"I'll be recommending it to my neighbours" Just a quick thank you after reading your book 'Lauragais'. A concise, light-touch read that belies so many years of research and travel - I devoured it in a couple of afternoons during this week's heatwave. It was fascinating to travel in time through the many conflicts, personalities and events that have shaped the region. Pierre Thomas, 2 July 2025 This is a book with big characters – Simon de Montfort, the Black Prince, Thomas Jefferson and the Duke of Wellington among others – but most of all it tells the story of the people who have shaped this land, the living and the dead, families that have lived in the same house or village for hundreds of years. This is the story of their lives, their religion, their forgotten language and their environment.
[Mr Taylor’s] explorations will intrigue anyone with an interest in both French and British history as well as providing holiday inspiration.
- France Magazine, January 2019 |
"On numerous occasions, I have laughed out loud" I would just like to say thank you for 'Menu from the Midi'. I enjoyed it hugely and it has filled me with the desire to know my region more. Your writing is so engaging and honest that on numerous occasions I have laughed out loud or read passages to my wife, whether she like it or not! She bought me the book in the first place so she has nobody to blame but herself. I have a love of food, place and history so this has been perfect for me. Stuart Wire, 9 May 2025 Concentrating on the south of France, this book is structured as a menu carefully compiled to give the reader a balanced diet of gastronomy, history, legend and local colour. Uniquely, it adds into this mix a celebration of the dedicated and passionate people who produce some of the finest raw ingredients and foodstuffs you are ever likely to taste.
‘This is the ideal book for anyone yearning for a taste of France this winter.’
- The Connexion, February 2022 |