THE FRENCH have long been renowned for their fine foods - long sticks of freshly-baked bread, creamy cheeses and yoghurts, snails, frog's legs . . .

The French sunshine also provides an excellent excuse for tucking into the fresh grapes, peaches and quality wines.

The links between East Lancashire and France are strengthening, thanks to the many towns in the region which have been "twinned" with a French counterpart.

So what will our Gallic friends be eating this summer? French cookery writer Marie-Pierre Moine was brought up in the Loire Valley and has developed many of her own mouthwatering recipes.

She explained to us a few ways in which the French add that certain "ooh la la" to their summer cuisine.

"France has some beautiful cheeses and most families have a cheese course once a day and certainly at weekends," she said. "And at a proper family meal they always finish off with a glass of red wine.

"Meals usually start with soup and then they wipe the bowl with French bread and a little red wine - this is faire chabrot."

Peronne and Creil, in northern France, are twinned with Blackburn and Pendle and are close to a region well-known for its cheese. "Peronne is a very beautiful historical town," Marie-Pierre added. "It is not in an area where they make wine but the Normandy cheeses such as brie and camembert would be eaten. Boursin, a creamy cheese also produced in Normandy, is very popular in this region. This comes in three varieties - garlic and herb, pepper and onion and chives. I use Boursin leftovers for making pasta sauces. It has a nice crumbly texture and it's very creamy so it melts easily. It is nice in cold soups too.

"I also like to massage Boursin into the skin of a roast chicken."

Clitheroe is twinned with Rivesaltes in southern France.

"This is an area rich in fruit and during the summer people will be eating the local melons, peaches and other soft fruits. They will probably drink sweet muscat dessert wine. "Goat's cheese is typical of this region," said Marie-Pierre. "This is quite strong and hard and is rather an acquired taste."

Aurillac, twinned with Rossendale, lies in an area where goat's and sheep's milk cheese are common. Blue cheeses such as roquefort are also popular, as are the local products - grapes and herbs.

"French people are very protective of their produce and dishes of their region," said Marie Pierre. "We tend to eat the foods produced in our own area as much as we can."

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