Fête Nationale

The 14th July is Bastille Day - France's Fête Nationale, a national holiday with parades and celebrations.

Bastille Day is a holiday celebrating the storming of the Bastille - a military fortress and prison. It happened on July 14, 1789, in a violent uprising that helped usher in the French Revolution. Besides holding gunpowder and other supplies valuable to revolutionaries, the Bastille also symbolized the callous tyranny of the French monarchy, especially King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette.

The France’s tricolor flag is flown high, the French motto Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité cheered and La Marseillaise sung with passion — all popular symbols of France that had their origins in the heady days of the French Revolution.

Traditionally since 1880, in one of the world’s oldest annual military parades, French troops march along the Champs-Elysées in Paris before French government officials and world leaders.

However this year there was no parade, instead 2,000 soldiers gathered at the Place de la Concorde where France held a tribute to those working hard against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Hubby and I always celebrate, I love France; it's a chance for us to enjoy some of our favourite food and wine. It was especially nice just now to do something special. My arm is not fully mended but together we managed to put together a super 'journée française'.

Cellier des Dauphins is our favourite French wine and we were delighted when they sent two bottles of Cotes du Rhone wine to help us celebrate Bastille Day, thank you Cellier des Dauphins.

Our day began with croissants and coffee imagining we were on the banks of the Canal du Midi, when in fact it was the Oxford Canal. Safely cocooned in our picnic chairs between our car and the water it was lovely to sit and watch the boats go by. 

Back home we had thought of a light pique-nique in the garden with a glass of our wine but the weather was not joining in our French day. 

However we did enjoy a superb evening dinner, a selection of our favourite food. We made tapenade which was delicious on French bread. Our lentil, apple and walnut salad was great with the brie cheese, although I liked the roquefort more. We've really missed our usual trips to France but our sharing mussel pot brought back lovely memories. 

Tarte tatin is one of my favourite desserts, Hubby did a super job peeling the apples whilst I did the caramel. I'd like to say we made our own puff pastry but life's too short and ready made tastes great. 

There is nothing more satisfying than turning the pan and voila the tarte tatin comes out looking golden brown. It was delicious .... and there's some left for today.

So even though this year's celebrations were different due to my radiotherapy appointment, my broken arm and restrictions keeping us all safe, Hubby and I had a lovely Bastille Day.

Bonne fête mes amis 🇫🇷