Merry Christmas
And so I started to put this issue together and I talked to some friends in the travel industry, style people, authors, top chefs and wine experts and they loved the idea. And they wanted to help make this issue super festive too. What began as a small project snowballed!
Read on for a Michelin Star chef's exclusive recipe for gingerbread and a heart-warming tale of the chef's famous gingerbread making ancestor. Even my neighbour Madame Bernadette got involved! I wrote about her in my book My Four Seasons in France - how her Calvados based cocktails knock your socks off and her Christmas canapés induce her friends to sighs of happiness. Well, now you can make the cocktail too - and some of her favourite, very easy recipes that are perfect with aperitifs! And there are biscuit recipes, a gummy jelly recipe from a sweet toothed 2 Michelin star chef, plus how to make the ultimate hot chocolate Paris style. And lots of food and drink features for your taste of France at home!
Plus there's a fabulous "how-to" feature on creating a Christmas bouquet from the floral team at the Chateau de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley, known as the Castle of Flowers... And destination features on Bordeaux, Megève and Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Don't miss the chance to go into all 12 of our giveaway draws with a chance to win a brilliant week-long holiday in southwest France with a very special treat thrown in - wine tasting at a chateau anyone? Artwork, books, luxury bedding, gorgeous homeware, luxury gift boxes and much more - the giveaways in this issue are really, really wonderfully fabulous.
I know most of us can't travel to France this holiday season, so we've concentrated very much on bringing France to you... And we'll be sharing our famous advent calendar photos on social media so please join me there: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Wishing you a very merry Christmas, happy holidays and a happy new year.
Bisous from my little pig sty office in the middle of nowhere, rural France,
Janine
Too much gingerbread?!
What a year it's been. We've never done a Christmas issue of The Good Life France Magazine before but I thought, why not? It's been such a difficult year that it would be lovely if we can bring some smiles with a bit of festive fabulousnesss from France.