Planning guides: what is in season, which region to choose, and how to get there.
How to do a Champagne day trip from Paris: Reims (45 min) and Épernay (1h15) by fast train, tasting at a grande marque house and a grower in the chalk cellars, with lunch on the Avenue de Champagne. A flexible plan and how to book.
Croissant vs pain au chocolat: the same buttery laminated dough, different shape and filling - the croissant is the plain crescent, the pain au chocolat (chocolatine in the southwest) wraps two batons of dark chocolate. What to look for and how to eat them.
Classic French bistro dishes explained: soupe à l'oignon, escargots and œufs mayo; steak frites, confit de canard, bœuf bourguignon and blanquette de veau; crème brûlée and tarte Tatin - what each is and how to order well.
What to eat in Paris: croissants and viennoiserie, the jambon-beurre baguette, bistro classics like steak-frites and confit de canard, French cheese and wine, and macarons and éclairs - the dishes to order and where, across the day.
A flexible 3-day Paris food and wine itinerary: a market and a food tour, a market cooking class or pastry class with a wine tasting, then a Champagne day trip to Reims and Épernay. Suggestions, not a fixed schedule.
Tuscan dishes explained: bistecca alla fiorentina, the bread soups ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, pici and pappardelle al cinghiale, lampredotto, pecorino and cantucci with Vin Santo - the cucina povera classics and the Sangiovese wines to drink.
What is bistecca alla fiorentina? Florence's famous steak - a thick T-bone from Chianina cattle, grilled over embers, charred outside and rare within, seasoned only with salt, oil and rosemary, sold by weight and shared. How it's cooked, how to order it, and where to try it.
How a Florence cooking class works: make fresh pasta (pici, ravioli, pappardelle), often pizza, tiramisù or gelato, frequently after a Mercato Centrale or Sant'Ambrogio market shop, then eat it with Chianti. What you cook, city vs villa classes, and how to choose.
What to eat in Florence: bistecca alla fiorentina, lampredotto street sandwiches, ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, pappardelle al cinghiale, crostini di fegatini and cantucci with Vin Santo - the Tuscan dishes to order and where to eat.
A flexible Tuscan wine route from the Chianti hills through Montalcino (Brunello) and Montepulciano (Vino Nobile) into the Val d'Orcia, with Vernaccia around San Gimignano - how many days, where to base, and how to travel it. Suggestions, not a fixed schedule.