Take the train to Angers
Take the train to Angers in the Western Loire, France. What to see and do
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 […]
Renaissance treasures in the Loire Valley
Mona Lisa’s eyes are said to follow you everywhere, but the same can’t be said when you’re sitting on her forehead. We’ve followed those eyes to get to this position; they drew us up a main street in Blois to the town’s Escalier Denis Papin where Leonardo da Vinci’s painting has been mounted on the […]
See the Loire Valley with kids
Why brave the queues at The Louvre in Paris to show the kids the Mona Lisa when, in 2019, you can sit on her eyebrows in Blois? This giant reproduction on the Escalier Denis Papin was the highlight of our trip to the Loire Valley to research the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci’s death […]
50 best holidays in France
Some of my recent pieces for The Times’ travel section
Where to find the best ‘brocante’
If you love bric-a-brac or antiques, then you can’t go too far in France without finding a ‘brocante’, rammed with all sorts of objets and vintage items. The best place I’ve found, in terms of variety, is Le Perche in Normandy, which is included in this feature for Homes & Antiques magazine, along with Paris, […]
My first book! France, From the Source
Lonely Planet’s series of books, titled ‘From the Source’, explores the local cuisine in countries around the world, combining regional and traditional recipes with the stories behind them, and the people who cook them. [Read more about the series here] . Having explored so much of France’s food culture during my time at France Magazine, I was […]