Tips from the masterchefs
Cité a fairy tale of drawbridges, towers and cobbled streets.
The Frenchest of French things is on the menu everywhere here. Snails, grilled in their shells with herbs and lard (cargolade). Roquefort from the sheep on the high Larzac plateau, and cassoulet (the classic rich, slow-cooked casserole with ham hock, duck legs, pork belly and white beans). Foodie activity: Take a morning cookery class at L’Atelier de Valérie (atelier-valerie.com) in Montpellier. You’ll get French cooking tips from a pro, then sit down to eat your creations. Classes cover anything from making the perfect bouillabaisse to gluten-free meals, and can be given in English.
Domaine de Blancardy, north of Montpellier, is one of Heston Blumenthal’s favourite summer spots to dine; a farm restaurant. Try roast goat and potatoes cooked in duck fat. Stay: Base yourself at Languedoc Hideaways (i-escape.com/ languedoc-hideaways), a trio of rustic-chic cottages with a pool and gardens, 30 minutes from Carcassonne.
A cottage from £51 (sleeps two) room only. Europcar (as before), £24 per day. Ryanair (ryanair.com) offers return flights from various UK airports to Carcasonne from £30. salt marshes, fabulous cheeses (Camembert and Neufchâtel), and apples served in many a guise (flavouring stews, decorating a tart, helping to make Calvados). Foodie activity: Book a table at L’Accolade, (laccolade.fr) a bistro restaurant in Caen run by Pierre Lefebvre, a self-taught chef and French MasterChef finalist in 2012. Stay: Base yourself at La Petite Folie (i-escape.com/la-petite-folie) a welcoming, timbered auberge in the picture-postcard medieval port of Honfleur, surrounded by world-class eateries. Doubles from £134, B&B, (with free upgrade for i-escape guests if available). Brittany Ferries (0330 159 7000/ brittanyferries. com) offers return crossings from Portsmouth to Le Havre (car and two people) from £200. Europcar (as before), £33 per day. Even the summer crowds can’t dilute the fragranced beauty of this pretty region. There are honeystoned farmhouses, olive groves and lavender fields stretching for miles, along with impeccably preserved medieval towns.
Heavily influenced by the flavours of the Mediterranean, Provençal cuisine is lighter than other regions. I adore petits farcis (aubergines, courgettes and peppers stuffed with seasoned mince), and the slow-cooked lamb with a purée of anchovies, olive oil and capers. Foodie activity: Take a gourmet tasting tour of Aix-en-Provence (tastesofprovence.com); you can find fabulous local produce in the 700-year-old marketplace and dip in and out of food shops. Buy calissons d’Aix, similar to sugared almonds, which are sold at every market in the region. Stay: La Mirande (i-escape.com/ la-mirande) in Avignon is pricey but it’s worth it, and the food is out of this world. Doubles from £339, room only.
Europcar (as before), £33 per day. Eurostar (03432 186186/ eurostar.co.uk) offers return fares from London St Pancras to Avignon from £99.