In France it all starts with  bread. Boulangeries open early and sometimes bake several times a day. Baguettes  the long thin sticks used for sandwichs or as tartines (slices) at breakfast, are always popular. 

Poilâne is one of the more famous bakers in Paris - perhaps even the world. Original owner Lionel Poilâne began making his trademark bread in 1932, using a bakery begun in 1789, the first year of the French Revolution. He now has another bakery in Paris and one in London, but those loaves still retain their homespun appearance along with the dense sourdough crumb and chewy crust so beloved by their fans. Fifteen thousand loaves are shovelled out of the 100-ton wood-fired brick ovens daily, yet the brochure I pick up from the counter declares proudly that this is "still an artisan bakery".

The Parisian cafe scene is legendary, and this is perhaps the most famous one of them all. This cafe has been busy for a century or more. In 1884 a well-positioned corner shop was taken over by a wine merchant, cashing in on this area's trend towards becoming Paris's bohemian artistic centre. Refurbished in 1914 and reborn as Les Deux Magots it became a magnet for writers, intellectuals and artists.

And, no! The name as nothing to do with maggots. Magot is the French word for a horde of money, or a nest-egg.

The French love (no, make that revere) their traditional regional dishes. Cassoulet is a hearty rich casserole of beans and several meats. The ingredients vary according to the region. If you recognised the area code for the phone, and knew your French regional cookery, it would be possible to easily say what the exact ingredients in this dish would be.

Chocolate! Ah, yes, chocolat! French chocolatiers are some of the world's best. Not only are individual chocolates are divine, but you should also try hot chocolate.

Honey turns up in many French dishes. In this agricultural country, the bees responsible for it have plenty of flowering plants and trees from which to gather the nectar. Interestingly, in Europe, sugar is processed from the tubers of sugar beets.

And then there's lunch! Outdoors, in the sunshine, any chance you get. Lunch is a sociable, sometimes lengthy experience. Work waits, while people eat. Best of all is Sunday lunch, often a family affair and the biggest longest lunch of the week.

City lunchers, though, visit places like this. Making it easier are the offerings painted right there on the window.

....or on the menu board outside.

Meat is most important in the French diet. Not only do boucheries  sell all the cuts of meat, but many also specialise in charcuterie (sausages and cured smallgoods). Occasionally you may also see a butcher selling horsemeat.

Almost everywhere in France at the weekly village market, there will be stalls selling a wide variety of regional sausages.

Closer to the Spanish border, in the Basque region, the cuisine reflects the proximity of Spain. France's neighbouring countries on all sides have an influence on the cusine of adjoining regions.

This sign in the Pyrenees is written in two languages, French and euskara (the official name of the Basque language). Euskara is unrelated to any neighbouring languages, and perhaps evolved entirely amongst the Basques over many centuries.

It's worth staying alert when travelling on country roads anywhere in rural France. This was at Lezignan-la-Cebe, where a hand-painted sign announces you are entering the 'Capitale de l'oignon doux' - the sweet onion capital.

Of course, anywhere coastal has a bounty of seafood, plucked from the warm Mediterranean waters or chillier Atlantic. These will find their way into everything from hearty fishermen's soups to paellas or simple seafood platters.

And then there's water. French mineral waters bubble up from many metres underground bringing healthful minerals, and often naturally aerated as well. t the sources of many of the well-known commercial ones, locals are free to fill up containers free of charge.

Who knows where this water springs from, but it's being put to good use in a village square