France-Food trip to the Opal Coast

At the end of June, we went to St Omer in Northern France to spend 4 days immersing ourselves in the French culture and language. Our accommodation was at Château d’Ebblinghem, a converted 19^th century country house which now hosts school groups, located just 45 minutes from the port of Calais.

Day 1: After 9 hours of travel by coach, it was great to see the white cliffs of Dover as we said goodbye to England and ‘bonjour’ (hello) to France.

We headed straight over the border into Belgium to take part in a workshop at P&J Chocolate Factory, Adinkerke.  We learnt how chocolate came into Europe from South America a few centuries ago and how no cocoa beans are used in the production of white chocolate. We watched an illustration of how chocolate is made and then made our own chocolate bar. Miam! (yum!)

On arrival at the château, our culinary skills were used straightaway to create some delicious ‘crêpes’. We learnt the French for all the ingredients: ‘farine’ (flour); ‘de l’eau’ (water); ‘oeuf’ (egg); ‘sucre’ (sugar); ‘beurre’ (butter).

Day 2: The morning was spent at La Halte d’Autrefois goat farm. We had a tour of the working farm, but a real highlight was holding the goats and milking them.

We returned to the coach to head north to a bakery. There, we learnt the importance of high quality, fresh bread. The French prefer going to the bakery each morning to buy their bread fresh. In 2019, the art of baguette making in France became part of UNESCO’s intangible heritage.  The French baker, Bruno, questioned us in French about where we’re from and our age. He was a bit ‘effrayant’ (scary)! Well done to all pupils for correctly answering his questions.  We were then treated to some tasty croissants.

After a fun-filled food day, we returned to the chateau for ‘passport around the world’ (a scavenger hunt based team game in French and English). a ‘repas délicieux’ (delicious meal) of ‘poulet et légumes’ (chicken and vegetables).

Our consumption of food was still not over. In the evening, we had ‘un feu de camp avec des guimauves’ (a camp fire with marshmallows).

Day 3:

We were set a challenge to source a variety of items from the local supermarket. Euros in hand, we had a great time navigating the French aisles and marvelling at the variety of cheeses! We tried out our French when we asked the assistants for help and made new friends as we worked in teams.

The afternoon was spent in the town of Le Touquet. Le Touquet is a stylish French resort famed for its wide beach, Art Deco architecture, and pine forests. President Macron owns a villa there. The town inspired Ian Fleming to write the Bond novels and blends luxury, history, and seaside charm in a unique setting. We explored Le Touquet by following a town trail. We did a great job at speaking French when we bought souvenirs and ‘glaces’ (ice creams) in the local shops.

The château staff surprised us at dinner time with some ‘escargots’ (snails). Special mention goes to Melody Briggs who tried them for the first time, loved them and encouraged others to try them.

For our final activity, we enjoyed a silent disco with our ‘chansons préférées’ (favourite songs). Special mention goes to Serena Armstrong for her amazing rendition of Wicked.

The pupils were a credit to Sacred Heart. They embraced the cultural, linguistic and culinary challenges and had an enriching time. 

Mrs Willis & Mrs Denton