Interviews

Circumstances meant that Patricia Atkinson’s brand new life in France offered anything but rest and relaxation. But as she tells Jane Hanks, the pioneering Dordogne winemaker has no regrets

Jane Hanks speaks to a top sheep shearer about the challenges of making a living in the trade and the thrill of competition

Brigitte Gothière, the founder and president of animal rights association L214, explains to Connexion why the French are starting to embrace an increasingly meat-free diet

Laurent Portuguez leads a team of 10 full-time gardeners at the 100% organic Château de Villandry. He talks to Jane Hanks about the scale of his job

You may recognise him from topical shows such as Les Terriens du Dimanche on C8, but what makes satirist Tanguy Pastureau laugh? Jane Hanks finds out

Eco activist Yannick Jadot savaged the government for failing to ban glyphosate and buckling under to the agro-chemical lobby but such direct challenges are normal for a man who led Greenpeace campaigns against nuclear arms. The Europe Ecologie MEP tells Samantha David of the need for a green society that makes everyday life better

All Black legend Dan Carter says he thought nothing could match winning the Rugby World Cup in 2015... but that was until he won France’s Top 14 championship with Racing 92.

Jane Hanks talks to successful home chef Ollie Timberlake about her path to a life in Burgundy, how UK chefs’ reputation is changing and why France is food heaven

Two pilots who bought a plane to be able to save migrants in the Mediterranean say they were inspired by the work of the rescue charity group SOS-Mediterranée. We speak to one of its founders, Klaus Vogel, on what else needs to be done to stop the deaths

France lures people from many countries and we will meet some of them in this occasional series. Writer Rosie Richards is first – and talks of her long love affair with her new home town to Justin Postlethwaite