150 Fabulous Foolproof French Regional Recipes: 1: Northern France

Synopsis

First, catch your frog...May we propose some oyster and champagne soup from Brittany, accompanied by Normandy lettuce bread and followed by Loire Valley frog's legs and roasted swan as Richard the Lionheart liked them served up? Then you could round your modest meal off with a souffle created by the original celebrity chef, Antonin Careme. Or you might simply be in the mood for some of the less exotic dishes regularly served up in the country kitchens and working men's cafes of northern France. Donella East has spent twenty years exploring the rural hinterlands of France while organising and trying to prevent her travel writer husband George getting into too much trouble. On route she collected a host of traditional, unusual, rare and sometimes outrageous - but always real - recipes from French country cooks and the obliging owners of one of France's bestkept culinary secrets. As the magic hour of midday approaches, tens of thousands of rural bars across the country open their doors to gangs of working men in search of a cheap and filling meal. Now, four carrier bags' worth of menus and recipes written on the back of beer mats have been collated by their owner to represent a complete range of delicious dishes. There are more than 150 recipes for starters, main meals, puddings, cakes, bread and the occasional culinary oddity in this first of a series covering every part of France, so enjoy your cook's tour around the kitchens and cafes of eight very different regions.