Re-released !

When my husband Gordon and I decided to spend a month in France, we were determined to make contact with rural France and its people, despite the language barrier.

Just Enough French is our entertaining and often baffling story of the journey: from visits to patisseries and cafes to encounters with cheese-makers and petanque players, described in vivid detail. All of this despite and almost total lack of the language. We went believing we had 'just enough French to get by, but we soon realised we had Not at all Enough French!

With tales of mouth-watering meals around kitchen tables and in sunny courtyards, scenic drives over mountains and alongside vineyards, this is a book for Francophiles, travellers and gastronomes alike.

Best of all, there are recipes at the end of each chapter, gathered or recreated from the meals we actually ate at each place.

Now here is the index to the current edition:

Asparagus bread                               262

Blueberry clafoutis a la Line               220

Blueberry tarte, Madame Dumas        164

Braised duck salad                           208

Breton  galette                                 249

Breton prune far                              248

Calzone-style sandwich                    165

Camembert tart, Christine’s              271

Castellane nut tarte                         136

Cheese and egg stuffed potatoes       58

Chou farcie                                      195

Choux pastry bijoux                         137

Croissants                                        36

Currant bread                                   84

Dandelion jam, Christine Langlais’      272

Easy chicken Dijonnaise                    70

Fennel in cream                                96

Fougasse, La                                    151

French hot chocolate                         49

French open sandwich                       22

Galette de Pérouges                         83

Koughn-aman                                  234

Le Puy lentil soup                            181

Mackerel with mustard                     221

Meringue-topped chocolate mousse  109

Michelles’ crozet                              108

Norman apple cake                          261

Oeufs a la neige                              95

Pain de’epices                                 48

Peaches Belle Helene                       38

Quiche Lorraine                               69

Quince tarte tatin                             194

Rabbit Provencale                            124

Sausage in Brioche                          59

Sixty second brioche dough              149

Toasted chevre salad                       235

Truffade                                         180

Truites aux amandes                         123

Zucchini marmalade, Claude Ramelot’s  207

Just Enough French, by Sally Hammond, published by New Holland Publishers, 2002, reprinted in 2005 and 2017, rrp $24.99, paperback.