Spring into a culinary adventure

Summer in Uzès has been incredibly hot. It's always hot in Uzès so that's not news – but this year we basically 'enjoyed' a heatwave from May onwards... which is unusual. In August I met my brother and wife for a week's holiday in Paris. We stayed in a three-storied B&B that had no air-conditioning (not unusual in Paris) so spent the whole time on the ground floor because it was too hot to go upstairs. We did 3 million steps a day in the heat and visited every tourist monument possible, something no-one who lives in France would ever do. They made me go to The Crazy Horse where we were so close to the stage that my brother almost went blind. I did manage to sneak into an Issey Miyake Pleats Please shop and buy YET ANOTHER outfit. I might open a Pleats Please museum next year so people can say, 'do you know there is this mad woman in the South Pacific who still wears Pleats Please she bought 30 years ago!' 

Tours in 2027
 

Next year's tours are filling up beautifully. You go on an organised tour for the same reason you go to a supper club – because it's a ritual of togetherness with like-minded people. A tour saves you time and stress because all the handling, planning, logistics, and bookings are done for you... so all you have to do is eat, drink, relax and learn about another culture. There are 10 to 12 guests in the group plus me and my manager, so it's intimate. There is enough free time to explore on your own a bit (code for shopping), and all the tours are gastronomic in theme except for the dramatic India tour which focuses on shopping, textiles, crafts and interiors. 

In terms of outrageousness, India is a favourite tour – it really has to be seen to be believed. I've been hosting tours to India since 2008 and have been using the same manager from Jaipur, (the famous Diggi) since the beginning. Parts of the tour are hands on – like the tie-dying class, the block printing class, carpet visit in the desert, turban tying for the men. All the accommodation is luxurious and since too much is never too much in India, this is your opportunity to buy outrageous jewellry and hot pink kurtas. 

AND... 2027 UK & Europe Earlybird Airfares have just been released... so what are you waiting for!?

India fashion and textile tour 7 – 16 March 2027  – full details HERE ... tour half full.
Puglia gastronomic tour 5 – 11 May 2027 – full details HERE...tour half full.
Greece gastronomic tour 15 – 21 May 2027 – TOUR FULL
Greece gastronomic tour 25 – 31 May 2027 – full details HERE ... 2 places left
Uzès gastronomic tour 11 – 17 June 2027 – TOUR FULL
Basque Country gastronomic tour 26 June – 2 July 2027 – full details HERE... tour half full.

Book News

It's not just a cookbook. It's a book full of gorgeous design, sumptuous photos, advice on how to start up your own supper club and stories. AND there's a woman on the cover with flowers and vegetables growing out of her head. It comes out in October and you can pre-order here HERE.  

The Supper Club

The Wednesday and Saturday Supper Club will be back in action in October when I return to Auckland. My people have always been good around a table. My parents and grandparents always insisted we stopped what we were doing to set a nice table, sit down and talk to each other. At the Supper Club you sit around and I cook recipes from my travels then we all sit out on the terrace to eat, drink, gossip and network. Everyone's welcome – singles, doubles, men, families, work colleagues. I will have a mountain of my new recipe books for you to trip over as you walk in the door. To find out more go HERE.

Event speaking

From October to May I am available for public speaking. I mostly speak about food, my life in France, travels and fashion. I explain how to age disgracefully, how to do the Pan Am smile and how to fail and rise up gracefully. With the launch of my new Supper Club book, I'm doing a few long lunch and evening events – focused around recipes from the book, while I talk about them and answer questions.. If you are fond of Edith Piaf music and you feel like weeping, I love singing Piaf. Your event could be a fund raiser, a corporate event, a Christmas function or a food and wine festival. Find out more HERE.

That's it! The southern days are getting shorter and we have more time for reading, picking grapes and drinking wine in cafés at 11am. They call it 'le petit vin' and serve it in tiny glasses. You know what Groucho Marx said – outside of a dog, a man’s best friend is a book; inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.

Peta