‘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 […]
Fields of flavour (award-winning article)
For National Geographic Traveller Food magazine, I was delighted to explore the Massif Central and show how its cheese-making traditions are so intrinsic to the region’s heritage, history and landscape. The article won the best European feature category in the Inspire Media Awards 2025 and remains one of my favourite-ever articles to research and write. […]
Inside guide: Nîmes
Boasting some of Europe’s best preserved Roman monuments, the lively city of Nîmes hasn’t earned its nickname as the ‘French Rome’ for nothing. And with an enchanting old town, excellent restaurants and shopping, it easily rivals other, better-known destinations in the south of France – or indeed Italy – for a short break. It has […]
Five under-the-radar areas of France
Five great places to visit in France that are off the beaten track
Local’s guide to Biarritz
This story for National Geographic Traveller included a foodie guide to the town which you can read here: Local’s Guide to Biarritz Besides the brilliant offerings for food-lovers, though, there are myriad ways to enjoy the sea, whether you want to take a dip in it or not. Besides the seaside If the town’s surf scene […]
Best stopovers en route south
“Where do you stop when you drive south?” is possibly the number one question I get asked… and it’s so good to have dozens of suggestions up my sleeve. Whether you want to just enjoy a bit of luxury and switch off at a beautiful boutique hotel, or have a more adventurous stay in a […]
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 […]
A weekend in Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Many of the locals I met in the French Basque country said you were either a lover of Biarritz or Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and while I can see what they mean (the former is loved by chic fashionistas, surfers and spa-goers, the latter is certainly more ‘Basque’ in character) I really love both – perhaps it’s because […]
Food and drink in Dordogne
Autumn is the best time to be in the Dordogne. My feature from National Geographic Traveller’s September 2018 issue gives the highlights Read the article here.
50 best holidays in France
Some of my recent pieces for The Times’ travel section