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Why I love Provence, the sun-drenched 'garden of France’

Coastline on the French Riviera with the small village : Villefranche Sur Mer

Why I love Provence, the sun-drenched 'garden of France’

Léa Fanchon

Published: July 16, 2026 at 4:03 PM

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Pastry chef Léa Fanchon shares the unmissable dishes, patisserie and produce from her home in this distinctive region of south-east France

Learn all about what makes the cuisine of this southeastern region so special from Villa Miraé's pastry chef Léa Fanchon. From aromatic herbs and aperitif culture to long family meals in the sunshine of the French Riviera, there is plenty for food lovers to enjoy. If you want to arrange a visit, here are the prettiest villages in Provence to seek out, and check out this local's guide to the best restaurants in Nice.

Why I love Provence

Provençal aïoli

This traditional dish, found on restaurant menus along the French Riviera, consists of spring vegetables, steamed potatoes and steamed fish, served with aïoli sauce (a mayonnaise-style sauce made with potato, saffron and garlic). It’s perfectly paired with rosé wine.

Fresh produce

We are lucky to have some of the best fresh produce – Provence is sometimes even called the ‘garden of France’. We make the most of high-quality veg in the likes of ratatouille mopped up with crusty baguette, and the town of Menton’s lemons are so fragrant and sweet (you can even eat the pith) that there’s a festival dedicated to the citrus every year.

Ripe local yellow lemons on a stand at a local covered provencal farmers market hall in the old town or Vieil Antibes, South of France

Daube provençale

This slow-cooked beef stew is flavoured with red wine, brandy, veg, thyme and tomatoes, then finished with orange zest and olives. We often serve it straight to the table, family-style, in its terracotta pot (called a daubière) with bread.

Herbes de Provence

The region’s aromatic herbs can be found all along the coastal path of Cap d’Antibes. The most prevalent are thyme, rosemary, marjoram, savory, lavender and rock samphire. They are often sold as a dried mixture to enhance slow-cooked dishes such as niçoise-style stuffed vegetables. Lavender is also celebrated in Provence’s cuisine – for example, I love making lavender ice cream, while fresh basil is combined with garlic and olive oil to make popular local pesto, pistou.

Olives

Olives in all their forms play a huge part in Provençal cuisine – served as an aperitif, whizzed into a tapenade or turned into olive oil to add liquid gold seasoning to every dish. I love niçoise olives (also called cailletier)

Green Olives

Sunday lunch

Sundays often mean long family meals in the sunshine of the French Riviera. My favourite includes courgette flower fritters followed by petits farcis (round courgettes, onions or tomatoes stuffed with minced meat, breadcrumbs and fresh herbs) and fresh pastries for dessert.

La tarte tropézienne

This cake-like brioche pastry is filled with a unique combination of pastry cream and buttercream. The original handwritten recipe, created in 1955 by Polish immigrant Alexandre Micka when opening his pastry shop in Saint Tropez, is trusted to only three people but many versions are recreated across the region.

Set table in a garden terrace in Provence

Flatbreads

Socca, a thin unleavened chickpea bread, is a must when strolling through Old Nice, as is pissaladière, a salty-sweet flatbread often referred to as the French pizza, most commonly topped with caramelised onions, anchovies and black olives (if you’re in Antibes make sure you get one from the famous Boulangerie Veziano). On the sweet side, fougassette is flavoured with orange blossom water.

Apéro

Aperitif is a ritual in Provence, often fuelled with aniseed flavoured pastis or a southern variation with orgeat syrup known as La Mauresque. I also love adding a splash of orgeat syrup to an iced coffee for the ultimate summer drink.

People relaxing on a terrace of a restaurant in Bonnieux, France.

Where to stay in Provence

Coquillade, Gargas

Set among vast vineyards, lavender fields and olive groves beneath the Luberon mountains, Coquillade Provence encapsulates the rustic romance of the region. Centred around a beautifully restored 11th century hamlet, guests are invited to live by its motto, ‘la vie, le vin, le velo’ through wine tastings in the on-site winery and cellar, guided e-bike tours weaving through nearby hilltop villages and long afternoons spent in the sleek contemporary spa. Though home to 69 rooms, the sprawling estate feels like a private retreat, with jasmine-scented stone pathways and hidden courtyards perfect for morning coffee or afternoon reading.

The chef’s garden supplies the restaurants and cocktail bar with fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables, which are featured in refined French and Italian dishes. Summer evenings revolve around the outdoor rotisserie, with vegetables cooked Provençal style, while mornings start with a buffet of buttery pastries, brioche breads, creamy scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. Rooms blend the hamlet’s historic charm with modern luxury, with the new Luberon suites overlooking vineyards and featuring private terraces, hot tubs and four-poster beds for the ultimate Provençal retreat. coquillade.fr

Coquillade hotel set among vast vineyards

Villa Miraé, Antibes

Tucked along the Chemin de la Garoupe on the pine-shaded peninsula of Cap d’Antibes, this intimate Relais & Châteaux retreat has a rare and genuine warmth. The staff radiate joy in a way that feels wholly authentic, creating an atmosphere that is as convivial as it is serene.

Rooms are plush and considered: deep beds dressed in fine linen, beautifully appointed bathrooms and art curated to reflect each room’s position within the grounds – with the garden rooms featuring sculptural ceramics and botanical artworks inspired by the surrounding landscape.

Both restaurants are led by three-Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco. By day Miraé unfolds across a sun-drenched terrace made for long lunches, including artichoke salad topped with bottarga and Piedmont hazelnuts, tortellini with borage leaf oil and local goat’s cheese, and strawberries served with greek yogurt cream. It’s produce-led Mediterranean cooking that feels both effortless and assured.

Come evening, Amarines takes on a more elevated rhythm, with a seasonal tasting menu rooted in the surrounding terroir – Mediterranean fish crudo with pistachio pesto and citrus broth, gnocchi, gamberoni with bisque and spring vegetables, Alpilles lamb with artichoke barigoule, before ending with wildflower honey ice cream, mead jelly and fresh pollen.

For those seeking stillness within easy reach of Antibes’ old town and the Côte d’Azur’s wider pleasures, this is the place. villamirae-capantibes.com

One of the plush, calming rooms at Villa Miraé hotel

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Léa Fanchon

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