A nearly-summer day
I’ve been busy preparing the house and garden for the summer. The house is easy, get in a man who can do everything and, abracadabra, you have new bathrooms! The gite is ready to rent out over the summer and the kitchen smells like duck and...
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Repas de Chasse
I’m in recovery mode today from the Gargantuan meal with the hunters of Montesquiou in the Gers. The village is only a few kilometers away from me and I was invited by Louisa of @littleblackpig, as they hunt on her land and she therefore gets invited to...
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Spring has sprung!
Life is busy here in Southwest France, preparing for our spring and summer Journées au Marché. There has been a lot of gardening going on, thanks to our Workaway guest, Elliott, and the kitchen is being readied to welcome our students. Spring...
read moreOlive bread inspired by Dan Lepard
I made bread in my new/old kitchen for the first time today, and I could feel the spirits of generations of innkeepers and cooks looking over my shoulder. The house is the old village inn and though its origins are lost in the mists of time, the central bearing wall...
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vivreinfrance comes to British Columbia, Canada!
We are happy to announce that we are putting on a couple of half-day workshops in B.C., Canada in a couple of weeks and we hope you might be able to come along. The basic details are on the attached flyer and there are still a few places left, so don’t...
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Vivreinfrance Autumn workshops!
We’re happy to announce the autumn cooking and French workshops at the Chateau de Mazelières. Click on the link below to get the information. We hope you can come and join us for amazing food, magical villages, chateaux and much, much more! Vivreinfrance...
read moreTapenade with a difference
Last year at one of our summer workshops, we made David Lebovitz’s Fig Tapenade, which was pronounced excellent by all of our participants. Wanted to make some of this for my book club lunch the other day, but I had no figs and no black olives and no desire to run out...
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Petersham nurseries
On a recent visit to London, I went to visit Petersham nurseries with the lovely Marian Clark, landscape architect extraordinaire! She loves the place and I had no idea what to expect, so the beauty of their greenhouses came as a delightful...
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Learn French in action!
Here's a fun way to learn French and do something you love at the same time! Some of our guests last summer in the Aveyron, cooking, shopping, eating and visiting cultural sites and all in French! It's amazing the progress you can make in language learning if you are...
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Vivre
Welcome to the vivreinfrance blog! Living in France, learning French language, culture and the 'art de vivre'
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MEET
Eleanor Maxwell moved to France in 2002 after growing up in Scotland and living in Canada and England.
‘Welcoming a happy abundance of friends, family and acquaintances from around the world to gather at my table has helped me perfect both my French language and culinary skills.’
LEARN
Have you always wanted to improve your French? Do you love good food and wine? Do you enjoy cooking? Have you always wanted to see how the French live? Come to one of our workshops and learn all of the above, and much more!
STAY
Come and stay in the old village inn, situated in the Gers department in southwestern France. The holiday apartment is just 10 mins from a lively market town where there are shops, restaurants etc. It has been recently renovated and sleeps 2-4 people comfortably.