Holiday Rentals In France

Our old house in Normandy, which is now a charming rental cottage. We highly recommend this place!


For the first 10 years that we lived here, whenever I was visiting the U.S. and met someone new, they would inevitably ask me where I lived. When I would reply that I lived in France, their response, every single time, would be, "so how long have you lived in Paris?"
I always found that pretty funny. It's like telling someone that you live in the U.S. and they respond by asking how long you've lived in New York City.

But I get it. Paris represents "France" to most foreigners.

However there is much, much more to l'Hexagone than Paris! And over the years we've been fortunate enough to live in a few regions and have enjoyed exploring a good chunk of this beautiful country on many of our vacations.

I know that once you've chosen where to go, picking where to stay can be daunting. The sheer number of holiday rentals out there is crazy, so I thought I would share a handful of places that we know and would recommend around France. We stayed in some as paying guests (and would happily return), a few are owned by friends and one house we lived in for 4 wonderful years.

If you have any more places to recommend, please share them in the comments!


This gorgeous home, with a large pool, is located close to the Mediterranean sea in Occitanie. The owners, who are close friends of ours, are renting it out this summer.



A perfect spot for a summer apéro is the terrace of Maison de la Fontaine, a vacation house located in the center of the market town of Nérac, in the south west. It is owned by my good friend, Mardi, of Eat. Live. Travel. Write.



Gîte de la Roche à Vent in the Loire Valley, located between Saumur and Angers. We spent a week in this spacious, comfortable house, which was a fantastic location for exploring the region. 


Another lovely rental, complete with a big swimming pool and a large garden, is located in a medieval town in the south of France.


Can you imagine sitting here with a glass of wine, enjoying this view? Gorgeous! And the owners are winemakers, so a visit to their vineyard and wine tasting is included in the price.



Another picturesque spot in Gascony is Kate Hill's home, Camont, where I learned to make cassoulet many years ago. It is exceptionally being rented out for the summer of 2017.



Logis la Cabane, located about 20 minutes from Cognac, is a beautiful property with 2 acres of gardens and a heated swimming pool. 



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My Favorite Books about France and a Giveaway

Being a life long Francophile, avid reader and cookbook addict lover means that my bookshelves are literally overflowing with books about France.

Books about French regions and travel, French cookbooks, French phrase books (which now pretty much just gather dust), Paris food guides, memoirs written by people living in France, French restaurant guides, French maps...
You get the idea.

I have many, many favorites. If I had to narrow them down to just a few, these are the 10 that would be on my French themed Desert Island Books list.

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Charcutepalooza and Why You Want to Win the Grand Prize

At first I was very excited to participate in Charcutepalooza, a meat-filled year of "salting, smoking and curing" that is the creation of Mrs Wheelbarrow's Kitchen and The Yummy Mummy. 

Since moving to France I've learned to make simple things like frozen yogurt, red wine vinegar and fromage de chèvre, so I thought it would be fun to try my hand at making pancetta, bacon, duck prosciutto and all the other delicious charcuterie projects planned for the coming year.


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Lunch in Gascony

Heading to the Kitchen at Camont in Gascony for lunch today.
Bon dimanche!

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La Fête du Fromage - Brebis Férmier de David

One of the trio of cheeses that I picked up last November in Gascony got overlooked. Lost in the shuffle. Disregarded.
Ironically it was the favorite of we three tasters.

I think that after four days of canard, butchery education, Armagnac, fritons, the stunning scenery of Gascony and the enthusiasm and inspiration of Kate Hill, I was lulled into a blissful stupor. Obviously I'm still recovering.
But I can't wait to return.

Brebis Férmier de David is sold by a special fromager in Eauze who handpicks artisan and small farm produced cheeses from the Béarn region of the Pyrénées.
If I had to come up with one word to describe this unpasteurized ewe's milk cheese it would be lusty. The full-bodied, almost sharp, concentrated flavor is pure heaven on the palate. It has a flaky, crumbly texture and smells of fresh ewe's milk and grasses.
A bit like an aged Pecorino Romano. I loved it!

And enjoyed with a glass of 100% old vine carignan from the Minervois, it was even better.


Here's a very different Brebis Férmier from Aveyron that I tasted last summer. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Chèvre Férmier de Philippe

This cheese invoked some interesting comments during our tasting.
"Looks like a fine sponge."
"The texture reminds me of angel food cake."

Voilà Chèvre Férmier de Philippe, another special cheese from the fromager in Eauze who sells only small farm produced and artisan cheeses from the Pyrénées. I owe Kate Hill a huge thank you for taking me to see him.



Farm produced goat cheeses usually offer a healthy hit of goat flavor and this one didn't fail in that respect. Despite the medium-strong goatiness, this is an extremely well balanced, delicate and nutty cheese. Chèvre de Philippe's fine flavor and wonderful springy texture brought us all back for seconds. Then again for thirds.
I would have gone back for fourths, but we were tasting two other cheeses so I managed to show some restraint.

I've never seen these Pyrénées cheeses that are named after their producers down here in the Languedoc, so I think a trip back up to Gascony to track down this fantastic fromager is in my future!

Enjoyed with a glass of 100% old vine carignan. Pin It

10 Reasons I Love Gascony

Ten reasons barely scratch the surface. But it's a start.


1) The Armagnac
Deep caramel flavors and fruity aromas. Very special stuff indeed.



2) The Landscape
Uncrowded and dotted with treasures to discover. Gascony is often referred to as "the land of milk and honey."



3) The People
Friendly, passionate and always willing to share a recipe or two, give restaurant recommendations or to just stop and chat.



4) The Towns
Nérac, Agen, Condom, Auch. A lifetime wouldn't be enough to explore them all.



5) The Fritons
Crispy, salty, fried duck skin. Need I say more?



6) The History
The Hundred Years war, King Henri IV, The Wars of Religion. Gascony's history is layered and rich.



7) The Pigeonniers
Why do I find them so charming?



8) The Foie Gras
Silky, rich and utterly irresistible.



9) Les Pruneaux
Dried or pitted and stuffed with natural cream or Armagnac infused cream. What a treat!



10) Kate Hill
Dynamic, kind and devoted to the region, its food and the people who grow and produce it.
I can't say enough kind things about her. If you have the opportunity to study Gascon cuisine with Kate at her Kitchen at Camont, you must!
It is an incredible and unforgettable experience

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Photo du Jour - Feathered Friends

Kate's rooster holding court in the gardens of Camont. Pin It

Thanksgiving in Gascony

How do three Americans celebrate Thanksgiving in rural southwestern France?

No turkey. No cranberry sauce. No green bean casserole (for that I am thankful!) No pumpkin pie.

For our Thanksgiving in Gascony, Kate, Carol and I spent the morning at the market in Éauze, spent the afternoon tasting Armagnac and after un p'tit apéro when we got home, whipped up a simple, yet festive meal of Chestnut Soup, Duck Legs with Prunes, cheese from the Pyrénées and Fromageon Gascon spread on toasted fig bread.
What a perfect day.






Fromageon Gascon

• 250 grams/8 ounces chèvre frais or faisselle
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Armagnac

Mix the three ingredients together and spread on toasted slices of walnut or fig bread
Drizzle extra honey on top if you like it a bit sweeter

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Photo du Jour - Un Petit Potager

This is my kind of gardening!*

I left my camera cable at home so can't upload any photos of the fun we're having at Camont until Friday. zut!



*Taken at Camont in 2007 at Camp Cassoulet Pin It

South of France Views

Since October I've taken advantage* of friends who live in beautiful places and made a couple of trips around southern France to two stunning regions, each of which with their own unique personality and charm.
Last month I went east on the train to Marseille & Cassis and last week I jumped in our little car and drove north to Rodez.

Both times I was well taken care of!
There were local wines to taste and cheese shops to visit; I was driven to a picturesque Provençal village perched on a hill, and to a picturesque Aveyron village perched on a cliff; we explored le Panier neighborhood in old Marseille and sat with un café noisette in a sunny café along the pretty port in Cassis; we toured the lovely city of Rodez and sat with a glass of Marcillac red wine in a local bar looking out at the glowing nighttime Rodez cathedral.
Both times my French got a good work out, as did my little camera.

The view from Cassis


La Vielle Charité in Marseille


The Vallon des Auffes in Marseille


Provençal patisserie


Petite maison à Rodez


Gothic courtyard of Rodez


Cathedral in Rodez


Village of Bozouls

Église de Bozouls


Side street in Bozouls



Next week I'm taking trip number three.
Tuesday morning I'm pointing the car northwest and heading to the Lot-et-Garonne to visit Kate for few fun-filled days of Armagnac, duck fat infused cooking and Gascon markets.


No camp this time, (I will definitely miss my fellow campers) but I'm sure there will be Cassoulet!


le Relais de Camont



*I mean that in a nice way, of course Pin It