Fun and fabulous newsletter from France

Bonjour!

I hope that you and yours are well.

This week we celebrated May Day, a national holiday in France and next week we have two national holidays: VE (Victory in Europe) Day on 8th May and Ascension Day on 9th May, and nearly everyone I know is taking Friday 10th May off – called a pont, a bridge day to the weekend. Jean-Claude my neighbour, or as everyone else calls him, Monsieur Partout (Mr. Everywhere) – on account of him seeming to be everywhere you go, is organising a neighbours get together to celebrate the lazy week. It did occur to me that he might be a triplet and that I’ve just never seen him and his brothers in the same room because some days we walk the dogs and there he is, at the door of his garage polishing his beloved little white van. A little while later, we’ll see him at our neighbour Claudette’s house, trying to jump start his tractor. Then we’ll see him in the field that belongs to the Old Man with the White Horse, or chatting to Pierre the farmer. He really does seem to be everywhere.

Anyway, the neighbours get together is going to be in his garden if the sun shines, and in his garage if it doesn’t. We all take wine, beer and food – everyone is always very interested in what I bring as the only Brit in the village and this year I’m planning to make a giant Eton Mess – meringue, strawberries and cream. When I first arrived in France, I had no idea how to cook but since my neighbours took it upon themselves to teach me, I’ve improved enormously and I’m hoping my colourful concoction will see me move from the Flop Chef to the Top Chef category.

French people are mad for meringues, there’s even a chain of patisserie shops that specialise in making Merveilleux – meringue cakes, yes, just meringue cakes, nothing else, and they’re slathered in whipped cream and chocolate shavings! And I’ll tell everyone at the party the story of the Eton Mess’s origins – that it was invented when someone dropped a strawberry, meringue and cream pudding on the floor at a cricket match in England more a couple of hundred years ago, and rather than waste it, scooped it up and put it all broken up in the dishes! I’d better try and get my French translation right or else I’ll be going back home with a big bowl of untouched dessert!

I’m currently in the lovely city of Arras in the north of France, next I’m headed to the Auvergne region where I’ll discover the history of the Michelin Man, climb to the top of a volcano and eat a lot of local cheese, and after that I’m off to sunny Bordeaux – the city and the seaside where I’m hoping to hunt down a local celebrity cake! Come with me via Instagram where I’ll post photos and videos as I go.

As always, there’s heaps of inspiration in the newsletter – from a fascinating podcast about the Mona Lisa, fabulous tours and holidays in France and a very helpful free webinar coming up for those dreaming of or planning to move to France.
Wishing you a very bon weekend,
Bisous from Arras,
Janine
Editor The Good Life France

ps Top photo: Cannes in the spring time!

Read the whole newsletter and see this week’s top features and recipe picks

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream, My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

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