Celebrating Bastille Day: A British Love Affair with France

It’s a funny old time for European relations and even though current political developments appear to say otherwise, the British have been enjoying a love affair with all things French for quite some time now. Whether it’s the fact we consume their wine by the bucket load or holiday on French shores at the drop of a hat, we can’t get enough of our French neighbours. And it’s not just us Brits who love them – our European friend is now the most visited country in the entire world, with the annual number of tourists clocking in at 83.7 million in 2014 (it’s closet rival being the US at 74.8 million). So seeing as today is Bastille Day, My Favourite Voucher Codes thought we would show the French some love by telling them exactly why we love them so. And let’s face it, they can do with a bit of cheering up after that Euro 2016 final…

The French Food - It's All About the Cheese

There are many people who would turn their noses up at the thought of French food, and for those people, we have two words: French fries. Yes, here in the UK we adore French food in many different forms from baguettes to Tarte Tatin, and once you get stared you realise the list is endless – crème brulee, cassoulet, hollandaise, omelette, French onion soup… And where do we even begin with the cheese? We’re sure there are some people in the UK who holiday in France specifically for the cheese and no other reason, but if you can’t visit France for fromage purposes, offers like Pong Cheese can help you get your mitts on all your favourites. So for all your culinary achievements France, we salute you!

The Wine - Champagne and Bordeaux

How can we talk about French food and NOT talk about French wine? In spite the growth in popularity of Australian and other New World wines in the last few decades, French wine still remains top of the tree in many respects, not least with the enduring popularity of everyone’s favourite posh sparkler, Champagne, and online retailers like Majestic Wine ensure rarer examples of French regional wine can also be enjoyed here in the UK. Other vinous trends may come and go, but the mark of quality that comes with a French bottle of Chablis, Bordeaux or Rhone will always mean that French wine stays loved and very much consumed on this side of the Channel.

Tour de France - Now We Win It

As a nation, we’re not too shabby at this cycling lark, so it certainly makes sense for us to love Tour de France as much as we do. We’ve only gone a won it three times in the last 4 years, after all. And when we say ‘we’, we do of course mean Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins (although we’re sure our nationwide support helped just the tiniest bit). Anyway, back to France. This annual event combines sport with gorgeous scenery, two things that we Brits just can’t get enough of. Oh, and lots of lycra too.

Camping - But in the Sun

There are, of course, many different types of holiday you can take in France, but we thought we’d take a closer look at the one the British seem to enjoy rather a lot. As a child, you either went on French camping holidays regularly or you knew someone who did, and thanks to fancy new facilities and packages you can now find some French camping resorts are even cheaper than UK equivalents.

The Booze Cruise - Just a Quick Trip

Although our financial relationship with the rest of the EU is currently in a state of flux, duty free still applies right now, so what better way to celebrate Bastille Day than with a quick hop across the channel to stock up for the remainder of the summer? Thanks to retailers like The Calais Wine Superstore, UK shoppers can pick out their wines beforehand, making it even more convenient, and if there’s one thing the British love, it’s convenient alcohol. Plus, with the Calais Wine Superstore promotional codes, you can get some great savings on such things. You can even find savings with some of our cruise companies like DFDS Seaways

Whatever happens in the future, France will always be a much-loved neighbour, and not just because they’re the sort of neighbour that brings an expensive bottle to your New Year’s Eve Party. Even though we don’t really need much of an excuse to go visit, we’re in the very lucky position of being able to enjoy so much French produce and culture here on UK shores. So let’s raise a glass of Champagne this Bastille Day as well as consoling our French cousins on their Euro 2016 defeat. Yet more common ground we all share…

By Anna Scott, 14th July 2016