One More Croissant for the Road

 

One More Croissant for the Road by Felicity Cloake (2020 Mudlark paperback 344pp)

 

6 or so weeks ago as I was recovering from Covid, I read and very much enjoyed Felicity Cloake’s latest book “Red Sauce Brown Sauce” now I’ve gone back and read the first book she wrote combining her passions for food and cycling, “One More Croissant for the Road”

After years of only brief holidays on the continent, food-writer Cloake decides to make a concerted effort to see and taste more of France and to do so she decides to tour the country on a bicycle named Eddy.

Starting in Cherbourg she travels anti-clockwise, passing through large cities and tiny towns on her way to the finish-line in Paris two months later. In each center she samples the local dishes from the famous to infamous. There’s a lot of folklore about the origin of some well-known meals and we discover most of this is bogus or disputed. The book somehow manages to both confirm and confound stereotypes about the French – transport timetables can’t be trusted, everyone’s on strike, individuals can be vulgar and rude but at the same time the people can be incredibly kind and supportive of her journey.

Cloake’s journey is far from easy – traffic can be nasty and the inclines take a toll on both her body and her bicycle. She falls over more times than I can remember and generally suffers for her cause. For some sections of the trip, she’s joined by friends and or family who both help and hinder her progress.

Compared to her later book the writing is a little more staid and less irreverent. The humour is still there but perhaps deployed less often. I still enjoyed the chatty, fun tone of the narrative however.

In each chapter there are “Pause-Café” breakout boxes where she gives a history or explanation of a particular aspect of French culture, food or history. Also, in each chapter there are recipes so the braver readers can attempt to recreate some of the meals she has partaken of on her journey. At the end of each leg of the tour she rates the local Croissants out of 10 and recounts both the highs and lows.

I very much enjoyed this book too, perhaps not quite as good as the later volume but still a must read if you enjoy your food and dream of travel.