Invited to venture beyond the portals of 18 very different houses from every corner of France, Christopher Petkanas describes his hosts - countess and dairy farmer, gardener and cookery writer, wine grower and decorator - their homes - from a Provencal farmhouse to a Parisian apartment - and their food - from foie gras to saucisson. Accompanied by anecdotes and illustrations, the book celebrates the French traditions of cookery and entertaining. Each chapter concludes with a set of recipes from the menu described and pictured in the text.