Petite Anglaise is the pseudonym of Catherine Sanderson, a British blogger living in Paris, whose blog articles caused her to be sacked from work and whom subsequently she was offered a publishing deal. Her first book, “Petite Anglaise” was published in 2008. Her second book, “French Kissing” was published in 2009.

Catherine’s blog is at petite anglaise – not updated so often now that Jack (the new baby) has come along but, there is a lovely photo slideshow thingy showing the aforementioned Jack and his sister, Tadpole.

I asked Catherine if she would consent to an interview, she seemed enthusiastic – I assumed that she hadn’t looked at A Taste Of Garlic.

Not wishing to miss my chance, I put on my Sunday best and sped right off towards Paris.

Unfortunately I hadn’t realised that being seen in public in a Val Doonican cardigan is a criminal offense in France and it took a little while to convince the Gendarmes that it wouldn’t happen again.

Thus, I had no choice but to send the interview by email.

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Kristin Espinasse began French Word-A-Day in 2002 she decided to share a piece of Provence by distributing her “café letters” from France.

What began as an earnest attempt at freelance journalism, eventually worked itself into a more suitable self-made mêtier as resident “French Word Artisan” and author.

Kristin says… “Although I majored in French, I still struggle daily with the language.

Luckily I have two built-in tutors, my 14-year-old son Max and my 12-year-old daughter Jackie, who have taken it upon themselves to straighten out my language faux pas.

Sometimes I get a bit miffed and remind them that I spoke French before they did, but they just stare back, heads shaking in disbelief.”

You can read more about how French Word a Day came to be created by reading Kristin’s book… Words in a French Life.

Words in a French Life

This isn’t the France of travel magazines and guidebooks. It is France seen with the discerning eye of a writer, the loving heart of a mother and the self-effacing wit of an easy-going American in the land of women who iron their children’s pajamas. The book’s format – weaving French lessons into vignettes of her life in South France – is quite unique and I loved learning the kind of colloquial French I didn’t get in classes. But what makes the book so special is Espinasse’s humanity. Anyone can describe lavender, cobblestones and the pecadilloes of the French, but here is a woman who notices the little ironies and blessings in everyday life common to us all and has the talent to render them with humor, grace and charm.

April Hollands’ blog, describes her life in St. Jean de Sixt (in the Rhône Alpes.)

I wanted to interview April for A Taste of Garlic to discover what Life in France means to an Australian girl (albeit one who has spent some time living in England.)

Especially one who describes herself as… A typical Aussie girl who has somehow ended up in the French Alps, living amongst the cows, the cheese and the snow.

With that in mind I put new batteries in the new GPS I treated myself to for Christmas (only £25 from that dodgy looking geezer down at Peckham market),  packed a bag and set off for St. Jean de Sixt to interview April face to face.

However, six hours later I realised that the GPS was fitted with maps for South America (no wonder it was so cheap!)

This didn’t prove to be too much use in rural Brittany and after trying unsuccessfully to program it not to route me via Patagonia I gave up and decided to email the interview through instead.

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Charles Bremner’s blog, at the Times Online is a sensible but witty view of an alien race. One, strangely, that many of us choose to live amongst.

I very very keen to interview Charles for A Taste of Garlic to find out the what Our Man in France (at least as far as the Times is concerned), thinks about this land that we have chosen to call our new home.

I didn’t want to obscure the issue with any meaningless references to Incest and Morris-Dancing so I made a mental note to totally avoid those two subjects. Besides, having recently been informed that my purile attempts to worm these two subjects (as well as all that toilet stuff) into my interviews indicates a rather juvenile and childish character, I felt that the time had come… “For me to grow up”

Thus I decided to forego my morning duties and get straight on the case…

I rushed down to the end of the lane and waited for a bus. Paris wouldn’t take too long, I hoped.

Three hours later I remembered that the bus has yet to be invented in rural Brittany and realised that I’d have to email the interview through, instead.

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Ken Broadhurst’s blog, at http://ckenb.blogspot.com is largely, deliciously and appetisingly all about food;  Apart, that is,  from the few non-edible bits that have managed to sneak their way in.  And even the non-food bits taste good.

I very very keen to interview Ken for A Taste of Garlic to find out the real difference between Gourmand and Gourment, to hear his ideas about how to cook Rabbit and Lardons and to discover if he did, with all that eating, have a tummy the size of Belgium.

I didn’t want to obscure the issue with any meaningless references to Incest and Morris-Dancing so I made a mental note to totally avoid those two subjects.

Desperate as I was to get back to the Loire Valley (where I had spent a very happy summer holiday when I was eleven years old), I knew it would be worth making some preparations first.

I slipped off to the “Thinking Gallery” to decide what questions I was going to ask.  Making a mental note to buy some more toilet paper I exited , some ten minutes later, with a substantial list.

Without further ado I called for my carriage and set off for Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher.

Unfortunately, horse and carriage has not been a popular form of transport for over 100 years and thus, I had to resort to sending off my questions by email. A shame really, as I was looking forward to a nice glass of sparkling Vouvray.  Perhaps next time.

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I recently wrote about Chez Loulou and mentioned that it was one of the most popular Life in France blogs, in terms of being on other people’s Blogs I Read lists.

It was with a bit of trepidation then, that I asked Jennifer if she would consent to an interview.

I was interested to find out what drove Jennifer to write so passionately about cheese (and take such lovely photographs of it.)

There was also a buring question about a Lingerie Fetish that I just had to ask!

As it was rather cold here in Brittany I felt that I deserved a few days off in sunny Provence.  But, taking one look at the icy roads, I decided to fall back on that tried and tested form of communication, carrier pigeon.  Unfortunately , La Chasse……

So I had no choice other that to send the interview by email.

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