  A group of ten very keen Francophiles (of varied levels of French) set their eyes on stunning views of Brittany landscapes to the haunting sounds of music by Yann Tiersen (made familiar because of the sound-track of the film “Amélie Poulain”).

An hour or so was spent learning about this very distinctive region of France.  Brittany has a history, culture and unique language that existed long before it became part of the 'Hexagon' that we call our country nowadays.  Brittany is now very much part of France.  Yet its history as well as geographical position set the region in a world of its own.  It was fascinating to discuss the very deep and specific traits of the Breton mentality and traditions.  One has to decide to go to Brittany; you don’t simply drive through it on your way South and discover it “by chance”.  You have to choose to go there!

So we made that special journey all the way to the tip of Finistère, visiting the little towns of Concarneau and Douarnenez, going cross-country up and down the peninsula, admiring the rocky coastline, stopping in Lochronan,  being reminded of Tintagel in Cornwall by its granitic architecture, strolling through a quiet market in the suburb of Quimper.  And what about the quaint little streets of Quimper lined up with artisans and delicatessen and rows of flower pots on the pavement outside florists’ shops?!  We learnt about BZH, calvaires, menhirs, vieilles charrues, binious and chapeaux ronds as well as oignons (including the ones one wears around the neck of course!), artichauts and choux-fleurs… and of course last but not least, we made friends with the legendary Bécassine.

  

We also looked into “La Chandeleur” French celebration (yes, another one) from Roman to modern times.   Never forgetting that all that linguistic and cultural investigation of our “French on your Plate” workshops is but a pretext to take a closer look at regional gastronomy!

We added to the presentation the study of a few recipes, all Breton of course and all including delicious crêpes.  

We scrutinized the vocabulary of both the ingredients and the cooking techniques, memorized all the necessary verbs and hurried to the kitchen range to enjoy the preparation of the meal.

 

Where we were then tasked by Christine to yet another test, that of identifying, amongst other things,  the various jams to be put on our pancakes.  The whole adventure was supervised by a little Bécassine puppet…

Our efforts were well rewarded when we shared a meal as delicious as ever.  The evening was enjoyed by everyone and we cannot wait for the next “visit” to France in that fashion.  By the way it’s on March the 3rd and we help you to discover Northern France.  Early bookings advisable!

Soirée Bretagne

How about celebrating "la Chandeleur" on Thursday 3rd of February (only a day late)and spending a few moments admiring the stunning landscapes of beautiful Brittany? There are so many intriguing traditions to learn about and delicious recipes to explore! Have you heard of our legendary Bécassine? Well she comes from Brittany too! There is no better excuse to then go to the kitchen and spend the rest of the evening tossing and eating pancakes. Heaps of them! and heaps of French and fun as always. We'll let you know all about it soon!

ONLY 1 or at a push 2 PLACES LEFT FOR NEXT THURSDAY'S EVENING - 3rd February 2011 from 6pm

France on your doorstep 14th-16th January 2011!

This is your chance to prepare your next visit to France and enjoy what is second best to it: this year’s London France Show!
Come and join us at Earl’s Court. We'll be on stall 277 opposite the far end of the French Market.
There will be food and wine to taste and buy, French people promoting their regional specialties, representatives from regional tourist offices, leading French travel experts and retailers of French goods.
You’ll be able to take advantage of special offers on holidays whether it is a short weekend break or something more adventurous: cooking, sailing, golfing or painting. Come and get inspired and informed!
You can also meet estate agents, developers, mortgage providers and other professionals who will advise you for free about available French properties
And last but not least you’ll even be able to practise your French…. with us!
Visit The France Show. This is your chance to prepare your next visit to France and enjoy what is second best to it: this year’s London France Show!

“Noël en Provence” revisited…

Another memorable workshop to discover how the Southern part of France celebrates Christmas!

This very unique fashion of celebrating Christmas inspired both by religion and magic explains the origin of the traditional Christmas “log” as a counterpart to the English plum pudding, the making and the meaning of the "mendiants" and the "fruits déguisés" as well as the importance of the many little characters that people the Nativity scene in true Provençal style: the shepherds, the fishmonger, the miller, the poacher, the old couple, the knife grinder, the water carrier, the milkmaid, the pumpkin carrier, the baker, the huntsman, the lumberjack, the musicians, the village happy man (as opposed to the village idiot!), l’Arlésienne and many others gathered in the “crèche” year after year. People add little “santons” (provençal for little saints), year after year, buying them or creating their own even. Stories and songs surround these local handmade nativity scenes and form one of the most vibrant and original tradition.

Artists specialise in the making of “santons” and reach fame as Maîtres Santonniersand there are international festivals and exhibitions of their work in cities such as Arles. Find out more about it by following la crèche provençale.