The Good Life France podcast

The French are rather a superstitious bunch – and some of the superstitions are very odd - got 13 for dinner and think the number 13 is unlucky? Then go French, pop an egg on the table, now you have 14 for dinner! Tread in dog poo and think it's ruined your day? Non, non, non - in France it could be lucky, depending on which foot did the deed! Want to make a wish come true? Well that's s...

Marvellous, magnificent and mesmerising monuments of France! The biggest and the best, the strange and the quirky, their history, legends and fascinating facts from the Eiffel Tower to the most incredible palace in France – built by a postman from pebbles collected on his delivery rounds more than 100 years ago. Notre Dame, Versailles, Mont-Saint-Michel, Pere Lachaise cemetery and more, come with...

The biggest and the best, the strange and the quirky, the festivals where you can eat yourself to a standstill, and the ones where you’ll have so much fun, you’ll want to go back year after year! Marathon races that serve cocktails – or Champagne.  A strawberry fete where you’ll get a slice of the biggest strawberry tart in the world. Pig squealing, baptisms of a giant where the baby is nearly 7 f...

For the French, cheese is a symbol of Frenchness. They’ve been eating great cheeses for a long time here, some of the most famous were being made thousands of years ago.  In this episode we consider some of the most famous cheeses as well as some of the stinkiest, weirdest and frankly gross cheeses that France produces. One of them is officially the smelliest cheese in the world, one has creatures...

Discover the most popular places to visit in France, their histories and legends, but also the secret places close by so you get to travel to ‘real’ France.  In Paris you must of course visit the Eiffel Tower, but how about a tiny chapel that was built before the great cathedral of Notre Dame with the most beautiful stained glass windows, you’ll feel as if you’re in a jewel box standing in this pl...

In this episode we'll be talking about a topic that's on everyone's lips in France - great classic French food! And especially food that has a fascinating history, cheese that has a 6000 year old past, stew that helped save a town from a siege by their dastardly enemy hundreds of years ago, mouth-watering cakes that were made by accident but passed into legend. Some dishes are just...

Learn the three most important words in the French language in this fun episode - no test at the end we promise!  Tu and vous - you and you - what's that all about? We'll explain what it means if a French person asks to "tu" with you!  Plus - has one of us set a world record for the amount of times we said bonjour in one day?!  And we also talk about the most popular attraction...

What if you were to browse the internet and see a photo of a neglected castle in the south of France, a ruin for sure but with a faded grandeur that pulls at your heart strings…  Would you be tempted to give up your dream of a little house in the country and throw everything you have into restoring the castle to its former glory? Live without electricity. Chop wood to keep the fire going so you do...

Ever wondered what makes the French so… well French?!  Janine Marsh, resident of northern France, author of three books about life in France for a frequently baffled expat and the editor of magazine and website The Good Life France chats to Olivier Jauffrit, a Frenchman who lives in London about how to be French.  Is it dunking your croissants in a cup of hot chocolate, the weird and many rules of...

It might not surprise you to know that mostly – Christmas in France is all about food… so buckle up, or maybe unbuckle your belt, for a fun, festive and foodie episode – the A to Z of Christmas in France… Janine Marsh author of three international best-selling books about life in France and Olivier Jauffrit talk about aperitifs with the neighbours, desserts, jolly farmers riding around country roa...

Our guest today is British author Stephen Clarke who lives in Paris.  He has sold more than a million books world-wide including the hugely popular and hilarious Merde series which began with a Year in the Merde based on Stephen’s own experiences in France and with names changed to "avoid embarrassment, possible legal action, and to prevent the author's legs being broken by someone in a...

We chat to artist Perry Taylor who walked 900km of the Camino, from France to Spain, in six weeks. Famous for his humorous drawings of life in France, he put down his paintbrush and pens and walked the equivalent of a marathon every day for weeks on end despite extreme heat and painful blisters. Along the route he  made new friends and says he couldn’t help but weep over the stories of some of the...

Molly Wilkinson left Dallas, Texas, USA to train in Paris as a patisserie chef at the famous Cordon Bleu cookery school. What she didn’t expect was to fall in love with a Frenchman, set up home in Versailles on the outskirts of Paris and become a famous online cake maker teaching cake baking fans how to make the most perfect French gateaux from millefeuilles to merveilleux.  Find out how it all ca...

The Good Life France Podcast Episode 3 with Ian Moore, a British author and comedian who lives in the Loire Valley where he runs a gite and dreams of killing his guests which has inspired a series of fun thrillers!  He also has staring contests with goats, makes chutney and keeps hens who don't lay eggs!  He talks about his fear of feisty French women over the age of 40, the quirky things abo...

In this episode discover how spiders can bring joy and hope in France! Find out whether it’s really true you shouldn’t turn up on time for dinner at a French person’s house! And learn how to be a Parisian in less than one hour with Olivier Giraud, a Paris legend. He’s a stand-up comedian who has performed his hilarious English speaking show to more than 1 million people – and his advice will have...

An introduction to The Good Life France podcast – everything you want to know about France and more. Meet author Janine Marsh an ex-Londoner who lives in rural northern France, and Olivier Jauffrit from France who lives in London. Entente-cordiale – upside down!   Follow us: On Twitter On Instagram On Facebook On The Good Life France's website Thanks for listening!