Foodies, self-catering in France: what staples do you live on?

[franch]

I'm just dreaming, really, of our 2 weeks in the Languedoc in Aug - just talk to me about what you buy and eat when you're in France... I used to go a lot as a child but this is my first time self-catering as an adult and I fully intend to shop from markets etc and do as the locals do.

What do you have for your breakfasts and lunches? I'm taking a copy of this book which has some great local recipes in it, plus Elizabeth David of course, but intend to do more assembling of lovely local bits and bobs than full-on cooking.

bread bread bread (send the children to get it if they're old enough 'Duh baggets seevooplay')

(breakfast is the above, with jam/Nutella and bowls of milky coffee. If your children like cereal there's always that too in supermarkets, though be careful of what milk you buy - the norm is UHT which children might not like if they're used to pasteurised. You can usually find pasteurised, but you'll probably need a big supermarket & to track it down. Nesquik if you can't resist the pestering)

Fruit - marvellous misshapen aromatic peaches. Ask what's best that day

Tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, aubergines, lettuces - again everything that is local. Expect to cook from scratch (or find a Picard surgélé for occasional laziness)

Lunches are omelettes and salad, quiches and salad, bread and cheese and salad.

Cheeses
Wines

What we've tended to do is:

Breakfast -go to the nearest bakery and buy fresh croissants and bread (or if ILs are with us they've gone to the bakery with the DC and let them choose all sorts of highly sugared cake-type things )

Lunch -a selection of things from the local markets and shops (bread, cheeses, meats, salady stuff, olives, fruit etc). When we were on Ile de Re we were lucky enough to have a market on our doorstep that had lots of local farmers and local producers of some lovely foods.

Dinner -tended to eat out

bread, cheese, salami, pasta, pesto, loads of salad, fish, eggs, chicken don't forget to take your own teatowels and washing up pads/cloths! and have a great time, look out for the spray balsalmic vineger, its great!

Bread, Fruit, Fresh fish. Just anything we see that the local markets that look good to be honest!

Brioche for breakfast

When it's hot dinner is often a salad - pasta, rice, nicoise, caesar, or one of my own devising. My favourite is green salad with warm lardons, avocado, feta, tomato and cucumber

Lots of fresh summer fruit - apricots, white nectarines and peaches etc

Beware though, markets in touristy places can be VERY expensive in high season

I also meant to add that if you go to the same bakery every day, as we did, they recognise you and delight in giving the children tit bits to try.

The DC used to look forward to the bakery trip evey morning!

Thanks all - am enjoying the anticipation