The French eat for relaxation and enjoyment. Food is quite simply ingrained in their culture. It’s not an overstatement to say that the French live to eat.
The most important meal of the day
Breakfast is often said to be the most important meal of the day and that’s correct: a balanced breakfast sets you up for the day. But the French aren’t exactly known for their elaborate breakfasts. A traditional French breakfast (petit déjeuner) tends to be quite a sober affair. It consists of fresh baguette, with or without butter, jam or honey. The French often dunk their baguette in a large cup of coffee with milk (café au lait). Sometimes they go for something sweeter like a croissant or pain au chocolat. There is, however, a good reason why the French do not sit down to a full monty breakfast: they have a hot meal for lunch and again for dinner, which is usually quite copious as well. So it makes sense that they ‘exercise restraint’ in the morning.
Artisan bakery in La Cadière
But it’s not because the French don’t go all out for breakfast that you shouldn’t make time for the most important meal of the day while you’re away from home. It’s the perfect way to wake up gently and start the day in a state of blissful relaxation. After all, isn’t that one of the reasons why you go on holiday? And since you have oceans of time… Make the most of it! In ‘our village’, La Cadière d’Azur, you can buy fresh bread in the charming bakery ‘Au Vieux Four’. As its name suggests, all the bread is traditionally baked in an old wood-fired oven from 1856. You’ll find the authentic little shop in a tiny street in the village. If you get up early in the morning, they aren’t overly busy yet and you get to see and feel the village wake up. The selection may not be as extensive as in the larger bakeries but at least you can be sure that everything is freshly baked!
That ultimate holiday feeling
Turn breakfast at the large dining table in your holiday home into an occasion. Visit the local market to stock up on fresh products like artisan jams, local cheeses, fragrant fruit… In La Cadière d’Azur, there is a small market on Thursday mornings. Or take a drive to the nearest town, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer (6 km away) and visit the large marché provençale where you’ll find everything you could possibly need for a delicious breakfast and all your other meals!
Living the good life from early morning
Enjoy all the culinary delights the region has to offer. Crusty bread, heavenly croissants, the bright morning sunshine and smiling faces – because everyone sleeps like a baby at Villa Dourmidou – are recipe for that ultimate holiday feeling.