Born in Africa, her childhood featured many relocations, but Sophie Claire spent summers in the South of France visiting her grandparents. It’s those memories of sunny, carefree days that inspire her novels today. Sophie Claire’s latest novel, Summer at the French Olive Grove, was published in May 2021. Her effortless …

For its fourth season, the Villa Carmignac presents The Imaginary Sea (La Mer imaginaire), an ideal subject for this idiosyncratic gallery:  part of it is housed in an old building with views to the sea below, while the other part is underground, a modern exhibition space beneath a glass-bottomed pool.  …

Scones began as a Scottish quickbread and have evolved into a teatime staple that is easy to make and sure to impress. However, plain scones (although delicious) can be just that, a bit plain. When the sun starts to shine, and flowers begin to bloom, lavender is a herb that …

Until the end of October, Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles presents an exhibition bringing together new works by the American artist Laura Owens with seven paintings by Van Gogh, most made in and around Arles. Van Gogh hardly needs an introduction, but here’s what the gallery writes about Laura Owens: …

Easter Sunday Mass was celebrated at ‘La Grotte de Sainte-Baume’ at the weekend to formally re-open the cave of Saint Mary Magdalene after its being closed for 10 months’ work. I hadn’t realized that this is Christianity’s 3rd most holy shrine after Christ in Jerusalem and St Peter in Rome. …

Perfect to use as an ice cream garnish, enjoy with your coffee and a café gourmand, or as a snack. Tuiles aux amandes are a fun and creative way to add a little sweetness to your day. Named after the shape of roof tiles that they resemble, the crunchy texture …

Clafoutis aux Cerises is a classic French recipe that is easy to make and a delicious choice for cherry season. Some versions call for whole cherries, which ensures a juicy Clafoutis. However, you want to warn your guests that they need to be careful of the pits! I used California …

Considered the gateway city to the Camargue, Arles has it all – history, shopping, gourmet food and enough grit to capture your interest. Here are some of the top reasons to visit Arles: Artsy Arles Frank Gehry designed Luma Arles, opened in June 2021, a project commissioned by local philanthropist …

France is implementing a new health pass if it wasn’t hard enough to keep track of the Covid-19 variants, infection surges, and colour-coded travel restrictions. Effective today, the “pass sanitaire” (health pass) is a requirement for anyone (18 years and older) for entry into locations with a capacity of more …

Crème Anglaise is a light custard sauce that is used both for sweet and savoury alike, depending on its flavour and your level of desired creativity. Pour it over fruit, a cake or under meringue as in a “Floating Island” or use it to sauce fish, meat and poultry. It …