For lovers of fine food, France is the best country in the world in which to travel. The French provinces offer an unrivalled variety of markets, shops, food producers, restaurants and places to stay and enjoy good cooking. In this book Anne Willan, author of French Regional Cooking, tours the very different regions of France. On her travels she enjoys the traditional specialities which can be so difficult to track down - breads baked in a wood-fired brick oven, foie gras prepared and canned in the farmyard barn. Anne Willan makes a very personal selection of French hotels, restaurants and cultural events, with occasional excursions into the history and the constant forays into the gastronomy of each area. Not intended as a comprehensive restaurant guide, Las France Gastronomique offers a unique view of French country living and eating from a dedicated gourmet. Each chapter includes around ten recipes illustrating typical local dishes that can be reproduced at home and suggestions are offered for many more to seek out on the spot. The book is illustrated throughout with full-colour photography of the places, people and landscapes, as well as some of the dishes presented. Anne Willan is well-known as a cookery author and magazine contributor on both sides of the Atlantic. She is now president of the Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris which she opened in 1975. The school has earned an international reputation. Her books have won various awards, and include French Regional Cooking and Great Cooks and Their Recipes.