Food writer gets a taste of France by living there

DIFFERENT FLAVOUR: Allyson Gofton says the French don't mix and match their food as Kiwis do, they love their regionality

Allyson Gofton has written a book, Recipes from My French Kitchen, about her time in the southwest of France...it includes simple recipes of the region.

Allyson comes to Tauranga on May 14.

After years of showing people how to make food in a minute, Allyson Gofton's own life slowed to a snail's pace when her family moved to the southwest of France.

It was an 18-month experience the television chef and authoris still super excited to talk about.

In 2012, Allyson, her husband and two children threw caution to the wind and moved to the far south of France to tiny village Caixon with just 350 residents. They just did it forthe experience. Allyson took the opportunity to write a book detailing their experiences, the people they met and the places they visited, and of course,recipes of the region.

When comparing Kiwi tucker to French nosh, Allyson says it is "different, completely different". "Everything is so simple and 'healthful'...and there's no mixing. In New Zealand we mix the East and the West but not there...they love the regionality of their food."

The meat of the region is duck or pork. They are big on Brebis cheese, tarbais beans and they drink Armagnac and Madiran wine. The meals are feasts, but small portions with many foods. "There's always soup to start with, then meat, then cheese and then dessert. The evening meal is usually smaller than lunch - they just have small amounts of a lot of things."

And all cuisine is sourced from within a 20-kilometre radius. Recipes from My French Kitchen is also a little different from her other books, she says. "I've written close to 30 books and I am a bit over recipe books," she says. The Goftons were invited back to France for a party to help celebrate the book by the local mayor at Easter.

Spend a splendid evening with Allyson Gofton

Allyson is touring the country speaking of her French adventures. Creative Tauranga Charitable Trust and A Splendid Afternoon present A Splendid Evening with Allyson Gofton. It isafundraising event for an annual Creative Tauranga Writers' Scholarship.

A cash bar is available on the night, with candy-bar delights on offer. Tauranga Club on Thursday, May 14, at 6pm. Ph 0800 BUY TIX (289 849).