15.20 - Best French Food & Culture Guide: Southern France Recipes & Paris Society Insights
In this FREE edition of le Bulletin we again delve deep into France: the culture, the history, and the style. There is so much to discover beyond the cliché.
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes amis !
It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today! Bienvenue !
In this newsletter, you’ll:
- Meet a new MyFrenchLife Magazine Contributor, Debora Robertson - read her first contribution about her place in France & what she’s cooking.
- Next, Jenn Bragg examines the history of the ‘fée verte’.
- And then finally, Kathryn Ivey shares her experience of her first apartment in rue Jacob, Paris.Watch out for the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin this weekend: “15.20.a - Stunning Ways Bordeaux Transformed From Forgotten City To UNESCO Gem (What Tourists Don't See)- It’s not too late to subscribe←
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À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 17.5.2025
Would you like SOME French language content in your FREE le Bulletin newsletter?
For some time, I’ve been toying with the idea of including more French articles in and French contributors to le Bulletin.
I’ve started sharing French content in the PAID le Bulletin (following an overwhelmingly positive poll), and now I’d like to understand your preferences about your FREE le Bulletin, which would mean bringing on board French contributors in MyFrenchLife Magazine writing in French or French/English..
How would this sit with you? If you don’t speak French, don’t worry, I’ll always provide either dual language posts, or you can scroll on by those in French, to find those in English.
Let me know how this idea suits you.
→And here is a little light-hearted fun example← This one is about learning French, but I’m also referring to articles in French, which are not necessarily about learning French :)
Thank you for sharing your. opinion.
1. Let’s explore & read the new articles in My FrenchLife Magazine
Thank you to all the talented Contributors to MyFrenchLife magazine. I love that your articles take us from one end of France to another and constantly remind us of the rich culture of this wonderful and diverse country.
Merci.
Judy.
Introducing New MyFrenchLife Magazine Contributor Debora Robertson
I am thrilled to introduce Debora Robertson as a new Contributor to MyFrenchLife Magazine and look forward to hearing from her regularly, but first let’s get to know her a little better.
To get to know Debora I suggest that firstly you pop over to
her Lickedspoon Instagram account.
Since 2021, Debora has lived on the banks of the Étang de Thau, a salt-water lagoon in the Hérault department of the Languedoc, South West France. She’s a British journalist, writer and editor specialising in all matters domestic, from food, homes and gardens to modern manners, dogs and decluttering, who writes regularly for national newspapers and magazines, including The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian/Observer and Delicious magazine… with a monthly column on what she was thinking about, & thinking about cooking, each month.
Debora describes herself as:
“But most of all, I’m a home cook just like you – or you wouldn’t be here, reading this, right now, this second, I guess. I grew up in the North East of England, and from the least promising of culinary starts, I built a life and a career around food.”
I began this new chapter in France almost on a whim, when a house I’d fantasised about and spied on for more than a decade was suddenly on the market. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew that this was my house, improbable and impossible as that seemed at the time. A year later, we hauled our worldly possessions, two dogs and a cat 1,200 kilometres south to begin this new life in this house and village of my heart.”
On ‘LickedSpoon’ my Substack I share with you my week’s shopping and what I cook with it, not just French recipes, but recipes made with French ingredients which you can replicate wherever you are.
I am an instinctive and practical cook. I like easy. I like quick. And sometimes I like to show off, so sometimes there will be more complex recipes too.”
And, now BREAKING NEWS: Guild of Food Writers Award Nomination
Felicitation Debora!
Now, let’s enjoy Debora’s introductory article:
a) →Where’s the Sunshine? Here’s the Beef
by Debora Robertson←
The sunniest part of France, they said. Three hundred days of sunshine a year, they said. No. Not this month, at least! “
Time for a warming French beef recipe....!
Read the article in MyFrenchLife Magazine to be sure to try the recipe←
b) →Absinthe: la fée verte and its hold on Paris society
by Jennifer Bragg
Absinthe: Over the last 30 or so years, absinthe has seen something of a comeback. Changed laws under the European Union made it so absinthe could be produced and sold again, including in France. I don’t know anyone personally who drinks it, so I’m not sure how popular it is.…” writes Jenn Bragg.
c) → Why France? Part Deux
by Kathryn Ivey←
Moving to France: A year of firsts as we find ourselves in our new Parisian apartment set in the middle of what could have been a comedic version of the film Rear Window and how we almost didn't make it out alive.” writes Kathryn Ivey.
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’ the newsletter of MyFrenchLife Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon
Chers amis (dear friends)
Quelle semaine merveilleuse! (What a wonderful week!)
From Debora's comforting beef recipe for the cloudy days before summer starts in the South to Kathryn's Parisian apartment adventures and Jennifer's fascinating dive into the world of la fée verte(the green fairy), I find myself constantly amazed by the diverse experiences that connect us to France.
I'm particularly curious: would you enjoy seeing more content in French in your FREE le Bulletin? Whether you're a fluent speaker or just beginning your language journey, I want this newsletter to be your perfect French companion! Complete the poll above and/or drop me a note with your thoughts—I read every single response.
Avec toute mon amitié, (With all my friendship,)
Warmly yours,
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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I'm thrilled that Debora Robertson has joined our Contributor team of MyFrenchLife.org Magazine. Bienvenue (welcome Debora!)
And I loved the Paris apartment article by Kathryn Ivey.. I felt so very sad to hear about the loss of that magnificent garden! Weren't you?
And I can always rely of Jennifer Bragg to find something interesting from her Paris life! Keep it up Jenn!
Warm regards
Judy