Gillian Thornton

Gillian Thornton combines town and country on a short break to Lyon and the Beaujolais ‘Now stir the mushrooms into the spelt mixture…’ Chef Sébastien Mathieu hands me a bowl of fresh girolles, painstakingly diced earlier by my own fair hand, and I add them to the fragrant risotto. An irresistible aroma wafts up from the simmering pan. Magical things happen when you book a cookery lesson at the Institut Paul Bocuse in the heart of historic Lyon. Over the last two hours, our little band of six eager students has chopped vegetables, made garnishes, and generally hung on to Sébastien’s every word as we watch him prepare our dinner, all the time passing on techniques perfected in some of the world’s best kitchens. WORLD BEATING grub and heavenly wines France’s “capital of gastronomy” Lyon has long been acknowledged as the capital of French gastronomy, largely thanks to the presence of legendary chef Paul Bocuse. The great man died in 2018 but his influence lives on through his restaurants and through the city’s indoor food market, renamed the Halles Paul Bocuse in his honour. Don’t miss the twin temptations of top quality food stalls and informal eateries such as Les Bouchons Lyonnais where locals love to shop and eat. Heritage fans have always loved this UNESCO-listed city for the fabulous Renaissance architecture of Vieux Lyon, the wealth of first-class museums, and the twin Roman theatres overlooking its two rivers, the Rhône and Saône. But now there are even more delicious reasons to visit this atmospheric city. Lyon lies at the heart of the Vallée de la Gastronomie, a major tourism initiative that promotes the huge range of regional wines, produce and cuisine found between Dijon and Dole in the north, and Marseille and Cassis on Gillian works under Sebastien's watchful eye Paul Bocuse mural outside Les Halles Paul Bocuse 42 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 43