French Holiday - Foodie Heaven

We're on holiday! A really easy journey from Bournemouth airport. 

An hour and forty minutes later we landed, flying Ryanair to Marseille. When Ryanair flights arrive on time they play a trumpet sound, I kid you not!
 

From Marseille a 40 minute drive to where we were staying near Avignon.

We arrived for a late supper and 2 weeks of feasting have begun! It is the simple foods in France that for me are the most special. Although I like fancy food on occasion, you can eat very well or better now in the UK if that is your thing.

So we had a delicious dinner of vegetable soup, fresh baguette (hooray), some delicious Gorgonzola and Beaufort which was a little like gruyere. Some fantastic rose which is renowned in this region and rounded off with an actual ripe peach!

The reason I make such a big deal about a ripe peach is they seem to be harder to find in the UK than hidden Aztec treasure.

You either get something that claims to "ripen in the bowl", which never seems to improve the taste and simply gets softer rather than anymore flavoursome.

Day One - Trip to the butcher. Locals come from miles around and calmly queue for this butcher. The shop was spotless and someone other than the butcher took your money. 

I am sure there are not any health issues if they don't but it is quite nice for the person who handles you cash not also be handling your meat. Anyway everything looked great and I am looking forward to the pork chops for this evening's BBQ.

Lunch was more suffering involving a perfectly ripe Camembert, fresh figs, watermelon, perfectly ripe peaches, pate forestiere - you get the picture. We bravely sat through it all. Well someone has got to do it.Having said all that you really don’t have to go far in France to find great produce and for the most part it is very good.

I also think the way food is presented here is so appetising. To find the layout and quality of your local boulangerie or butcher you would probably have to visit a Harrods or Selfridges food hall in the UK, whereas here this is standard fair through the country.

Don't get me wrong there is wonderful produce in the UK and particularly in Dorset, but you have to go and find it. I also think that the UK is open to and embraces food from all over the world, where as the French and even more so the Italians stick to their own cuisine and in many cases only their own region.