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A journey through the past and present of a little-known area of south-west France. Explores the people, places and events that shaped a land once too important to ignore. A whole library has been written about the Lauragais in French, but virtually nothing in English.
Menu from the Midi explores French gastronomy from the farmer’s field to the dining room table. Concentrating on the South of France, the book is structured as a menu carefully compiled to give the reader a balanced diet of gastronomy, history, legend and local colour. Uniquely, it adds into this mix a celebration of the dedicated and passionate people who produce some of the finest raw ingredients and foodstuffs you are ever likely to taste. Appreciating good food and wine needs the right ambiance, the right company and plenty of time. Sit back, relax and savour the oldest sparkling wine in the world, le Rolls-Royce of olives, pink garlic soup, meats of the black Gascon pig, the legendary cassoulet, cheese from the caves of Roquefort, and learn how the Midi’s ornate pigeon towers ensured a constant supply of roast pigeon. No wonder the father of food journalism and gastronomic guides, Grimod de La Reynière, had this to say 200 years ago: ‘In good towns of the Midi, a great dinner is an affair of state. One speaks of it three months beforehand and digesting it lasts six weeks.’
In this journey of discovery, John Micklewright travels the slow way, on foot, on paths, tracks and byways from the Channel to the Alps – from the coast of Normandy to the flanks of Mont Blanc. The Opening Country is a beautifully written account of his progress through the French countryside, an evocative patchwork of landscape, nature, history, literature, film, and – drawing on his father’s diaries that stretch back to the 1930s – of memoir. Always curious, absorbing all around him, ready on a whim to divert from his chosen route as he heads unhurriedly southwards. The natural world unfolds as spring turns to summer with surprises of bird song and butterflies, against a constant background of reminders of the economic and social story of rural France and of wars past. The result is an engrossing record of a classic long-distance walk through Britain’s nearest continental neighbour. The Opening Country is a book to fire the imagination – a call to travel slowly, to open eyes and ears, to discover and explore.
A Foodie Afloat is the story of a cook’s journey through France on a barge. Di Murrell takes us on a gentle journey across France; her main preoccupation being to make sure that tasty food arrives on the table each day. As she voyages across the country she shows, through her recipes, how the cuisine changes with the landscape. Whether bought in the market, dug from a lock-keeper’s garden or even foraged along the towpath, the food she finds and cooks is always seasonal and local to the region. This book is more than just a collection of recipes though. It is the result of a life spent on the waterways of Europe. She talks to lock-keepers, skippers of working barges and those, who, like ...
This is the sixth of Terence Jenkins' successful series of idiosyncratic books about London and its inhabitants. The retired teacher, journalist and ex-London guide, gives another entertaining and informative collection of bite-sized chunks, which are perfect for a leisurely stroll around the capital. You may discover a London you never knew and meet people who will widen your horizons. Who was the Queen whose funeral was attended by thousands? What was one of the greatest of American crime-writers doing in SE 19? And who was one of Hitler's greatest fears? Read. Explore. Enjoy.
Strangers Like Angels chronicles the journeys of Alec and Jan Forman to far and distant lands as they embrace their pioneering spirit. Following adventures in Canada, Antarctica and the Sultanate of Oman they set off on the original gap year in the seventies. Travelling in their Land Rover, they use only a map and compass to navigate through the Sahara Desert and tropical rainforests in Africa, back to Europe and out to Asia via the Hindu Kush, and on to the Himalayas. They grapple with the realities of poverty and yet experience surprising hospitality and welcome from unlikely sources. In the confined space of their vehicle, Alec and Jan learn what it takes to support and sustain themselves...
Not in That Car is the story of an Englishman who drove a thirty-two year old MG Midget car around the world, alone. Roy Locock travels across Europe and down to Southern India before circumnavigating Australia and following the Pan-American Highway from Argentina to Canada. Dismissing a Taliban attack as ‘not being personal’, he explains the intricacies of fording through Australia’s worst floods for 30 years and is badly shaken by an earthquake in Panama City. In between the driving, he takes the time to enjoy walking in the Himalayan foothills, crossing the Andes and trekking in the Rockies. During the trip, Roy and his MG Midget covered over 39 000 miles, through 27 countries and raised money for Unicef along the way. Roy’s safe arrival back in the UK was picked up and reported on by every major paper in the UK – as well as news agencies across the world. A highly readable account of an epic journey that will appeal to travellers and petrol heads alike.
Inspired by a life-long passion for travel, Stuart McMillan embarked on a journey of over 2,000km, crossing the continent from the Baltic Sea to the Balkan coast. The book provides personal observations and reflections on a fascinating world hidden for decades behind an Iron Curtain. It gives the reader a glimpse of how the history, culture, years of oppression and brutal wars have shaped these beautiful lands and the people who live there. Starting in Lithuania, a journey weaving through the beautiful and often mysterious Slavic lands all the way to Croatia - taking in Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It includes travelling in a 44-degree heatwave; taking a short-cut via Mo...
Neither Brian nor Sandra knew whether there was a longer palindrome than 'a man a plan a canal Panama', but they did know that the country in this palindrome was well worth a visit. Not only did it house a whole treasure-house of wildlife riches, but it also had that extremely well-known canal. Furthermore, it presented them with the opportunity to travel through this canal on a splendid catamaran with just a handful of other people. So, off they both went to discover for themselves what Panama held, and how far this isthmus nation matched up to their guide book's description. Was it all green and lovely or was it a bit more 'lived-in' in certain respects? Oh, and was that canal all it was c...
Known as The Singing Winger for his ability both out wide on a football field and centre stage at a concert hall, Colin Grainger had the privilege of sharing a changing room with Duncan Edwards and Stanley Matthews and a bill with The Beatles. Starting out in 1950, Graingers professional football career spanned sixteen years, taking in all four divisions, and after Nat Lofthouse persuaded him to perform while on England duty, a successful singing career was born alongside. Grainger continued to marry his passions in the years to come, and this tale tells the story of life on the road as a professional in two industries and the joy of forging friendships with icons of a bygone era.