Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe: It’s December in Provence, snow has already sprinkled its magic across the villages and as the nights draw in and daylights fades each day, a bitter chill drapes itself like a frozen mantle across the dark golden, sprawling vineyards. By early December in Provence …

This post was previously published by Cook’n with Class in Uzès. A buffet table laden with 13 desserts! How could the French be so smug as to think that North Americans with our turkey-centric Christmas dinners, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and a variety of sides are excessive? Or so …

Contributor blog post by Elizabeth Gabay: Vin cuit and the 13 desserts are a traditional combination served at Christmas in Provence. Today, however, the 13 desserts are often only symbolically represented – with baskets filled with a selection of dried and glacé fruits and nuts, available in most food shops around …

By late November, the Christmas markets in Provence are in full swing. Individual cabanas decorated with festive trimmings line the Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence. In a short walk, you can buy some gingerbread (pain d’épices) to go with your foie gras, stock up on a few santons for your crèche …

Dutch-born Anne-Marie Simons is a traveller. She studied in Paris, worked in Brussels and then moved to the United States where for a long time she worked only to support her travel-bug. Today, Anne-Marie and her husband Oscar reside in Aix-en-Provence where she continues to hone her writing. The following …