Motorhome Hires in France – Discover French Gourmet Food

Gourmet food in France

Mention the word Gourmet to pretty much anybody and “France” is going to pop into their head. This is not by chance! France just about invented the whole idea of gourmet food with the development of regional dishes into sophisticated pieces of art, created by master chefs from the best kitchens in the world. No surprise to find the word originated in France in the 18th century and that in 2010 French Gastronomy was added to the UNESCO world list of intangible cultural heritages!

However we would not like you to think that all the best food is reserved for high end restaurants, absolutely not, the French are nothing if not democratic and they believe that everybody is entitled to eat well from the farm labourer to the millionaire!! Indeed, in our view, one of the best meals in France is a simple crusty baguette baked freshly, smothered in delicious paté and washed down with a little local wine …stunning in the countryside while basking in the Gallic sunshine!

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The FMH team answer literally thousands of client questions every year and the topics can be anything from destination advice to the likely cost of campsites, where to go hot air ballooning to which local wines to order.

The FMH depot is nestled at the edge of the Foret D’Othe region and at this time of the year we always enjoy foraging for walnuts from the many trees in the forest. Just some of my 5kg crop of foraged walnuts from the Foret D’Othe in Burgundy, France. 2018 has brought a bumper walnut […]

Mushrooms have just stared to appear in the farmer’s markets ahead of main mushroom season and their arrival has inspired this easy seasonal recipe to make in your motorhome kitchen. Ingredients – 250g Mushrooms sliced* – 150 ml (10 tablespoons) half-fat crème fraiche – Half a Camembert cheese (chilled) – Knob of butter for sautéing […]

There are a vast number of dishes that you can rustle up in even the tiniest of campervan kitchens and this one has to be one of the easiest ever. It tastes like something from a kitchen with a Michelin star but takes just minutes to make so impress your fellow travellers with our zesty […]

Hannah shows you how to eat like a queen (or king) on holiday in France while keeping your figure! If like me gourmet food and nice wines are high up your list of holiday priorities, you will always be faced with a dilemma during a French vacation. After many years of trying to find the […]

Sally Brown has just arrived from the UK to join the FMH Team as Customer Services Administrator, and she has already been busy unearthing local gems for our hire clients, including a fantastic “real-food” lunch or supper take-away! On Saturday, Sally visited our local town of Sens where she discovered a great new café/takeaway for […]

I’ve just made a no-cook birthday cake in our campervan! I’m amazed at how easy it was to make and how delicious it was too! Read on to find out how you can make one too… When one lives in the land where heavenly patisserie was invented, the need to actually make a birthday cake […]

A change of pace in this week’s blog… After the frenetic action of the Tour de France, with clients coming and going, I’ve decided to slow things right down and talk about snails! The FMH depot is based in Burgundy, where the food and wine is justifiably world famous. However, there is one local gourmet […]

Take part in a 21st-Century medieval adventure… Watch and learn how sourdough was made, wood was turned and pots were thrown exactly as it was done in 1228. Back in 2014, we wrote about the amazing Guédelon Castle project, just one hour from our depot. It amazed us then and continues to do so now. […]

Just about everybody has heard of, and probably tasted, mulled wine, but have you tried mulled cider?  You can even make this one-pot recipe on your campervan hob. Try my family recipe for a delicious alternative to the more traditional mulled wine recipes, and enjoy it hot when you get back from a long winter […]

The weather is gorgeous all over France now, so it’s possible to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner outside. And with all the divine fresh produce available in August along with a barbecue and gas hob there’s an almost limitless selection of meals you can create from your campervan kitchen. Here is one of my favourite […]

One of the true joys of a campervan adventure in France at this time of the year is being able to gorge on fresh, healthy produce wherever you go. We reveal which are the four best and closest fresh fruit, vegetable and produce markets to our depot, and so a great starting point for your […]

Where can I do a grocery shop, right after I’ve picked up my motorhome? When it comes to grocery shopping, there are lots of choices within ten minutes of our depot. From medium-sized supermarkets to mammoth hypermarkets (that sell everything from inflatable swimming pools to washing machines and every imaginable foodstuff), we have all the […]

The French wine festival season got off to a great start over the Easter weekend in the beautiful setting of the Hospice de Tonnerre in Burgundy. For a fee of just €2 per person, everyone was issued with a wine glass on arrival then invited to taste all of the wines at the festival for […]

Watercress… A superfood right on our doorstep! The “Cressonnière de Veron” (watercress farm) in our village has just opened its gates for the first time since the spring, and will remain open all winter. Our depot is right in the middle of a village with all sorts of amenities, which means we are lucky enough […]

Enjoying French mountain food in the lowlands of France is like having your cake and eating it… We have been dying to talk about mountain restaurants that serve hearty winter food for months. Now that it’s November, it seems like a great time to mention them! Although, having said that, we’re not feeling too chilly […]

It’s a dilemma, how do you park in that secluded rural spot with a stunning view and still treat your better half to a romantic meal for two? If you have chosen a remote beauty spot for your overnight halt, the chances are you will not be a gentle stroll from a Michelin starred restaurant.  […]

French markets are always a feast for the senses but at this time of the year they are simply spectacular. It is not the French way to import produce so food is truly seasonal here and during the summer months, the variety of fruit and vegetables is amazing. We are based in the Yonne region […]

There are lots of things to love about France in the autumn but one of the most sublime seasonal treats has to be Mont d’Or cheese.  Only available from autumn to early spring, this unctuous, soft, rich cheese from the Jura region can be devoured at room temperature or baked in the oven then served […]

France Motorhome Hire’s Hannah Spurge suggests a shortlist of the must try French cheeses for visitors from overseas This is probably the hardest shortlist anyone ever had to make. With about 400 different cheeses to choose from (56 of which are classified, protected, and regulated under French law!), it takes real front for an English […]

We’d like to introduce you to some of the great food and wine festivals of France – it doesn’t matter when you are coming to France, there are always some to visit… It’s true what they say about the French, they truly do “live to eat” rather than “eat to live”! The evidence? Well let’s […]