Brittany and Pays de la Loire – France

200 years ago Nicolas Appert invented the conserving of food by heat sterilisation and hermetically sealed container. He created the World’s first conserving factory with an invention that changed millions of lives, including sailors for whom the invention meant less chance of scurvy. Read about conserving food & La Belle Iloise in Brittany

Divers off the coast of Finland in the Baltic Sea have found 30 bottles of Clicquot Champagne on the seabed that pre-date the French Revolution whilst exploting a wreck. The Champagne is apparently still drinkable, due to the cold and dark environment, and it is expected that the remaining bottles could fetch up to £45,000…
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This devastating storm tore through France on Sunday, killing dozens of people and destroying property. What are your experiences? What support networks are in place where you are? Were you warned of the likely impact, and what precautions did you take?