'Little England' will you be watching?

[woolybanana]

[quote user="idun"][quote user="5-element"][quote user="cooperlola"]

At least Madame le Maire (I think we should maybe call her Marie, Christine[Www]) has the gumption to understand that money is money, no matter what its source.

[/quote]

It's funny, I distinctly remember as a child, hearing Madame le Maire being called "la mairesse" - just like the instituteur was called "le maitre" and the institutrice "la maitresse" - but it's true I haven't heard the term "la mairesse" for some time.

Hence the use of "mayoress" here, although now I am unsure (and too lazy to go back to it) of what she is called in the M6 clip.

 

As for brass bands, we have a fabulous one here, called "l'Harmonie ***cienne", and many of the musicians there are also part of the Big Jazz Band - both are rather classy, as bands of that kind go.

 

[/quote]

 

And a lady Notaire? Sometimes french confuses me completely, could I call her Maitresse?

[/quote]

I called mine maitresse and she corrected me, saying that she was not a maitresse. I replied that it was a pity and she really had the decency to blush!

[sid]

[quote user="5-element"]

As for brass bands, we have a fabulous one here, called "l'Harmonie ***cienne", and many of the musicians there are also part of the Big Jazz Band - both are rather classy, as bands of that kind go.

[/quote]

Yes, 5E, we have "harmonie" and "big band (swing)" around here too, and I have played for both, AND we have members of those bands , the brass players at any rate, playing for our brass band now too! It's definitely not the same thing as a "true" brass band though. The "harmonie" is what we call in UK a "wind band", a mix of brass and wind instruments, so you have saxophones, trumpets, oboe, flute, clarinets etc. The big band is the type of group which backs singers like Frank Sinatra, and has saxophones, trumpets and trombones. Both very different sounds and styles.

 

[idun]

[quote user="woolybanana"][quote user="idun"][quote user="5-element"][quote user="cooperlola"]

At least Madame le Maire (I think we should maybe call her Marie, Christine[Www]) has the gumption to understand that money is money, no matter what its source.

[/quote]

It's funny, I distinctly remember as a child, hearing Madame le Maire being called "la mairesse" - just like the instituteur was called "le maitre" and the institutrice "la maitresse" - but it's true I haven't heard the term "la mairesse" for some time.

Hence the use of "mayoress" here, although now I am unsure (and too lazy to go back to it) of what she is called in the M6 clip.

 

As for brass bands, we have a fabulous one here, called "l'Harmonie ***cienne", and many of the musicians there are also part of the Big Jazz Band - both are rather classy, as bands of that kind go.

 

[/quote]

 

And a lady Notaire? Sometimes french confuses me completely, could I call her Maitresse?

[/quote]

I called mine maitresse and she corrected me, saying that she was not a maitresse. I replied that it was a pity and she really had the decency to blush!

[/quote]

 

Maitresse, kids call their lady teachers Maitresse, so why don't lady notaires want to be called Maitresse?  I refused to call our notaire Maitre. If he had had one ounce of decency, I may have, but as he didn't, then I wasn't playing such games. He was the one who asked me if my husband had hit me when I had a black eye and broken nose. And I said 'yes'. 

You see, when you dive straight into a kiddies shallow swimming pool at a 90° angle, then if on doesn't kill oneself, a black eye and cracked nose are rather inevitable, but I wasn't telling him that.[:-))]

[Christine Animal]

[quote user="Chancer"]

Thanks for the clip Christine, very interesting, what was the chef saying in the kitchen about adapting dishes to the British taste? I could not hear, I am a little deaf and hence lip read, that part was the worts scenario for me, someone mumbling with their back to me with a load of background noise.

[/quote]

Just tried to listen again Chancer and it's still difficult. Maybe it's not so much adapting but when asked what les anglais like (I think) he says they appreciate riz de veau, côtes d'agneau, des produits sains.  They then go on to show how he purchases local produce, such as honey.

 

[Joe]

Just watched the the latest episode.Why would you want W-------rs crisps delivered here as well as breakfast cereal?We bring over -- Tips because I do not drink coffee.

[idun]

Carrefour's 'thé des indes' was good tea. English friends were very happy with it when they stayed and were pleased to have a good cuppa. I never took tea to France once we started using that.

 

 

[AnOther]

IMO it's puerile predictable rubbish and TBH I'm struggling to relate to any of the people featured.

On the positive side it's reinforced our decision to eschew that area of Dordognshire when we were property hunting.

Each to their own though [;-)]

[Christine Animal]

We can get PG Tips and Yorkshire Tea at Super U and Intermarché.  Malt vinegar too.   [:)]   And salad cream.   [:)]   And Branston Pickle.   [:)]   And HP Sauce.   [:)]

 

 

[woolybanana]

what lucky people you are!

[cooperlola]

THIS is where I get my tea.  My cleaner could hardly believe it when the postman delivered 1600 tea bags!  Only the British, eh?

[Chiefluvvie]

Waste of TV air-time. I think they must have filmed the whole series on just one day. No content!

Chiefluvvie

[LAiffricaine]

 Quite an other planet altogether ... Parallel universe or what  [blink]

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="Christine Animal"]

We can get PG Tips and Yorkshire Tea at Super U and Intermarché.  Malt vinegar too.   [:)]   And salad cream.   [:)]   And Branston Pickle.   [:)]   And HP Sauce.   [:)]

[/quote]

Yuk! Don't like those in either country! On the very rare occasion I have fish and chips in UK - maybe once a year, if that - I might succumb to a splash of vinegar on my fish. We did have fish and chips in UK during the summer, when our kitchen was being re-fitted; thank goodness that the 10 days when we had no kitchen were fine, so we could picnic in the garden on M&S and Waitrose sandwiches and ready meals!

There is an English section in the larger Carrefour near here, which has quite a number of items, but apart from lusting over Cadbury's Whole Nut I don't remember anything I'd buy normally. I was very surprised to see Fray Bentos tinned steak and kidney pies there - haven't seen them for years!  I bring stocks of fennel teabags with me - I can get loose fennel and fennel teabags here, but the taste is very different. I don't drink tea, but have some tightly-wrapped Waitrose teabags for the rare visitor who does.  OH brought a box of his favourite Dorset cereals this time, and I can never resist bringing Duchy chocolate ginger biscuits, but they were a bit limp when I opened them - that's the problem with temps of around 30 in the autumn!

I haven't seen the latest episode as we don't have TV in France, but I rather enjoyed what I saw of it, and thought some of the people in it were showing great initiative to be making a living to enable them to live in the country they want to be in.

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="cooperlola"]THIS is where I get my tea.  My cleaner could hardly believe it when the postman delivered 1600 tea bags!  Only the British, eh?[/quote]

Cooperlola, although I don't drink tea, I clicked on the link just to be nosy! I loved that ad - it quoted '4 new'! I wonder how many packs of 1610 USED teabags they sell?  [:-))]

[Gardener]

[quote user="Joe"]Just watched the the latest episode.Why would you want W-------rs crisps delivered here as well as breakfast cereal?We bring over -- Tips because I do not drink coffee.[/quote]

I suppose we can all justify our own must have items. A relative brought a box of cereal from the UK that I used eat any time of day but it didn't taste at all how I remembered it and I couldn't eat them all.

[Benjamin]

[quote user="gardengirl "]

so we could picnic in the garden on M&S and Waitrose sandwiches and ready meals!

[/quote]

One really does have to question the business plan of the likes of Lidl, Netto and Aldi when no one ever shops there. [;-)]

[5-element]

Bisto gravy mix, Coffeemate, Birds custard powder, Piccalilli, Branston Pickle, HP sauce: all items that I never, ever used during all my years in England. Just not my kind of cooking.

Perversely, after I'd been back in France a few years, I started craving the idea of those products, and had someone bring them over to me...then I read the list of ingredients. [blink]

[Chancer]

Dorset cereals! Excellent mueslis and the best oats I have ever had, albeit at a price.

Now even in the UK they were well outside of my budget so how and where did I discover them?

The answer is Noz of all places, they had tons of them at real knockdown prices, 20cts a box as around here you would have more chance of selling lamb raised at Chernobyl than any foodstuff with the box printed in English, after trying a couple I rushed back and bought the lot and stored them in my cellar, sadly they are now all consumed but they have gained a customer, sometimes it is worth paying more for quality especially as I eat oats every morning

[idun]

Have any of you tried Carrefours Thé des Indes?? I know some really fussy people, me included, about some products and that was good tea and they did it in big boxes.

[NormanH]

[quote user="5-element"]

Bisto gravy mix, Coffeemate, Birds custard powder, Piccalilli, Branston Pickle, HP sauce: all items that I never, ever used during all my years in England. Just not my kind of cooking.

Perversely, after I'd been back in France a few years, I started craving the idea of those products, and had someone bring them over to me...then I read the list of ingredients. [blink]

[/quote]

I just recently had a craving for Branston Pickle, with good Cheddar cheese. I put it down to the effects of heavy anaesthetic and chemotherapy ...

Friends sent over the Pickle, but Quicke's farm cheddar is only occasionally available  here.[:(]

[Rose]

[quote user="NormanH"]

I just recently had a craving for Branston Pickle, with good Cheddar cheese.[:(]

[/quote]

I have one now Norman [:D]  (how are you?) I can get cheddar easily at the cheese counter at Carrefour but I've not seen branston... so I'm going to try and make some now!

I'm really enjoying watching the programme.  It's great to show friends back home where we live; it is showing what a beautiful region this is.  So far almost all of the people I've watched have been interesting and it's nowhere near as bad I thought it would be... but we're only part way through!

I've used the shopping service a couple of times in the past and it was very useful, these days I've found substitutes for most things and I think preferences change over time too... but I always get Robinsons Squash and Self Raising Flour (and pickle) if anyone is driving over... it's interesting how they made it seem that the shopping comes direct from the UK to the Dordogne, rather then distribution throughout France and beyond [8-)]

[Rose]

[quote user="AnOther"]IMO it's puerile predictable rubbish and TBH I'm struggling to relate to any of the people featured.

On the positive side it's reinforced our decision to eschew that area of Dordognshire when we were property hunting.

Each to their own though [;-)]

[/quote]

Oh, I know I shouldn't do this but... well... that's a bit mean AnOther.  I think the people shown have been great and nothing like I imagined.  Some of them I would love to meet and share a coffee with... some of them perhaps I'd not have too much in common with, but on the whole they seem like nice, decent, honest people.

Sorry you  think the Dordogne is so dreadful... why?  Because of the scenery?  Because of the ex-pat community?  Last time I was in Moncuq market I reckon half the voices were english, Cahor (one of my favourite places by the way) also has it's fair share of ex-pats.  France has very many beautiful regions and I could live in many of them.  I have friends who live not a million miles away from you and they tell me that the ex-pat scene is alive and well in the Lot too? 

Can't we just enjoy the programme for what it is?

[:$] [:$]

[LAiffricaine]

My British must have : of all things Lipton's Jaipur orange tea. It has a lovely taste and something different to Earl Grey (sorry not very good with run of the mill builder's tea, I find it to acrid). I just can't find this Lipton's in this part of Wales, having visited all the supermarkets in a radius of 50 miles from here. So ... I go all the way to France at my parents nearby Intermarché and at this last visit, I've built up a stock to last me until next February I hope ... How sad that is ...

Other British things I would have to take to France : Beef Bovril spread, Stilton, Lincolnshire Poacher cheese, good honest proper farm reared British bacon for I can't do without my Sunday bacon butty prior to a long walk in the hills!      Welsh sewin (say : soo-in... to you all it's a young wild sea trout. It has a very delicate salmon taste, lovely with lashes of lemon butter and mounds of Jersey Royals = summer heaven)       Welsh Black beef, the best Sunday roast ever! ... Limousin beef would just about supplant it ...

 

 

[sid]

Yorkshire Tea and ginger biscuits for me! Yes, you can get them here if you try, but at 2 or 3 times the price!

Oh, and I'm enjoying the TV series. Maybe no similarities with our own life here but I find it interesting nonetheless. I'd like to know how the bowling green is going to survive. Our friends and neighbours here would be up in arms if someone was to use a hosepipe like that to water the GRASS ! [:-))]

[Chancer]

L'Affricaine, your tale of the orange tea is not at all sad but very funny in an ironic way!