Alexis Stratfold

Alexis Goldberg

Alexis loved visiting France as a child and always dreamed of living there one day. Fortunately she met a man who had the same dream! So they married, then bought a beautiful 300-year-old character house in a pretty village in the Languedoc Roussillon. Alexis has been writing about France for a decade, inspiring and helping hundreds of British people to move there. She says: "Our only regret is that we did not move to France earlier! The lifestyle is tranquil, the summers are long and hot and the sun shines almost every day (or seems like it does!). We’ve made friends of many nationalities here."

New food labelling in French shops

France leads the way in making businesses socially responsible. Now new food labelling will help the French shopper to make healthy choices. Do the public really care about that anyway though, in the world’s most delicious nation? First came the ban on plastic bags being given out in supermarkets. Then France became the first country to outlaw throwing away good food. Now a new scheme is revamping food labelling in some of the leading supermarkets.

How to make your weekly shop go further

Where are the best bargains to be had in France? It used to be the village market and that’s still where you will find the best local produce. But France’s supermarkets are pretty good too.

House-hunting in France with less than €100,000!

It’s no secret that France has a home to suit every taste and budget. But did you know there are more than 10 French départments (municipalities) where the median price of a home is less than €100,000?

France heads the way when it comes to keeping the environment green

France Property Guides brings you details of the warmly received new law banning plastic cups, plates and cutlery France may lag behind the UK in terms of technical innovation, interest in home renovation, and DIY and building material supplies, but environmentally the country is most certainly ahead of the game.

Merger in the south of France dents Catalan pride

A regional renaming in south-east France has put the Catalan nose out of joint. But you can’t keep a Catalan down for long, they’ll probably turn the event into a party. We live close to the Spanish border in an area sometimes known as Catalonia, which straddles both sides of the border. There are around 450,000 French Catalans, largely based around the city of Perpignan which was a strong fortress in medieval times. The Catalans are a proud people, with their own language; a rough mix of French and Spanish.

The message from France: buy, buy, buy?

Buyer’s market or Brexit bust-up? What is happening in the French property market and is it still a good time to buy? The good news is that the French property market remains a very stable one pricewise and conditions continue to be ripe for British buyers. There have been signs in some areas of small increases in property value, mainly Paris, the Cote d’Azur and the Languedoc Roussillon, but it is important to note that the market is really nothing like the UK one and things happen much more slowly in France, property price changes included!