The French government has issued advice on what to eat during the heatwave so if you’re heading to market, fill your panier with these health-boosting goodies.
For entrées or light lunches, serve raw vegetables: cucumbers, salad leaves and tomatoes are all bursting with water and will help rehydrate you. Why not make a salad of various different types of tomato, such as marmande, beef and cherry? You won’t struggle for choice – in France in 2020, some 660,000 tonnes of tomatoes were grown.
During a heat wave, it is better to eat light meals of lean meats or fish, which are easier to digest. Small, regular meals can be easier than the system than one large feast! Cold soups made from cucumbers and courgettes can make a refreshing change. Peak season for courgettes in France is from June to September, with some 130,000 tonnes produced in 2020, mainly in Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
And to satisfy your sweet tooth, there is no shortage of waterlogged seasonal fruits. Watermelon, Charentais melon, and in particular the melon du Haut-Poitou IGP and melon du Haut Quercy IGP, are all delicious served chilled from the fridge. Strawberries and peaches are also at their best right now so can the market stalls for the juiciest specimens you can find. And if you’re not feeling particularly hungry, whizz them up into a nutritious, hydrating smoothie.
A great tip for added freshness and pep-me-up goodness is to add a few mint leaves to salads – whether savoury or fruity – and smoothies. And remember, limit your alcohol consumption until those temperatures start to climb back down the scale.
