Bonjour!
I can’t believe how quickly the weekend has come around again and how cold it has become here in the north of France. It isn’t just the north though, it snowed in Provence this week, a quite rare occurrence as it doesn’t snow there every year and when it does it’s usually for just a day or two. We shared some lovely photos on Facebook and if you missed them – take a look as it’s not an everyday sight!
Last Monday was “Pancake Day” in France, called: La Chandeleur. Some of you might know that I am a dreadful cook. I came to France knowing nothing about cookery and not much has changed despite the efforts of my French friends and neighbours. Even the post lady and the man who delivers the bread to our village three times a week left “simple” recipes for me to try for a while before giving up. However… this week I cooked pancakes and I must tell you, I went from flop chef to top chef in minutes! Our foodie writer Karen shared her fail safe recipe for authentic French crepes and – it worked. I made the most perfect pancakes, so much so that my guests consumed vast amounts to the point where I thought I might have to alert the Guinness Book of World Records!
It’s also been a record week for me with The Good Life France as I now have more than 67000 friends on Facebook (if you are one of them THANK YOU) and the website got a record number of visitors last month. My French friend says the correct expression for flabbergasted is “j’ en reste comme deux ronds de flan” (Zut alors, I’m like two round flans!).
Thank you all so much for all your support, for your sharing of articles that you like on the website, for your shares, likes and comments on Facebook and Twitter, I am truly grateful.
With best wishes,
Bon Weekend,
Janine
Editor
This week’s top features:
Ten reasons to visit Champagne-Ardenne: We can all definitely think of one fabulous reason to go to Champagne but here are ten great reasons – from the world’s only tree-top Champagne bar to the World Puppet Festival… Know any more? Drop us a line!
The perfect French Crepe Recipe: Yes, the one I made that turned me from Flop Chef to Top Chef!
Top events this month in France: What’s on in February in France – some of the best festivals and events this month…
50 Years of sparkling ski fun in St Martin de Belleville: This lovely village in the Three Valleys alpine area has lots of snow and it’s extra sparkly at the moment thanks to one of the restaurants gaining Three Michelin Stars!
A medieval castle being built in 21st Century France: An absolutely amazing and unique archaeological project, the construction of a real chateau using 800 year old methods and tools with hundreds of volunteers…
Feeling the cold? Warm up with a posh pie: Hachis Parmentier – so much easier to make than say! Wash it down with a Normandy Hot Toddy and you’re guaranteed to feel warm (in Normandy they say it cures colds too!)…
