*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Learn French with an intensive, friendly language course in the Lot & Dordogne area of France! Not seeing this message properly? View this email in your browser Share Tweet Forward Welcome to our French Residential newsletter. We've missed you! So many of you couldn't come on our courses this year - well done to the intrepid few who made it! Our thoughts are with those having a diffic ..read more

  Did your New Year's Resolution to improve your French fall by the wayside? Well it's not too late yet! Follow our advent calendar throughout December as each day we unveil a Christmas-themed video. We have songs, comedy, recipes and more to get you in the mood for all things festive, à la française ! No peaking! We will post each day in December, so come back later to see what we have in store for you! All the images in this article are in the public domain ..read more

One of the best known stereotypes we have of the Frenchman is the Onion Johnny. This beret-wearing, bicycle-riding, moustachioed onion seller originates from the Roscoff onion sellers that came over to the UK from Brittany, to sell door-to-door.   During the economic crisis that preceded the Revolution, Breton farmers started to halk their vegetables across France. Half a century later, in 1828, a Roscoff farmer, Henri Ollivier, chartered a boat, loaded it with onions and with three companions headed for England. This was the beginning of the French onion tra ..read more

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Learn French with an intensive, friendly language course in the Lot & Dordogne area of France ..read more

In France, Epiphany is celebrated as la fête des Rois, marking when the three kings are said to have offered gifts to the baby Jesus. Since the 14th century it has been tradition to eat une galette des Rois at this time of year, although it appears to have its origins in pagan times...   Galettes des Rois at Le Duc bakery, Gourdon. Photo by G Murray   Most commonly, the galette consists of flaky pastry sweet pie full of frangipane, which is like a creamy marzipan. In a few cases the pie is filled with apple instead and in some areas of France the galette ..read more

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Saint Catherine's day falls on 25 November and has been celebrated in many countries over several decades. It commemorates the martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. There are some customs that have sprung up around St Catherine's day here in France - we take you through them here!   Catherinettes, Paris, 1909. Public domain. Rather outdated nowadays, but on St Catherine's Day in the France of yesteryear, it was the custom for unmarried women to pray for a husband. Women who reached 25 years of age but had not yet married were ..read more

At a time when we are all questioning our green credentials, we take a look at some of the measures the French are taking to fight the climate crisis...   Plane trees on the Canal du Midi, France. Photo by Thomas Claveirole. Creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/   The climate crisis is certainly part of everyday conversation here in France and the French government seem to launch a new initiative to cut carbon emissions every week. With the adoption of the Energie-Climat act, France has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. For a snapshot, here ..read more

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With the September wine fairs about to start up all over France, we dust off our wine vocabulary...   Public Domain - Nicepik.com Le vin - Wine Le vin rouge - Red wine Le vin rosé - Rosé wine Le vin blanc - White wine Le champagne - Champagne Une bouteille de vin - A bottle of wine Une bouteille à vin - A wine bottle Un verre de vin - A glass of wine Un verre à vin - A wine glass Un pichet - A jug Le cépage - Grape variety Le millési ..read more