The Good Life France Magazine




The Good Life France Magazine brings you the best of France - inspirational and exclusive features, fabulous photos, mouth-watering recipes, tips, guides, ideas and much more...


Published by the award winning team at The Good Life France

Views
2 years ago

Spring 2022

Discover Paris in the spring, Caen in Normandy and its marvellous markets plus Yvoire, a picturesque village on the edge of Lake Geneva in Haute-Savoie. Explore Saint-Omer, a historic city in the far north that's full of secrets and treasures, and Evian, where Frankenstein's monster stayed! Head with us to Metz in Lorraine to find out about its incredible past, La Couvertoirade, one of the prettiest villages in France, and the UNESCO heritage of Avignon. Guides, gorgeous photos, what's new in France, the best tours and delicious recipes from the legendary Le Nôtre bakery in Paris - and more.

Early on a sunny Friday

Early on a sunny Friday morning, I explored the market which spills out of Place Saint- Sauveur the oldest square in the city and into the roads around. It’s probably the oldest market in Caen too. Though the date for when it started isn’t known, the market is mentioned in documents from the time of Richard II, William the conqueror’s grandfather. About 250 traders are here, selling everything foodie and almost everything else. Local honey, butter, cider, calvados (apple brandy), garlic and even ginger, saffron and yuzus grown less than an hour from the city. Of course, Norman cheeses are there in abundance - Camembert, affectionately known as God’s feet by the locals, Pont- L’Evêque, Livarot and Neufchâtel. I stopped in my tracks at the sight of chocolate bread and a delicious spread of tarts and cakes. “Would you like to try” the stall holder asked me, smiling as I sighed with happiness – it tastes divine. An elderly lady nodded approvingly and told me that she never buys any food at a supermarket, only this market and the Sunday morning ‘big one.’ In the square, shoppers pulling trolleys and carrying baskets and bags are watched over by a statue of a no-doubt approving Louis XIV dressed as a Roman Emperor. A voracious gourmand, he was said to eat up to 300 oysters in a single sitting. With that in mind I followed my nose to the fish market where the freshest of scallops, which are emblematic of Caen, sea snails, bulots, fish and all manner of shellfish were arrayed. A group of infants on a school trip to learn about food passed me 18 | The Good Life France

y chatting about the incredible display and laughing at a stall called ‘Standouille’, a play on words in French ‘c’est un andouille’ which sells an impressive range of sausages. Tripe of course is also sold at the market, Tripe à la mode de Caen is the traditional dish of the city, and they’re very proud of it here. And it if floats your boat, pop to Boucherie Sabot in Boulevard des Alliés near the 14th century Tour Leroy. Sabots is Normandy’s most famous, multi-award winning, third-generation family producers of Tripe. It’s an impressively beautiful, irresistibly scrumptious market – enough to make me want to move to Caen! At the other end of the marketplace, the vast ramparts of Caen Castle are imposing The Good Life France | 19