Some Favorite Blogs and Podcasts on Toulouse, Travel, and French Food Culture
Is a bad turn in the weather keeping you indoors? Maybe you’re trying to save some cash, or perhaps even nursing a hangover after a little too much claret! We thought we’d share a few favorite recommendations for reading, watching, and online scrolling. Here, we’ve put together a list of favorite blogs on French food and culture, travel, and living abroad, as well as some Toulouse-specific recommendations. We hope you enjoy it!
And while you’re with us, please be sure to explore our selection of Food Tours in Toulouse.
French food & cooking blogs
Cat’s Toulouse Kitchen – catskitchenfrance.com
Cat is a dear friend and former editor of Haute Life Toulouse magazine who moved back to the UK last fall to pursue her dream of going to culinary school. She writes about cooking, and travel.
Chez Loulou – chezlouloufrance.blogspot.com
Jennifer, the author of Chez Loulou, is an American (who became French) and lives in Paris. She is an extremely knowledgeable guide for the food tour company, Paris by Mouth, and a friend of mine. Most of her current blog posts are brief snapshots of life in the French capital, but she has lots of interesting tidbits (especially about CHEESE) in the blog archives.
Chocolate & Zucchini – cnz.to
This French cooking blog, authored by Parisian Clotilde Dusoulier, is not updated as often as I’d like anymore, however, the archives are a treasure trove of easy – and healthy – French recipes and tips on French living. A great resource if you’d like to eat less meat, but still enjoy French cooking, as many of her dishes are vegetarian.
David Lebovitz – www.davidlebovitz.com
If you’re not already a David Lebovitz follower (on his blog and Instagram), go do it NOW! I’ll wait. I’m still one of those old-school people who use a feed reader to keep track of the blogs I read and I get so excited when I see a new post pop up.
David, an American living in Paris for over 20 years, is one of the original food bloggers and was trained as a pastry chef. However, it’s not all sweet and fluffy on his blog, savory lovers will find something to love, too. And even if a particular recipe isn’t something I think I’m going to make (for example, because my husband is vegetarian, we don’t cook a lot of meat at home) I love his wry humor-filled narratives that accompany the recipes.
Dorie Greenspan – doriegreenspan.com
Let’s face it, we could all use a little more of cookbook author Dorie Greenspan’s particular blend of kindness and baking/cooking. She’s known for her desserts and cookies, but you’ll also find delicious French-inspired cooking (she lives part of the year in Paris) and her latest cookbook “Everyday Dorie” shines a light on the simple recipes that she loves to cook on a daily basis.
Eat. Live. Travel. Write – www.eatlivetravelwrite.com
Australian Mardi Michels lives in Toronto but also has a home in Nérac, near Toulouse. Mardi is a French teacher, who also teaches an after-school cooking program. She blogs and teaches baking classes in her spare time – and came out with a cookbook, In the French Kitchen with Kids, that you are sure to love if you’re trying to get your kids interested in cooking. Like the title of the blog indicates, she writes about eating/cooking, travel, and life.
Veronica in Paris – veronicainparis.com
Veronica is another amazingly knowledgeable guide for Paris by Mouth and a good Instagram friend of mine (you should follow her there, too!). She writes about French food with a focus on artisans and producers in Paris.
Wine Dine Caroline – www.winedinecaroline.com
Caroline is a fellow American expat who runs Lyon Wine Tastings and blogs about food, wine, and Lyon. Look out for her wicked sense of humor.
French life & travel blogs
The Earful Tower podcast and blog – theearfultower.com
This lighthearted blog and podcast by Oliver Gee, an Australian in Paris, tries to figure out France, usually with the help of very cool (and very knowledgeable) guests.
Every Day Parisian – www.everydayparisian.com
Chicagoan Rebecca Plotnick is on a mission to help everyone infuse a little bit of French style into their daily lives, no matter where they live. As a professional photographer, Rebecca has spent a lot of time photographing the City of Light and traveling back and forth from Chicago. You can find tips on travel in France (mostly Paris), interspersed with beautiful photographs, plus articles to nourish the Francophile soul, no matter where you live.
French Girl in Seattle Takes France – frenchgirlinseattle.com
After 23 years in the US, “French Girl in Seattle” Vero moved back to France in 2019 and you can read all about it on her blog. Read about destinations in France, travel tips, culture, and everyday life.
Janice MacLeod – janicemacleod.com
I’ve been a huge fan of Janice ever since I read her book, Paris Letters. On her blog, you can follow along with her current writing projects and artistic creations – especially her hallmark Paris Letters that she sells on Etsy.
The Local France – www.thelocal.fr
One of my primary sources for national French news in English.
Lost in Cheeseland – www.lostincheeseland.com and The New Paris Podcast
Started in 2009, Lost in Cheeseland is the blog for Paris-based journalist and author Lindsey Tramuta. She also has a podcast, named after her first book The New Paris, where she interviews local experts to take a “closer look at the people, places and ideas that are changing the fabric of the storied French capital.”
Oui in France – www.ouiinfrance.com
Diane is an American living in France with her French husband. Her blog covers many aspects of living abroad – from language learning to French culture, travel, and more.
Prêt à Voyager – www.pret-a-voyager.com
Anne Ditmeyer is another gem for Francophiles – and anyone who loves design or travel. Also, if you are an entrepreneur (or simply looking to have a more thoughtful work life), check out her business blog. And we love her motto, “Travel is not where you go, but how you see the world.”
SW France blogs
French Crossroads – frenchcrossroads.com
A blog about travel and discovery in France, written by American journalist and Toulouse resident Chris O’Brien.
Lost in Bordeaux – www.lostinbordeaux.com
Explores things to do, places to go, and life in and around the Bordeaux region.
Taste of France – francetaste.wordpress.com
A slice of life in the city of Carcassonne in southwest France.
Trouvé en France – trouveenfrance.blogspot.com
An exploration of life in Toulouse by my dear friend Una, who moved here 3 years ago with her French husband and son. I love Una’s writing style and her thoughtful (and sometimes art-filled) posts. One of my favorites is about pruneaux d’Agen, which she sometimes is kind enough to share with me when we meet for coffee.
Other favorite blogs/podcasts
Enterprising Expat podcast – theenterprisingexpat.podbean.com
A podcast that explores how women expats navigate new and unfamiliar territories – often starting businesses! I talk with Patricia about the experience of moving to France and changing careers in this episode.
Keep it Quirky podcast with Katie Quinn – keepitquirkypodcast.com
Instagram and YouTube star Katie Q hosts a podcast that is all about the intersection of creativity and entrepreneurship, food and travel and I always look forward to a new episode dropping. If you missed it when it came out, I talked with Katie about how I started Taste of Toulouse on Episode 51.
Maroc Mama – marocmama.com
Fellow mid-westerner Amanda’s story about how she moved to Marrakech and started Marrakech Food Tours is pretty incredible. Her site deals with travel and life in Morocco, recipes, and where to eat, but you’ll really want to sign up for her email updates for glimpses into her life in Marrakech and insider stories she doesn’t post to the blog.
The Travel Curve – www.thetravelcurve.com
Tegan is a dear friend, fellow entrepreneur, and former resident of Toulouse who now lives in Ariège with her French husband. Tegan’s blog and Instagram account focus on travel fashion for plus-size women, travel destinations, and life in southwest France.
Tourpreneur podcast – tourpreneur.com
Go behind the scenes of tour operators all over the world on this podcast which is a frequent source of encouragement and inspiration for me. If you’ve ever thought of going into the tourism industry, this is a must-listen.
