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One More Croissant for the Road
The nation’s ‘taster in chief’ cycles 2,300 km across France in search of the definitive versions of classic French dishes.
A green bike drunkenly weaves its way up a cratered hill in the late-morning sun, the gears grinding painfully, like a pepper mill running on empty. The rider crouched on top in a rictus of pain has slowed to a gravity-defying crawl when, from somewhere nearby, the whine of a nasal engine breaks through her ragged breathing.
A battered van appears behind her, the customary cigarette dangling from its driver’s-side window… as he passes, she casually reaches down for some water, smiling broadly in the manner of someone having almost too much fun. ‘No sweat,’ she says jauntily to his retreating exhaust pipe. ‘Pas de problème, monsieur.’
A land of glorious landscapes, and even more glorious food, France is a place built for cycling and for eating, too – a country large enough to give any journey an epic quality, but with a bakery on every corner. Here, you can go from beach to mountain, Atlantic to Mediterranean, polder to Pyrenees, and taste the difference every time you stop for lunch. If you make it to lunch, that is…
Part travelogue, part food memoir, all love letter to France, One More Croissant for the Road follows ‘the nation’s taster in chief’ Felicity Cloake’s very own Tour de France, cycling 2,300km across France in search of culinary perfection; from Tarte Tatin to Cassoulet via Poule au Pot, and Tartiflette. Each of the 21 ‘stages’ concludes with Felicity putting this new found knowledge to good use in a fresh and definitive recipe for each dish – the culmination of her rigorous and thorough investigative work on behalf of all of our taste buds.
A green bike drunkenly weaves its way up a cratered hill in the late-morning sun, the gears grinding painfully, like a pepper mill running on empty. The rider crouched on top in a rictus of pain has slowed to a gravity-defying crawl when, from somewhere nearby, the whine of a nasal engine breaks through her ragged breathing.
A battered van appears behind her, the customary cigarette dangling from its driver’s-side window… as he passes, she casually reaches down for some water, smiling broadly in the manner of someone having almost too much fun. ‘No sweat,’ she says jauntily to his retreating exhaust pipe. ‘Pas de problème, monsieur.’
A land of glorious landscapes, and even more glorious food, France is a place built for cycling and for eating, too – a country large enough to give any journey an epic quality, but with a bakery on every corner. Here, you can go from beach to mountain, Atlantic to Mediterranean, polder to Pyrenees, and taste the difference every time you stop for lunch. If you make it to lunch, that is…
Part travelogue, part food memoir, all love letter to France, One More Croissant for the Road follows ‘the nation’s taster in chief’ Felicity Cloake’s very own Tour de France, cycling 2,300km across France in search of culinary perfection; from Tarte Tatin to Cassoulet via Poule au Pot, and Tartiflette. Each of the 21 ‘stages’ concludes with Felicity putting this new found knowledge to good use in a fresh and definitive recipe for each dish – the culmination of her rigorous and thorough investigative work on behalf of all of our taste buds.
344 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2019
384 people are currently reading
3562 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
August 4, 2019
I LOVE travel books and food books so had high hopes for this food/travel combo.
Sadly the author fails to hit the mark when it comes to any level of quality travel writing, or food writing. Neither area is well handled.
The poor quality and brief descriptions of French towns don’t spark the imagination, and are missing great chunks that you would expect in a travel book. It doesn’t make me want to travel to France - and I already love France!
The parts of each chapter touching on food are so poorly explained, and don’t involve the reader at all. Very dry descriptions.
The last gripe I have with this book is the length of the sentences! Often whole paragraphs are just one long, overblown, rambling sentence. So poorly constructed, that by the time you’ve finished the paragraph, you’ve forgotten how and why it started. I mean really poorly handled.
Such a shame because the title is clever, and the idea for the book is good, and there are a few brief funny parts.
I’m a keen reader but I’m struggling to finish this one. The lack of quality is frustrating.
Sadly the author fails to hit the mark when it comes to any level of quality travel writing, or food writing. Neither area is well handled.
The poor quality and brief descriptions of French towns don’t spark the imagination, and are missing great chunks that you would expect in a travel book. It doesn’t make me want to travel to France - and I already love France!
The parts of each chapter touching on food are so poorly explained, and don’t involve the reader at all. Very dry descriptions.
The last gripe I have with this book is the length of the sentences! Often whole paragraphs are just one long, overblown, rambling sentence. So poorly constructed, that by the time you’ve finished the paragraph, you’ve forgotten how and why it started. I mean really poorly handled.
Such a shame because the title is clever, and the idea for the book is good, and there are a few brief funny parts.
I’m a keen reader but I’m struggling to finish this one. The lack of quality is frustrating.
June 14, 2019
Visit the locations in the novel
You had me at the title! A woman travels around France in search of the perfect croissant (and other food of course). There’s recipes, talks about food, good tips of places to visit, things to see, tips for cyclists and just a general love of travel and France across each and every page.
I read this on a kindle and there wasn’t any photos or map in the book so I hope there is when it’s printed as they are desperately needed for a book such as this. It’s visual and the writing draws you along on that bike alongside her, but without the aches and pains she must have had on such a long journey. The countryside they travel through, the places the visit! Oh, I could wax lyrical about this for years. The author comes across as your friend, your ideal travel companion and breathes fresh air into the usual travelogue and guides. In fact this book is many things – a diary, an autobiography, a cook book and travel guide all in one.
This book will make you eat!
Be aware that you will be heading out to your local bakery as soon as you start reading. I do love a croissant and haven’t had one for a while but this book had me going all the way to Marks and Spencer (not quite the same I know but still). Oh to be in la France! I was very happy to see her name her favourite croissant and where to buy it. I shall be going there on my next visit for sure. And as for the other food….I’ve eaten many of the dishes mentioned and even tried a few others so it was fascinating to be taken back to those days and remember happy times
I always admire people who do things like this. This is one long journey and I can only imagine how tough it was at times and the perseverance needed to see it through. This is like a travel food guide and Tour de France all in one and it made for a fun and tasty read.
November 21, 2023
Just the one!?!
Half a dozen at least...
Half a dozen at least...
October 13, 2020
A pleasant enough read over a busy week when it was nice to have something undemanding on the go. Cloake is a food writer for The Guardian who embarks on a cycling and eating trip across France. Her writing style would make for fun letters home (if people still wrote those), but was rather repetitive for a 300+ page book - looong digressive sentences, jolly-hockey-sticks enthusiasm, hills that are very hilly and hard to cycle, rain that is very wet and falls from the sky, restaurants that are closed (boo!) or open (yum! or not!), potato chips and nuts to be had from Relay shops at the train station, friends who show up and cycle and munch and drink with her for a bit then go home, campsites that are damp or loud or what have you. I think I would have preferred more France and the French, and less Brits-abroad. I did like Cloake and think it would be great fun to be friends with her, so this nudges it up to a 3.
September 17, 2019
Quite entertaining, although it did get a bit repetitive (struggle up some hills, nearly arrive late for a restaurant reservation, eat food, describe another endless croissant, meet friends, drink too much, shove in a recipe to take up a bit of space). She basically ran out of new things to say after about the first few days of the trip. She's clearly not a travel writer, and does the typical British thing of pretending to be an idiot (for example, claiming she doesn't know which brake lever is which and what the difference is it just utterly ridiculous). Anthropomorphising her bike doesn't really work either. There were some good lines but the book itself just doesn't work.
April 28, 2022
Felicity Cloake takes to the road on a bicycle, traveling around France in search of the best food she can find, especially the best croissants. Her journey takes us all across the country where she samples Tart Tatin, Omelette Soufflée, Crêpes Complètes, Provençal Fish Soup, Croque Monsieur, Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée, Quiche Lorraine...truly, she samples every French dish you have ever wanted to try, and she chooses the best spot in the country to try each.
I loved reading this book as I traveled around the French countryside.
I loved reading this book as I traveled around the French countryside.
January 11, 2020
The only problem with this book is my now constant craving for croissants!
August 2, 2020
I feel like me and Felicity Cloake could be great friends - ridiculous cycling /camping stories and a tendency towards being very greedy, especially when it comes to cheese and pastries.
September 30, 2023
Having enjoyed Brown Sauce Red Sauce, Felicity Cloake’s account of bicycling around Britain sampling different breakfasts, I decided to read her previous book. This time she’s cycling around France while sampling examples of classic French cuisine and, of course, as the title suggests, searching for the perfect croissant. I chose a good moment to read it as I am at present in France myself (although not doing any cycling).
The mix is the same as in Brown Sauce Red Sauce - travelogue descriptions of the different regions of France, plenty of comic moments relating to her cycling struggles, lots of enticing foodie descriptions and some actual recipes. I particularly enjoyed her capturing of examples of typical Frenchness, especially the total unreliability of advertised opening hours for restaurants and cafes.
The mix is the same as in Brown Sauce Red Sauce - travelogue descriptions of the different regions of France, plenty of comic moments relating to her cycling struggles, lots of enticing foodie descriptions and some actual recipes. I particularly enjoyed her capturing of examples of typical Frenchness, especially the total unreliability of advertised opening hours for restaurants and cafes.
August 6, 2022
Often delightful, occasionally repetitive (as anybody’s travels start to sound, especially a month of them), and I felt a bit sick at the descriptions of so much meat. Still, what a fun window into a journey like this, with some fascinating history and a couple of laugh out loud moments. I felt exhausted and exhilarated in equal measure right along with her.
A recipe per chapter was a nice touch but I doubt I’d attempt any of them, aside from the frisèe salad, maybe.
I don’t know a lot of British slang or references that I feel cost me some understanding here and there but I was also too lazy to look up much. I’m happy to own it and skim it again (and use it as a guide next time!)
A recipe per chapter was a nice touch but I doubt I’d attempt any of them, aside from the frisèe salad, maybe.
I don’t know a lot of British slang or references that I feel cost me some understanding here and there but I was also too lazy to look up much. I’m happy to own it and skim it again (and use it as a guide next time!)
July 4, 2019
Loved, just loved this book.
I haven't been on a bike for more years than I care to remember, and wouldn't choose to career around France, or anywhere else, on one, but the combination of travel, humour, discomfort and a culinary adventure is irresistible. I've bookmarked every recipe, even the marathon croissant one, which I might attempt one day. I read Felicity Cloake's newspaper columns, and have all her books, but this adds another dimension to the art of eating.
I haven't been on a bike for more years than I care to remember, and wouldn't choose to career around France, or anywhere else, on one, but the combination of travel, humour, discomfort and a culinary adventure is irresistible. I've bookmarked every recipe, even the marathon croissant one, which I might attempt one day. I read Felicity Cloake's newspaper columns, and have all her books, but this adds another dimension to the art of eating.
February 10, 2021
This was a thoughtful lockdown gift from some five-star friends. A cheerful, light-hearted, food and wine-filled trip around France. Usually I’d have found this book a bit repetitive, but some comforting escapism is exactly what’s needed right now!
April 16, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I applaud the author's bravery at taking on this epic trip, both from a cycling point of view and a culinary one. I'll be rating my croissants according to Felicity's scale and while quite a few of the recipes interested me, not even the highest rating can persuade me to try offal, in any of its forms! The story of the journey round France was interesting and insightful, as well as amusing.
December 20, 2023
For once, I agree with the blurb on the front cover: "Joyful, life-affirming, greedy. I loved it."
I think it's super telling that I read this while we were having an unhinged spot of winter weather, complete with storms and snow gusts and yet the entire time I really did feel like I was basking in the French sun. In Cloake's honor, this morning I treated myself to a mushroom-onion-and-Swiss croissant from Otter Creek Bakery, and it was a great reminder that I really liked this book, and that pastry is worth going out of your way for.
(Minus one star for the unreal amount of alcohol Cloake and her friends consume on the trip. I don't drink, so maybe my tolerance for reading about other people's hangovers isn't something to write home about.)
I think it's super telling that I read this while we were having an unhinged spot of winter weather, complete with storms and snow gusts and yet the entire time I really did feel like I was basking in the French sun. In Cloake's honor, this morning I treated myself to a mushroom-onion-and-Swiss croissant from Otter Creek Bakery, and it was a great reminder that I really liked this book, and that pastry is worth going out of your way for.
(Minus one star for the unreal amount of alcohol Cloake and her friends consume on the trip. I don't drink, so maybe my tolerance for reading about other people's hangovers isn't something to write home about.)
June 23, 2019
Fun and lively for food and travel lovers. This made me really wish to visit France (like I already needed a reason) and just go food hopping. Loved the artwork in between the pages. It just geled so well with the whole idea of the book.
December 30, 2019
Pretty sure any book with a croissant rating scale is an automatic 5 from me.
Glibness aside, I loved this for its reminder of how many things the French value above commerce and profit. All the inexplicably shuttered restaurants, all the one-season-only dishes, all the argumentative waiters. Hotels with no reception staff, restaurants stuck in 1930, and strong populist opinions about cheese and champagne. Really fun read.
Glibness aside, I loved this for its reminder of how many things the French value above commerce and profit. All the inexplicably shuttered restaurants, all the one-season-only dishes, all the argumentative waiters. Hotels with no reception staff, restaurants stuck in 1930, and strong populist opinions about cheese and champagne. Really fun read.
Read
July 21, 2019I found myself laughing at many spots in the book, at Felicity's exploits, experiences and her joie de vie! Bring a lover of France and many of its produce I found myself wanting to return as soon as possible. Thank you Netgalley, Felicity Cloake and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this delightful book.
October 27, 2023
I have never been to France, and I don't consider myself a foodie, but this travel and food memoir was such a cozy delight. Following Cloake's journey across France on a bike made me so very happy I was NOT riding across France on a bike, but her descriptions of the food and culture and landscape were so delightful! Also, her croissant rating scale is TOUGH ..... and made me cringe at what her rating would be of my weekly Starbucks pastries.
Source: purchased Kindle edition
Source: purchased Kindle edition
February 14, 2022
A fabulous read, it made me feel hungry most of the way through. Love the recipes at the end of each stage, there’s a few I’ll be trying.
Fascinating snippets about the French way of life - I’ll be looking at croissants in a new light from now on.
Fascinating snippets about the French way of life - I’ll be looking at croissants in a new light from now on.
October 24, 2021
I admire her adventurous spirit in search of the best of French food whilst doing her own Tour de France. There are some beautiful passages about the regional food and wine of France which were both evocative and educational. At times though the trip element felt a bit “samey” and I think I was hoping for more about cycling in France. Fair play though, a proper adventure, well written and decidedly foody. I would read other work from Felicity Cloake.
November 20, 2023
Honestly this is the perfect blend of food writing and travel writing for me – my only regret is that I'm going to France in just under a fortnight but only long enough for one or two meals!
April 22, 2024
Cobbled together smug , cooking travelogue by bike with much of it rather like reading someone’s travel blog (yawn) or being force fed someone’s holiday photos. The croissant premise is flimsy to say the least.
But, some interesting passages about foods, naturally, and enough information about French regions, etc to justify a 3*.
But, some interesting passages about foods, naturally, and enough information about French regions, etc to justify a 3*.
May 24, 2023
Lent to me by my manager before the family bike tour around West France. Some excellent food recommendations and trip inspiration. Has made me very keen to get back on the bike!
December 29, 2022
Cycling, French food, & British humor— this book was so much fun! The sections about beautiful scenery and adventure inspired me, and the sections with setbacks, bad weather, or crazy ascents made me feel overwhelmed right alongside her. Great writing.
I only wish I was familiar with a lot of the dishes she describes (I’ve never been to France), but I suppose I‘ve learned some new recipes and foods to try in the future! Of course, now I need to go find a croissant somewhere.
I only wish I was familiar with a lot of the dishes she describes (I’ve never been to France), but I suppose I‘ve learned some new recipes and foods to try in the future! Of course, now I need to go find a croissant somewhere.
March 29, 2020
Felicity is a food writer hooked on cycle touring, so decides to bring together her two passions and plot herself a 21 stage Tour of France (just like the great Tour de France cycle race), but bases her stages on the home towns of some of her favourite French foods. This ticked all the boxes for me; memoir, cycling, cycle touring, France, food and croissants, I honestly can’t think of anything else I need in a book and I couldn’t wait to get reading.
Sometimes camping and travelling alone, sometimes accompanied by friends or family and with the luxury of a real bed to sleep in, this book is a review of meals and the cycle rides or train journeys that join them together. We follow her route from the oysters, moules, omelettes and crepes of Normandy and Brittany, south to the beef of Limoges and hot chocolate of Bayonne before she heads east to indulge in Cassoulet and Provençal fish soup, among other delights. From feasts in Lyon as she heads north to the home of mountain cheeses and choucroute in Alsace, her journey comes to a close as she cycles through Champagne country and makes her way to Paris for a well-researched croissant fest. There is no doubt this book will make you hungry as you read it and even I was surprised at how much I didn't know about the food of France.
A boulangerie croissant has been my weekly treat on a Sunday morning for many years and I too enjoy indulging daily while on a bike tour, but once again Felicity takes it further, scoring her croissants out of ten – why have I never considered this? I also really enjoyed the Pause Café sections, quick bites of useful France-related information conveniently slotted within the chapters and for those of us who enjoy cooking, Felicity includes her recipes for us to try too.
There is rain (lots of rain), steep climbs and erratic opening hours that would challenge even the most ardent Francophile and while her mood is constantly changing and she sheds the odd tear in frustration and disappointment, she robustly takes it all in her stride and never loses her love for France or a good meal. There was more than one occasion that I took my hat off to her with the variety (and quantity) of food she managed to put away, especially the offal-based delights French-born people naturally love, but don’t often get a warm reception from the overseas palate. Even her friends seemed to be able to order and enjoy the obscure.
Every now and then I come across a book that describes one of my dream ideas and this is one of those books. If I’m honest, I was initially a little upset that Felicity has beaten me to it, although I have to admit she probably made a better job of it than I would have done.
Sometimes camping and travelling alone, sometimes accompanied by friends or family and with the luxury of a real bed to sleep in, this book is a review of meals and the cycle rides or train journeys that join them together. We follow her route from the oysters, moules, omelettes and crepes of Normandy and Brittany, south to the beef of Limoges and hot chocolate of Bayonne before she heads east to indulge in Cassoulet and Provençal fish soup, among other delights. From feasts in Lyon as she heads north to the home of mountain cheeses and choucroute in Alsace, her journey comes to a close as she cycles through Champagne country and makes her way to Paris for a well-researched croissant fest. There is no doubt this book will make you hungry as you read it and even I was surprised at how much I didn't know about the food of France.
A boulangerie croissant has been my weekly treat on a Sunday morning for many years and I too enjoy indulging daily while on a bike tour, but once again Felicity takes it further, scoring her croissants out of ten – why have I never considered this? I also really enjoyed the Pause Café sections, quick bites of useful France-related information conveniently slotted within the chapters and for those of us who enjoy cooking, Felicity includes her recipes for us to try too.
There is rain (lots of rain), steep climbs and erratic opening hours that would challenge even the most ardent Francophile and while her mood is constantly changing and she sheds the odd tear in frustration and disappointment, she robustly takes it all in her stride and never loses her love for France or a good meal. There was more than one occasion that I took my hat off to her with the variety (and quantity) of food she managed to put away, especially the offal-based delights French-born people naturally love, but don’t often get a warm reception from the overseas palate. Even her friends seemed to be able to order and enjoy the obscure.
Every now and then I come across a book that describes one of my dream ideas and this is one of those books. If I’m honest, I was initially a little upset that Felicity has beaten me to it, although I have to admit she probably made a better job of it than I would have done.
August 4, 2019
This is a bicycle travel narrative from an English food writer - the notion is to travel around France on her own circular Tour de France, celebrating the specialties of different regions. She travels by bicycle but covers some longer distances by train. Sometimes she travels alone but is also joined occasionally by different friends.
Travel narratives can engage a reader in different ways. Here Cloake goes light on general history (thankfully) and the amount of discussion of regional differences in cooking seem just right. As is often the case with bicycle travel books, the discussion of details of the cycling is not extensive, but there is enough for someone who is probably disproportionately interested in those aspects.
One certainly sees how important it is to have a relaxed attitude towards plans with travel like this - even with the Internet, things often seem not to have happened as planned for any number of reasons.
Travel narratives can engage a reader in different ways. Here Cloake goes light on general history (thankfully) and the amount of discussion of regional differences in cooking seem just right. As is often the case with bicycle travel books, the discussion of details of the cycling is not extensive, but there is enough for someone who is probably disproportionately interested in those aspects.
One certainly sees how important it is to have a relaxed attitude towards plans with travel like this - even with the Internet, things often seem not to have happened as planned for any number of reasons.
August 18, 2022
Five star writing about food by the brilliant Felicity, but one star writing about her “friends” whose role in life and during her cycling travels seem to be to create an inferiority complex in the writer. This is actually my favourite writing about food currently with local French recipes included which are tracked down to their origin tasted and tested. Having lived in France (Marseille where she is ill-advised by friends) and tried to track down meals and recipes myself I am in awe of the amazing job Felicity Cloake does in selecting fascinating dishes, tracking them down and eating them on our behalf. Superb writing too with loads of fascinating local details. Brilliant. Buy it, read it, make the cassoulet...
July 5, 2022
Colleagues have been raving about this book and rightly so. After reading a lot of heavy fiction, I wanted some light non-fiction and this hit the spot. I liked her writing style, it was funny yet informative. It felt like you were being told an epic story by a friend. I’m not a big foody and I’m certainly not about to embark on a massive cycling trip, but this book has made me want to travel. I liked the recipes at the end of each section and have tabbed the ones I want to make. Very interested in reading her newest book. This has restored my faith in travel writing after reading a very different travel book last year. It’s a genre I may consider reading more from now.
May 17, 2020
So much love! Full review: http://bookerthanyou.blogspot.com/202...
Felicity tries the crème de la crème of French dishes, truly, from cassoulet to clafoutis to tarte Tatin and the world's biggest oyster. Not to mention cheeses, wines, baguettes and croissants, obviously. Her book is deliciously funny and entertaining, honest down to the last tear shed... I adored reading all the small details of her trip and of course, I am desperately craving a croissant right now.
Felicity tries the crème de la crème of French dishes, truly, from cassoulet to clafoutis to tarte Tatin and the world's biggest oyster. Not to mention cheeses, wines, baguettes and croissants, obviously. Her book is deliciously funny and entertaining, honest down to the last tear shed... I adored reading all the small details of her trip and of course, I am desperately craving a croissant right now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews