6th January : The Galette Des Rois, A Very French Tradition

The galette des rois is a cake traditionally shared at Epiphany, on 6 January. It celebrates the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem.
Composed of a puff pastry cake, with a small charm, the fève, hidden inside, it is usually filled with frangipane, a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs and sugar. But more gourmet versions are available for us to enjoy, with chocolate, apple or

Everything That Changes In France From January 2017

January is often a time for change and in France it's no different with several new laws and price hikes coming into existence that will affect life in France.

Here's a rundown of main ones you need to know about:

How To Claim 'Social Charges' Back In France

The French government got condemned in February 2015 by the European Court of Justice for taking social charges from people who are benefiting from another health system than the French one. Therefore the French government has agreed to reimburse those people and I am pleased to say that all the people that BH-Assurances/Allianz has helped to claim got some money back!

Anyone For Pétanque?

Pétanque is a form of boules where the goal is to toss or roll hollow steel balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (literally "piglet") or jack, while standing inside a circle with both feet on the ground. The game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel and can be found in most villages no matter how small. It can be played in public areas in parks, or in dedicated facilities called boulodromes.

Moving Office

Well what a couple of busy weeks. We have now moved into our new premises just in front of the Mairie in a very central location in what was previously the ‘Pole Emploi’ centre. We had felt that the old office was a little too far from the main square for an Estate Agency in Ruffec. Not only that, but our office was a little too small at times for welcoming all our house hunting clients and being a team of 5 who were often there at the same time.