Find out what’s inside FRANCE Magazine UK’s November 2021 issue 

Take a peek inside the latest issue of FRANCE Magazine. If you love France, you won’t want to miss it! 

As autumn takes hold in France, carpeting the country in red and yellow leaves, the place to be is the historic French province of Armagnac. Here in bucolic south-west France, some fascinating traditions mark the start of the armagnac distillation season. If you get the chance to visit, you must! Otherwise, you can soak up the atmosphere of La Flamme de l’Armagnac in our lively article.  

 Something for the nature lovers: this issue we visit France’s oldest private botanical park, where you can see France’s autumn colours in all their glory. If you normally speed past the Allier department on your way south, this is the perfect reason to spend a little longer exploring this underrated part of France.  

 And for foodies, you’ll want to skip straight to our chat with celebrity chef Raymond Blanc. His favourite French dish might surprise you! If that got your stomach rumbling, then cook up our latest recipe, the traditional Norman bread pain brié.  

Here’s some more of what you can expect… 

Take a stroll in Saint-Suliac  

“The best way to explore any place, in my opinion, is on foot and I was very pleased to see that visitors to Saint-Suliac are encouraged to leave their cars in the car park outside the village. On that short walk into the centre you already get a sense of what has formed Saint-Suliac, sandwiched as it is between the estuary of the River Rance and the land behind it. ‘Here you were either born a farmer or a sailor’ is a line from the film Entre Terre et Mer which, although a fictional story, portrays life as it was lived in Saint-Suliac up to the beginning of the 20th century.” 

Find out more of Alison Hughes’ favourite things to see and do in the Breton village in the November 2021 issue of FRANCE Magazine.  

Why are France’s blue-and-white house number plaques so iconic? 

“It was while chatting with my French friend Valérie one summer’s evening over a glass of wine that I came to understand the importance of French house number plaques. The traditional blue and white signs are iconic. “Your house numbers are all so different,” Valérie moaned as she went on to recount a trip she had taken to make a delivery and had had so much trouble trying to locate the house. “In the dark it is just so impossible.” I sympathised – I have trouble trying to find my own house sometimes at night, so much so that I even installed an ugly, reflective red triangle on the gate post! 

No wonder these plaques are so appreciated in France – while they don’t make your house stand out from all the rest, they are stylish and quintessentially French as well as being practical. There was no way Valérie was going to miss a property with one of those on the door!” 

Discover more about these emblematic signs with Sally Deanna Green in the November 2021 issue of FRANCE Magazine. 

Discover Saumur’s wine heritage  

Saumur’s medieval château perches majestically above the Loire, as the river it wends its way around a collection of tiny islands before continuing its journey downstream towards Anjou. Apart from its famous cavalry school, Saumur is best known for sparkling wines and the large négociant houses that produce them. Like Épernay and Reims in Champagne, Saumur sits above a massive complex of subterranean cellars, dug deep into chalk soil, where bottles of Saumur fizz age patiently on their lees, waiting to be corked. 

Our roving wine reporter Dominic Rippon shares his top drinks picks from the region in the November 2021 issue of FRANCE Magazine. 

Like what you see? The November 2021 issue of FRANCE Magazine is on sale from 29 September. Take advantage of our great subscription offers and get FRANCE Magazine delivered straight to your door every month! You can also buy single issues from Mags Direct. Happy reading!