I’m a real Francophile and have stayed in more than one hundred towns, cities, villages and hamlets in France. Twenty-two of these have been in Provence, the shortest for one night, the longest for four months. Every time I plan a trip to Provence, the dilemma is where to choose… …

Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: February is approaching quickly and it brings a number of excellent festivals to the French Riviera ranging from food fairs to flower parades and world class carnivals. With half term school holidays for Zone B (Alpes Maritimes and the Var) falling on the dates 06 …

I cannot claim to be an art critic however I know what I like and this summer I was invited to a vernissage (from the French verb to varnish which is an interesting choice!). This preview event is usually by invitation and what better setting than Crillon-le-Brave? Nestling into the …

After several centuries, cascades of turquoise water carved a 20km limestone canyon known as the Gorges du Verdon, which became part of the protected Parc Naturel Régional du Verdon in 1997. The Verdon River flows 166km from its source in the Alps to Lac St Croix engraving the sheer rock …

Contributor blog post by Ashley Tinker: My local farm shop is selling these tender shoots at the moment. Large baskets of the just-picked leaves are set up to pick and choose. I originally placed only 2 varieties in my basket before I was told that the combination of Roquette (Arugula), …

Contributor blog post by Ashley Tinker: The other evening I witnessed the most beautiful sunset I’ve yet to see in Provence. Sadly, the camera cannot truly do justice to the intense colours we saw- but I’ll share these images with you anyways! First, while wandering the garrigue landscape admiring the …

Contributor blog post by Liz Gabay: At the recent Wine Mosaic conference, one of the facts that shocked participants most of all was the fact that the majority of wine is made with only a small percentage of the grape varieties available to us. 70% of French wine production comes …

January is the month of la galette in France. La galette des rois, or King’s Cake, is a flaky buttery pastry filled with almond paste. It is traditionally eaten at Epiphany on the 6th of January, but it’s also eaten throughout the month at social gatherings, schools, offices, New Year …

Much has been written about Vincent Van Gogh’s life, the famous Dutch painter who led an expressive, tortured life. This statue le voleur de tournesol (the Sunflower Thief) by Gabriel Sterk may just capture the essence of Van Gogh’s work – as you never quite look at sunflowers, irises, olive trees …

seasonal quiches, as there’s always a nice combination that will work. Figs are lovely with nuts, so you can make a very tasty number with some crushed almonds or walnuts, figs and some lardons