This article was first published in Country Squire Magazine on 15th December 2021. Now seems a pertinent time to repost it in light of the Dutch farmer protests… I always thought the French cared about their farmers more than the British. Much like in Italy, French culture holds food as sacrosanct. We Brits drench everything in lard and grease apparently, much to the dismay of some of my international friends – especially up North. We’re much more likely to eat casually whilst watching Coronation Street whilst our European cousins (especially Gallic and Southern) make a point of le dîner as a time to savour the meal, talk and enjoy wine sensibly. Of course, this is not absolute and there are likely to be generational and class differences, but food rituals are still greatly intertwined with national characteristics.
France's Forgotten Farmers
France's Forgotten Farmers
France's Forgotten Farmers
This article was first published in Country Squire Magazine on 15th December 2021. Now seems a pertinent time to repost it in light of the Dutch farmer protests… I always thought the French cared about their farmers more than the British. Much like in Italy, French culture holds food as sacrosanct. We Brits drench everything in lard and grease apparently, much to the dismay of some of my international friends – especially up North. We’re much more likely to eat casually whilst watching Coronation Street whilst our European cousins (especially Gallic and Southern) make a point of le dîner as a time to savour the meal, talk and enjoy wine sensibly. Of course, this is not absolute and there are likely to be generational and class differences, but food rituals are still greatly intertwined with national characteristics.