Club Oenologique Magazine
I loved working with the team at Club Oenologique magazine on this feature about vegetable-forward chefs for their France special. They asked me for some ideas along some themes suggested by their guest editor Hélène Darroze, and we landed on this feature, which leaned heavily into my knowledge and expertise about French cuisine and 20 […]
‘Defend the product’: How the French keep their artisan food culture alive
For The Guardian’s EuroVisions series (in the features section), I was delighted to bring together much of the insight I gained in writing Amuse Bouche: How to Eat Your Way Around France and report on how the French protect their food heritage and culture, as well as its local artisans. The article was shortlisted in […]
Postcard from…Licques turkey festival
For the Financial Times, a ‘Postcard from the Licques turkey festival’. This pre-Christmas festival in the tiny town of Licques half an hour from Calais is a sight to behold. It starts in the main square where a giant cauldron of turkey broth was steaming over a blazing fire pit and was being ladled out to […]
A family road trip through France
On July 4th, 2020, the British government gave the green light for travel in France after four months of lockdown during the pandemic, so I booked the Eurotunnel and put together a trip of a lifetime through France, taking the route straight through the middle, stopping for adventures on the way that ranged from a […]
Five under-the-radar areas of France
Five great places to visit in France that are off the beaten track
My favourite finds in 2019
What were France travel expert Carolyn Boyd’s favourite finds in 2019 – ranked 1 to 10! From beaches to hotels to food trails, add them to your list for 2020.
30 best B&Bs in France
I love a chambres d’hotes – the French answer to a BnB gives you a chance to chat to the owners, get the inside track on what the best places to visit, best restaurants, and the history of an area. This made it a joy to put together my favourite 30 in France for The […]
Reasons to love Roscoff
When we Brits think of ferry ports, we tend to imagine Dover, Portsmouth or Plymouth. While each have their merits, they’re not exactly the kinds of places you would spend a holiday. Over the Channel, however, it’s a different case. Many of the ferry ports, such as Saint Malo, Le Havre and Dieppe are lovely […]
50 best holidays in France
Some of my recent pieces for The Times’ travel section
Heartache and beauty on the battlefields of northern France
In summer 2018, I explored some of the key sites involved in World War I and the newer memorials and museums, including the newly renovated Musée de l’Armistice. It was a heart-wrenching trip, but it gave me a much deeper understanding of the losses and sacrifices, as well as the history of how the war […]