Feasts and fetes: My year in France- Allyson Gofton

ALLYSON GOFTON

April 26 2015 - stuff.co.nz

Allyson Gofton

A team competes in the salt fete at Salies-de-Bearn which celebrates the town's saline-infused history.

The blossom-heavy cherry trees in the front yard of our maison are swaying gently under the frantic work of bees when we arrive back in Caixon; spring, a happy season in this remote area of France has truly arrived, as have we.

Misty mornings give way to clear blue skies, warm days and noise as village farmers make the most of spring to prepare soil for this year's plantings; it's great to be back.
We have travelled from New Zealand to say thank you to all the artisans and people of this area who helped me write my book, Recipes from my French Kitchen, during our year in France. I am taken aback at the reception.

Allyson Gofton

Children dressed to celebrate at one of the many festivals held each year in south-west France.

The mayor is set to unveil the book and cars, tractors, vans and bikes are all jostling for space under the plane trees that ring the 16^th century village church. Saying hello to old friends is always time to rejoice, even if I cannot speak the lingo to help with the parking.


Hidden in the very south-west of France, tucked beneath the formidable Pyrenees, lies the Haute-Pyrenees, a small department of age-old beauty and long held tradition. Mercifully, it has been discounted by the incessant tourist mill, no doubt in part due to its isolation and distance from the more romantic day-tripper haunts of Paris and Provence.
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