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Jardin des Cinq Sens: Yvoire’s magical lakeside garden
A brief history of a special French medieval garden on the banks of Lake Geneva in Haute-Savoie
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‘Village of cats’ in southern France is inspired by an old legend
Story of a young girl and her kittens has influenced the architecture of La Romieu, classified one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France
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When and why do we say c'est la sardine qui a bouché le port de Marseille?
Marseille, a ship, a very big sardine, and a stereotype
‘Labels’ may be helpful
FRANCE might seem to have an obsession with ‘labels,’ those logos that show if a product is home-made, as with Fait Maison in restaurants, but the aim is to ensure buyers get what they pay for.
So Label Rouge on meats, bread, cakes etc, shows they are superior quality and Appellation d’origine contrôlée on wine, cheese and sausages means they have been made in a certain way and region.
However, unlike the other two, Fait Maison is not regulated by law: any restaurant can use it but will face a fine for misuse.
Unofficial labels abound: Saveur de L’Année for foods or Médaille d’Or on wine are won in competition; Testé et Approuvé par les Seniors is for products tested as suitable for over-60s, and Finansol simply shows ethical finance products. With product scams on the rise, such labels are a gauge of past performance, not a guarantee.
This is just a glimpse of what is available in our 2017 Moving to France Helpguide, check out the other contents here.
