From our holidays in the beautiful Languedoc region in France, I brought back some lovely things in my suitcase. Some were specific to where we were, some were things I had wanted to try and some are things I always bring back from a trip to France. So, let's see what was in there!
1 - Violette bonbons: those are little sweets flavoured with violette flowers. They bring back nostalgia from my childhood as they were the type of candies you could get in a bakery when I was a child or often found in my grandparents' not so secret stash of bonbons.
2 - Chocolates from Criollo Chocolatier in Toulouse. This little box had delicious dark chocolate mendiants made with dried fig, almond, pecan nuts etc. We also had a selection of individual chocolates that were eaten as soon as we came back (and they were amazing, this chocolatier shop has some truly divine chocolates).
3 - We found a Lindt factory shop while at an outlet mall on a very rainy day and they had some unusual chocolate bars flavours that I had never seen anywhere before such as apricot macaron and Paris-Brest. The apricot macaron with dark chocolate definitely won my heart.
4 - Carambar: this is a famous French chewy caramel sweet. I do not always bring those back but I had gotten some for my friends to try (this is a sad excuse since I am the one who ate everything...). I ate countless amounts of those when I was younger in their caramel version but the lemon or nougat flavoured ones were also favourites. They now exist in smaller versions that are made especially for cooking.
5 - Savon naturel de Marseille: one of the restaurants we ate in had this soap in the bathroom and it smelled so nice that I got a big bottle when I spotted it in a Monoprix. On top of its nice perfume, it is natural and leaves your hands feeling really soft.
6 - Bee's Wrap: I always try to find ways to stop using cling film and after hearing about the Bee's Wrap for a while, I was glad to be able to put my hands on a packet while in Toulouse. It is plastic-free and reusable for up to a year. When you have given it some good use, you can compost it. And on the plus side, it smells really nice of bee's wax!
7 - Selection of books in French: I really love reading and a visit to France is usually the occasion for me to buy books in my native language. I use English as my everyday language and it is important for me to keep up with written French every now and then (otherwise I start anglicising a lot of my vocabulary).
8 - Lillet Blanc: this is a wine-based apéritif made with a blend of Bordeaux region wines and macerated liqueurs. I like it on its own served chilled (the rosé version is not bad either) but it is meant to be really good added to cocktails too (James Bond's Vesper cocktail in Casino Royale comes to mind here).
Do you bring local or familiar things back in your suitcase when you go abroad on holidays? What are your favourites?
2 - Chocolates from Criollo Chocolatier in Toulouse. This little box had delicious dark chocolate mendiants made with dried fig, almond, pecan nuts etc. We also had a selection of individual chocolates that were eaten as soon as we came back (and they were amazing, this chocolatier shop has some truly divine chocolates).
3 - We found a Lindt factory shop while at an outlet mall on a very rainy day and they had some unusual chocolate bars flavours that I had never seen anywhere before such as apricot macaron and Paris-Brest. The apricot macaron with dark chocolate definitely won my heart.
4 - Carambar: this is a famous French chewy caramel sweet. I do not always bring those back but I had gotten some for my friends to try (this is a sad excuse since I am the one who ate everything...). I ate countless amounts of those when I was younger in their caramel version but the lemon or nougat flavoured ones were also favourites. They now exist in smaller versions that are made especially for cooking.
5 - Savon naturel de Marseille: one of the restaurants we ate in had this soap in the bathroom and it smelled so nice that I got a big bottle when I spotted it in a Monoprix. On top of its nice perfume, it is natural and leaves your hands feeling really soft.
6 - Bee's Wrap: I always try to find ways to stop using cling film and after hearing about the Bee's Wrap for a while, I was glad to be able to put my hands on a packet while in Toulouse. It is plastic-free and reusable for up to a year. When you have given it some good use, you can compost it. And on the plus side, it smells really nice of bee's wax!
7 - Selection of books in French: I really love reading and a visit to France is usually the occasion for me to buy books in my native language. I use English as my everyday language and it is important for me to keep up with written French every now and then (otherwise I start anglicising a lot of my vocabulary).
8 - Lillet Blanc: this is a wine-based apéritif made with a blend of Bordeaux region wines and macerated liqueurs. I like it on its own served chilled (the rosé version is not bad either) but it is meant to be really good added to cocktails too (James Bond's Vesper cocktail in Casino Royale comes to mind here).
Do you bring local or familiar things back in your suitcase when you go abroad on holidays? What are your favourites?
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