A group of 28 students met at school 5.45a.m. to set off to France on Academy Day. We travelled by coach from Folkestone to Calais on le shuttle through the Eurotunnel, arriving with an early stop at the hypermarket for breakfast.

Having set ourselves up with refreshments and some early shopping, our second stop was at a Boulangerie where we were treated to a ‘hands on’ experience of making croissants and bread. The boulanger was highly entertaining and without a doubt everyone left knowing what the key ingredients are for the perfect croissant or a traditional loaf of bread. Although the boulangerie was in a typically small village in Northern France, it supplied hypermarkets and supermarkets for miles around which meant that local people are still able to buy fresh bakery products each day.

Our next stop was Le Touquet, a lovely French coastal town with beautiful sandy beaches, an array of colourful architecture and a variety of shops and restaurants. We split into small groups and went exploring and sampling French delicacies for lunch, later moving on to a chocolaterie where we saw first-hand how beautiful rich chocolate is made. We were fascinated to see life size chocolate models and gasped out loud as a chocolate bunny was accidentally knocked into the melting pot – only to be made again!!

Everyone had the chance to make last purchases at the end of a memorable demonstration before boarding our coach to return to Calais.

We arrived back at school at 9.15, tired, but really glad of the experience – Vive Le France!

Mrs L Stotesbury