Postcards From Provence

In this episode, I'm talking about the thing that brought me to Provence before I ever set foot here: the food. I trace it back to two books I read as a teenager (Richard Olney's Lulu's Provençal Table and Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence) and the picture they gave me of simple, sun-soaked meals shared around a crowded table. Years later, actually living here, I've found the reality isn't far off. From there I work through the ingredients that make this cuisine what it is: the olives (including the ones ripening on my own trees), the olive oil and garlic that start almost everything I cook, herbes de Provence and summer basil, the tomatoes and courgettes filling the markets right now, and the produce this region is famous for: Cavaillon melons, Carpentras strawberries, Banon goat's cheese, and local lamb. Then the dishes themselves: soupe au pistou, ratatouille, tapenade and anchoïade, a proper grand aïoli, daube, the Niçoise specialities (pan bagnat, pissaladière, socca), bouillabaisse, and petits farcis - plus what to actually expect on a menu here, which is lighter and far more vegetable-forward than most people picture when they think of French food. If you're planning to eat your way through Provence, or just want to understand why the food here means so much to the people who live here, I hope this gives you a real sense of it. I'd love to hear which dish you try first...

In this episode, I'm taking you along the Côte d'Azur - the glittering coastal stretch of Provence that looks and feels completely different to the lavender fields and vineyards further inland. I start with the trip that first brought me here: an early train from a heatwave-stricken Paris, and my first lunch on Aunt Juliette's terrace above Antibes that I still think about years later. From there, I work my way through some of my favourite spots along the coast - Nice, with its daily markets and (unmissable) Monday flea market; Menton, the lemon capital near the Italian border; Villefranche-sur-Mer and hilltop Saint-Paul-de-Vence; and Grasse, the perfume capital, where you can bring home a scent nobody else will have. Heading back toward Marseille, I cover Cannes and its quieter, sandier neighbour La Bocca (home to my all-time favourite Le Cabanon), the beach clubs near Saint-Tropez worth actually stopping for, and Cassis, the fishing village that might be the most underrated base on the whole coast. If you're planning time on the Côte d'Azur, or just dreaming of it from somewhere much hotter or much colder, I hope this gives you a proper feel for the place and a few new spots to add to the list. I'd love to hear which one you visit first...

In this episode, I'm joined by fellow Australian Libby Travers - food writer, co-author of Meat: The Ultimate Companion, and the voice behind the newsletter Eight Days. Libby splits her life between Provence and Australia, and we talk about what it actually means to build a writing life (and a food life) between two countries. We get into her Provence origin story: a life-changing teenage meal at a tiny bistro that no longer exists, a map of the Mediterranean built entirely around where the olive tree grows, and the unlikely way she met her French husband on a remote path in Crete. From there, the story of the ruin they turned into a home: a year living in a yurt, a house built in six weeks before their son was born, and all the ancient, unspoken wisdom baked into two-hundred-year-old Provençal architecture. Libby also shares her favourite places to eat (including a bistro with a Charles Aznavour cameo you have to hear to believe), the foods and traditions she's learned from neighbours and in-laws, and why Provence's family food rules leave no room for flexibility. And we don't shy away from the harder truths either - including what athe recent string of brutal heatwaves is doing to her sense of the region's future. Whether you're drawn to Provence for the food, the romance, or the whole complicated reality of it, this conversation has all three...

In this episode, I'm sharing the things about daily life in Provence that nobody tells you in advance. The small, practical rules that locals just know, and that make the difference between feeling like you're fighting the system here and feeling like you're actually part of it. I start with a quick check-in from the middle of a canicule (heatwave) - what the heat is really like on the ground, and the small adjustments that make it survivable. Then I get into the real rules: how cash still matters more than you'd expect, why the countryside internet is far patchier than you'd assume, and why not everyone here speaks English, even in a region so used to visitors. I also cover the deeper shifts: how "productivity" means something completely different in Provence, why service moves at its own pace and why that's worth surrendering to rather than fighting, and the quiet importance of saying bonjour to everyone from shopkeepers to strangers in a waiting room. Whether you're thinking of moving here, you're planning a visit or dreaming of one, these are the rules that will make you feel less like a tourist and more like you belong here. And if there's a rule of Provence you've learned the hard way, I'd love to hear about it...

In this episode, I'm sharing everything I wish I'd known before my first visit to Provence - the practical side of things that can make the difference between a trip that feels rushed and one that actually lets this place in. I cover when to come (and what each season actually feels like on the ground), where to stay, how to get here and get around - including a strong case for renting a car - and how to structure a day so you're moving at the right pace: leisurely breakfast, market, long lunch, nap, apéro, simple dinner at home. I also share the practical tips that matter most: how far ahead to book (further than you think), why Sunday logistics will catch you out if you're not prepared, what to know about cash, language, tipping, and how to dress when it's 35 degrees and you're navigating cobblestones. Whether you're planning your first trip or your fifth and wanting to do it differently, this episode is for you. And if you have questions about visiting (or a trip coming up) I'd love to hear from you…