Magazine food and drink

Frogs’ legs was a British dish long before it became French delicacy

Ancient Britons enjoyed the food 8,000 years ago, archaeologist claims

French winter warmer recipes: Tarte Tatin

A happy accident resulted in this classic French dessert

French winter warmer recipes: Boeuf bourguignon

This delicious beef stew braised in red wine is a standard of Parisian bistros

practical

Boulangers battle to save real bread in France

The country is renowned for its artisan loaves, yet there has been a shift towards cheap industrial bread

Know your cheeses and their seasons: which to eat in France in November

Several French cheeses are good to eat this month - alongside a Swiss classic

French winter warmer recipes: Choucroute garnie

This simple Alsatian dish of fermented cabbage, potatoes and sausages is best served with beer

Village in south-west France celebrates its world-famous peppers

Espelette, in the Pays Basque, hosts an annual festival for its eponymous piment on October 26

Letters: Vegetarians can cook at home and leave French restaurants to the rest of us

Reader says the pressure for more menu options would turn France into a nanny state

Allergy tracking app to ease shopping difficulties created by French students

Innovative app by students helps allergy sufferers scan products and share tips, enhancing supermarket experiences.

France's latest tasty trend mixes food with games

Combining the French love of cheese, wine and chocolate with escape rooms has resulted in a new concept – food gaming

Mythbuster: France has 258 varieties of cheese

A famous quote by Charles de Gaulle is often rolled out in discussion... but is it correct?

Finding and harvesting nuts in France

Exploring the culinary and practical uses of walnuts from a part-time paysanne

Popular Mont d’Or cheese 'season' begins in France and runs until May 2025

The cheese is a staple of autumn and winter tables

Which iconic French brands are the most beloved?

It is likely you have products from at least some of these marques in your home, even if you do not live in France

French plums are source of pride and celebrated in Agen in late August

Sue Adams looks at the many uses of this ancient fruit – and why harvest time is a wonderful sight

'Natural wine' on rise in France: what is it and is it any good?

Vigneron and winemaker Jonathan Hesford explains this alternative to over-manipulated products

Five things they don’t tell you about... coffee in France

Adding milk can be more than just a spur of the moment choice in a French café

Pain au chocolat or chocolatine? The definitive map

Trying to settle a debate? Consult this official ‘chocolatine’ and ‘pain au chocolat’ map of France

How to describe wine like a French sommelier

Winemaker Jonathan Hesford provides a beginner’s guide to talking about flavours, smells and preferences in French

From corks to screw caps: French wine bottles are changing

Screw caps are winning out on ‘drinkable’ wines and recyclability, but are still facing resistance among premium wines

Crustless camembert? French cheese threatened by rind mould extinction

Scientists warn the fungus responsible for the famous white skin is at the point of disappearing

Traditional Roquefort and Camembert are under threat, warn scientists

Cheese-lovers told they must learn to appreciate more diversity of tastes, colours and textures, sometimes within the same product to protect the cheeses’ future

RECIPE: How to make a ‘perfect’ French galette des rois

To celebrate Epiphany, people across France enjoy a traditional, sweet treat: the galette des rois. We share a simple recipe to make your own

Day 12 French regional Christmas specialities: Seafood platter

Oysters are unavoidable - but there are many other options too

Day 11 French regional Christmas specialities: Papillotes from Lyon

The origin of papillotes is wrapped in a cute story

What does a winemaker in France actually do all day?

Vigneron Jonathan Hesford explains what happens behind the cellar door and the daily decisions involved in making wine

Day 9 French regional Christmas specialities: Escargots persillés

This snail dish is one of France’s most known Christmas recipes…thanks to a 19th-century visiting Russian tsar

Day 7 of French regional Christmas specialities: Pain d’épices

Pain d’épices is another Christmas staple of the Alsace region. A small village famously hosts one of the most famous gingerbread houses, and even a gingerbread museum

Bustling French brasseries offer delicious food and stunning decor

We explore eight iconic brasseries across France for traditional, good-value meals in sumptuous surroundings

Day 4 of French regional Christmas specialities: Chapon farci

Chapon farci are often associated with Bresse, an area overlapping two regions, and where there is a myriad of stuffing options

A French grape variety guide by winemaking region

Winemakers in France rarely put grape varieties on the label so Jonathan Hesford reveals which grapes are probably in your glass

What are IGP/AOC/AOP labels on French products?

Some labels are recognised at European level, others only at national level

France’s Mont d’Or seasonal cheese is back

The first Mont d’Or cheese signals the start of autumn in France. Here’s why, and how to enjoy it

Riz de Carmague in France: in a field of its own

Patrice Bertrand looks at the cereal grower’s increasing challenges

Scrummy half: a tasty tour before the rugby in France’s foodie Nice

Win or lose, rugby supporters travelling to the southern city are in for a treat as writer Sally Ann Voak finds out

Rugby World Cup in Nice is boost for South African foodie tour guide

After a life changing move to the south of France, Nadia Farmer is ready to delight rugby fans with a taste of Nice

Restaurant in France sets prices depending on what diners can afford

The charity restaurant wants to people from different backgrounds to mix by reducing prices for those who are struggling

Early - and good - start to mushroom season in France

Favourable weather conditions have put the fun in fungi this year but pickers are still warned to be vigilant

How to spot mass-produced pastries in a French bakery

Not all croissants are made equal - with the help of a ‘pâtissologist’ we reveal the tell-tale signs of an industrial pâtisserie

Five things they don’t tell you… about wine in France

Never chill a bottle of red and other unwritten rules around drinking wine - but do you agree?

Actress Emma Watson’s French gin is ‘love letter to Burgundy’

We spoke to her brother and cofounder Alex about how they are following in their father’s footsteps by producing gin in Chablis

Rosé wine guide - a tour through France’s pink wine producing regions

Provence is world famous for its rosé - but what about the rest of France? Winemaker Jonathan Hesford has answers

The wine industry is in constant evolution in France and beyond

Jonathan Hesford reflects on ever-changing trends from both makers and drinkers

The French brothers who hand make three hundred types of jam

Along with unusual chutney blends to pair perfectly with cheese

How little French ravioli became part of the Dauphiné food heritage

Ravioles du Dauphiné are tiny parcels of pasta filled with cheese and parsley, quite different to their Italian cousins

Cheap and cheerful French restaurants are back in fashion

Described as the McDonalds of their day, traditional Parisian ‘bouillons’ are having a renaissance in and out of the capital

Meet the French couple with a secret macarons recipe

It is believed that the macarons recipe originally came from Italy with Catherine de’ Medici

Pineau des Charentes becomes bartenders' secret weapon in cocktails

Thanks to innovative French producers, this fortified wine is brushing off its dusty image and making a splash with mixologists

How winemakers in France combat the effects of climate change

Vigneron Jonathan Hesford explains how he deals with more heat and less rain in the vineyard

Travel France from your kitchen: Galettes de Sarrasin recipe

For this recipe we journey northwest to Brittany and look at how to make a classic Breton buckwheat pancake

Why Brittany is a crêpe hotspot

Chandeleur has arrived and while you are eating delicious crêpes, we take a look at the their origins in Brittany

Why France’s alcohol-free cocktail boom is ‘not just a trend’

We talk to industry professionals about the growing demand for fancy mocktails

The only cheese-makers in Ambert make mildest blue cheese in France

The creamy blue ‘Fourme d’Ambert’ is lovingly made by these third generation dairy farmers

France’s galette des rois: Six facts about this January 6 cake

Epiphany marks the occasion that the Three Kings brought their gifts to the baby Jesus. We look at how France celebrates with a special sweet treat

Andouille: Meet the makers who defend this gutsy French sausage

It takes five weeks and a lot of ‘know-how’ to make real andouille – we discover the process and the passion

RECIPES: real French charcuterie of rabbit rillettes, pork liver pâté

We look at the history and techniques of pâtés, terrines, sausages and ‘farcis’ (stuffed dishes)

From spit cake to elf shoes... a Tour de France by Christmas desserts

How many have you tried?

How to choose French wines to match classic British Christmas food

We explore the perfect pairings for turkey, salmon and Christmas pudding

Traditional French Christmas food and a very modern bûche de Noël

We look at why France is ‘top’ at festive fayre and the mandatory chocolate log gets a star chef makeover

Meet the British couple growing ‘microgreens’ for French chefs

A property planning hiccup led these UK growers to turn a room in their house into a baby leaf farm

French sparkling wines to rival Champagne on price and taste

Why not opt for a Crémant this Christmas? We talk to a fizz producer in Burgundy about making wine for savvy consumers

RECIPES: Parisian picks, yoghurt cake and chocolate meringue gâteau

Two foolproof cake recipes from award–winning American food writer

Meet the sibling distillers making liqueurs from French Alpine plants

Distilling flavoured spirits ‘génépi’ and ‘sapinette’ in the mountains runs in the family for this brother and sister

RECIPES: bake a French baguette or sweet potato bread like a master

Award-winning French baker, Eric Kayser, shares his love of baking in ‘The Bread Book’. We share three recipes here

‘My gripe about French milk was replaced by awe at dairy statistics’

An ‘expat’ niggle about milk bottles lead Justin Postlehwaite to discover the sheer scale of France’s dairy industry

Tannins can make red wine undrinkable or delicious – what are they?

They can make your face pucker or add rich complexity – winemaker Jonathan Hesford explains their importance

Aligot: cheesy French comfort food famous for being remarkably stringy

A cross between mashed potatoes and cheese fondue is the traditional dish of the Aubrac - we explore the history and future of Aligot

Meet the French craft beer brewers taking wine drinkers by storm

We take you on a boozy tour of museums, fairs and micro-breweries where regional ‘terroir’ is still important

Meet the producers: the Toulouse farmers who mill their own crops

Three farmers bought the traditional granite mill and now press their own oil and flour to sell

Top French chef champions ‘trumpet of death’ mushroom

Have you tried this tasty 'poor man's truffle'? Take care when foraging

Five things they don’t tell you about entertaining in France

Is it ok to top up your own glass? Is it acceptable to serve store-bought dishes? We have some answers for you

RECIPES: three classic French dishes get an exotic twist

Caramelised onion soup, baked Mont d’Or cheese and Baba au Cognac - recipes inspired by the travels of two Paris chefs

Know your onions – 14 facts about France’s superstar vegetable

Legend has it that French onion soup was invented by Louis XV after a day's hunting. Here we look at some more onion trivia

The onion - flavours, dishes and festivals to celebrate a French icon

From Brittany to Provence, we explore the tradition, history and culture of onions in France

Wine tips: ‘Acidity is a balancing act with sweetness and tannins’

Vigneron Jonathan Hesford explains how acids affect the way a wine tastes and reveals some winemaker tricks