After an unusually sunny weekend (where parts of Britain were apparently hotter than the south of France!!), I bring you our latest mot de la semaine – ‘canicule’! Word of the Week: Une canicule. How to pronounce it: Can-ee-cool. What it means in English: A heatwave. Where does it come from? According to this definition…
Word of the Week: poisson d’avril
Last Saturday (1st April) was April Fools’ Day, the one day where trickery, mischief and the art of pulling off the most creative prank possible is celebrated. So in honour of April 1st (and to show my solidarity for any unsuspecting April Fools who put up with any practical jokes at their expense), here’s a…
Word of the Week: ‘chou’
A couple of weeks after ‘cornichon‘, let’s have a look at ‘chou’, another vegetable-themed word. Word of the Week: Chou. How to pronounce it: Shoo. What it means in English: While ‘chou’ commonly translates into English as ‘cabbage’, it can also mean ‘cute’ or it can be used as a term of endearment, like ‘sweetheart’…
Word of the Week: ‘hérisson’
This week, let’s have a look at the word ‘hérisson’ which, as well as being one of my favourite French words, also happens to be one of my favourite animals. Word of the Week: ‘Hérisson’. How to pronounce it: Ay-ree-sohn. What it means in English: Hedgehog. Where does it come from? The word ‘hérisson’…
Where to find the best macarons in London
The beginning of next week, March 20th, marks the twelfth celebration of International Macaron Day, which started in Paris in 2005 as a way of raising money for charities. The idea came from French baker Pierre Hermé, who started the tradition by offering a macaron to customers visiting his shops in return for a financial donation. …
Word of the Week: ‘cornichon’
Word of the Week: This week, we’ve got ‘cornichon’ coming up. How to pronounce it: Kor-nee-shohn. What it means in English: You’ll most likely see it written on restaurant menus as a tasty burger accompaniment, along with tomatoes and lettuce. Any guesses yet? It is, of course, the gherkin. (Sorry if I’ve offended the sensibilities…
6 crêperies you must go to in London
Shrove Tuesday may have been and gone, but did we ever really need a reason to justify eating a stack of pancakes (or crêpes) fresh out of the frying pan? Obviously, there is only one answer to this: non. And if you thought that you had to cough up for a Eurostar ticket to find…
Word of the Week: ‘appeler un chat un chat’
Today, I’ve decided to look at the French translation of ‘to call a spade a spade’ – mostly because it gives me the chance to go a bit overboard with cat photos. Hope you like this week’s mot de la semaine! And as always, if you’ve enjoyed reading it, please feel free to share this…
5 French books you must read!
As it was World Book Day last week, it seems timely to write a post on French literature, so I’ve put together a guide here to French books that you must read. All of the books mentioned here can be found on US and UK Amazon (and of course French Amazon) and in good bookshops. …
Monthly French finds: February 2017
Welcome to my new series of posts, where each month I’ll be sharing my favourite French discoveries, from films and books to musicians and (of course) anything and everything food-related. Hope you enjoy reading! 🙂 1. Institut Français My cousin bought me membership last Christmas for the Institut Français in London, which is a French…
Word of the Week: ‘un moulin à paroles’
Today, I’ve chosen ‘un moulin à paroles’ for the Word of the Week simply because talking, along with eating, is one of my favourite things. Check out more language posts here, and for more Word of the Week posts, why not have a look here? Word of the Week: ‘Un moulin à paroles’. How to…
5 reasons to join the Institut Français!
I recently visited the Institut Français for a screening of the French political thriller Spin and a Q&A with the main actor Grégory Fitoussi, which you can read all about here. I didn’t actually know about the Institut Français until a few months ago, but got the chance to make the most out of it when…
French Affliction 