Provence - home to innovative TV cook Keith Floyd

As a tribute to the late Keith Floyd who died last week I feel it would be fitting that today’s post be about Provence, that delightful region of south-eastern France where this witty and voluble cook latterly made his home. In fact for the widely travelled Keith there are numerous other places that would also make equal tributes, as he covered cookery all over the globe, with an interest in cuisine was truly international and cosmopolitan.

Floyd settled finally near Avignon, a small walled city on the banks of the Rhône. Walk through Avignon and you are immediately impressed by its beauty - its magnificent 12th century Romanesque cathedral, the Palais des Papes, and other fine buildings. Needless to say, one of Avignon’s most famous sights is its medieval bridge, the Pont d’Avignon which was immortalised in song.

The climate and lifestyle of Provence has attracted writers, painters, and other creative people for a long time. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby here, living at St. Raphaël. Somerset Maugham lived here at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The list of painters who lived in Provence and were inspired by its light and colour is so long that I’d need a book to tell you about them, but suffice to say the list includes such names as Van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse.

So it’s no surprise really that Keith Floyd chose to live here, particularly as the cuisine of Provence is sensational, along too with its wines and social life. As for places to go in Avignon, Floyd was fond of the Café de la Comédie, saying, “The regulars are wonderfully eclectic - the vet, the road sweeper, the mayor. It's a place where I can be just another punter, order a pastis and have the kind of benignly philosophical conversations about politics or France thrashing England at rugby that make being in France so inspiring.”

Floyd was fond also of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a small town famous for its waterside cafes and restaurants, as well as its Sunday market, saying, “At home in France, this is where I shop for food. It's the best market in Europe, I reckon. Whatever you want, you can find it here. Sunday is best – everyone’s got the day off, and they make a party of food shopping.”. In his blog Floyd also mentions happy times here sipping pastis in the Café de France, and enjoying the wine in Rocky’s wine bar.

So if you find yourself in Avignon, or in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, you might well check out some of the places recommended by the great man himself, who will be sadly missed.


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Blackpool - traditional British seaside resort

A lot of people in the UK have taken the extraordinary decision to holiday at home this summer. I can’t imagine why. Though perhaps the economy has got something to do with it. But staying in the UK needn’t mean having a rotten time, and you do get the odd sliver of sun appearing through the clouds. From time to time. But if you want to head for somewhere where fun is order of the day, then how about the traditional seaside town of Blackpool? On the lovely Lancashire coast and looking out over the Irish Sea, Blackpool became a major seaside resort in Victorian times, with the well-to-do Victorian ladies and gents being attracted to this resort’s extensive golden sandy beach, which stretches for a full seven miles along the whole of the seafront. Blackpool has thus grown to be the traditional British seaside resort that we know and love, with its cheeky picture postcards, stripy deck chairs, donkey rides, seaside rock, candy floss, ice cream, and fish and chip shops.

And if, amongst all the glittering amusement arcades and souvenir shops what you really yearn for is the chic sophistication of mainland Europe, you need look no further than up into the sky, for there is Blackpool Tower, which was inspired by the Eiffel Tower, and stands 158m high offering a fantastic view over the whole area, the town, the beach, the sea and the piers. Indeed – the piers. Blackpool has three of these fantastic constructions that form such an integral part of the British Victorian seaside resort. They are fabulous to walk along – in fact it’s like being on a ship, but without the sea sickness. They have shops, stalls, cafes and entertainment, and one of them even has a Ferris wheel.

One of the novelties of a visit to Blackpool and its beach, is that you can ride a tram all the way from Starr Gate in the town out to Fleetwood, eleven miles away, and the journey is all along the promenade, with a view of the beach and the sea all the way.

Blackpool Illuminations are particularly dramatic, and run for sixty-six days every year from the end of August. The illuminations are all along the promenade for several miles, and the trams are decorated too, sweeping along through the evening darkness sparkling with a multitude of lights. Children especially love the magical quality of the glowing profusion of colour.

And talking of children, they are bound to love Pleasure Beach Blackpool with its many different rides and attractions, including the fabulous roller coaster, Infusion. In fact you can enjoy the Pleasure Beach at any age.

Accommodation of all kinds is in abundance at Blackpool, from the well-known four star hotel chains, to reasonably priced bed and breakfast establishments. So if you want to get away for a bit, pack your bucket and spade, head for Blackpool, and pray for good weather.




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Val-d’Isère for a traditional French skiing holiday

We’re into September already, and it’s not too early to be thinking about skiing holidays. In fact with a bit of advanced planning, you can pick up some very reasonable skiing packages. So where to go? One place that proves to be popular year upon year is the beautiful commune of Val d’Isère in south-eastern France, located in the Rhône-Alpes region.

Val d’Isère covered with snow has a magical quality, with its traditional Savoyarde architecture of stone built civic buildings and wooden chalets, nestling in the most inspiring mountainous setting. L’Espace Killy, which is composed of Val d’Isère and Tignes, is one of the highest extended ski domains in the world, and the area has an excellent snow record.

The après-ski around Val-d’Isère is among the best, with plenty of bars, pubs and clubs to suit every taste. The food in the area is a delight too, and there are plenty of top quality restaurants, as well as some more budget eateries.

If you want to introduce your children to the slopes, then the perfect place is the Children’s Village which has an area specifically designed for beginners, and welcomes children from as young as 18 months old for fun and games in the snow.

If a hard day’s skiing on the slopes isn’t enough, then Val d’Isère now has a new sports centre with a swimming pool, a play pool, a climbing area, a multi-activity sports hall, and weights room, squash courts, sauna, Turkish bath, and hydro-massage. Val d’Isère also has an ice skating rink right in the heart of the resort.

So if you are about to plan that perfect skiing holiday for the coming winter, Val d’Isère provides the best in skiing as well as plenty of other activities and nightlife. With Val d’Isère not only will the skiers in the group have a holiday to remember, but the non-skiers too.


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