THANKSGIVING in France is more than just an American affair – and has been embraced by the French and other English-speaking expats, according to a number of associations getting ready for this year’s celebrations on November 26.

However, Americans in France have said it is still difficult to find everything they need for the perfect meal, including the all-important roast turkey, cranberry sauce and dessert of pumpkin pie.

The Club France Etats-Unis in Toulouse is jointly celebrating the event with another local group, Americans in Toulouse, and has been trying to find a venue in the city to stage the event.

Club France Etats-Unis president Felicia Mayne said preparing for Thanksgiving is sometimes a headache in a country where the event is not widely celebrated.

“We’ve managed to find the only restaurant in Toulouse that will actually cook turkeys for us – full-size birds for at least 60 to 70 people,” she said.

“It’s just not part of French custom. They do turkey but it’s more for snacks and sandwiches.”

Ms Mayne said the club and the Thanksgiving celebration was attracting the interest of not just American expats in the area but an increasing number of French and Brits: “They just want to be part of something American.”

She recommends asking your local butcher, well in advance, about getting a turkey. Cranberry sauce and other tinned goods have started appearing in the foreign food aisle at some major hypermarkets such as Leclerc.

Alternatively, there are a number of groups that import food from the US for expats in France missing a taste of home. One such service that caters for the south-west is MyAmericanMarket.com – but again, booking in plenty of time is important.

The Franco-American Institute in Rennes is expecting about 100 people at its Thanksgiving meal at Le Comptoir des Halles restaurant on November 26, including US expats living in Brittany and university exchange students.

Institute secretary Odile Soulard said it was still difficult to find all the necessary ingredients, but the number of shops beginning to stock American, Canadian and British food items had gradually increased in recent years.

In Paris, the American Club – which counts about 400 members – and the American Chamber of Commerce have joined up to organise their Thanksgiving meal on November 27 in the Marriott hotel on the Rive Gauche, on the Boulevard Saint Jacques. To find out more about the organisation, see www.americanclubparis.org

Getting your turkey

Shops gear their turkey stocks towards the Christmas season rather than November, so the best way to assure a turkey is to place an early order with a butcher.

A free range bird should cost about e15 per kilo and will need to be ordered anything up to a fortnight in advance.

Allow 350g per person, but bare in mind that the weight sold includes giblets and the cooked bird could be smaller than you had anticipated.

If your oven is too small, many butchers will cook it for you. The price will vary, depending on the size and who stuffs it.