Every summer thousands of Brits and other Europeans head to the south west of France for bliss, beauty and freedomIt’s great for a holiday - but what’s it like to actually live and work there? That is what reporter Chris Bockman decided to find out when he set up a Press Agency in Toulouse. His project was doomed (apparently) - he was constantly told by industry sages that nothing goes on there out of season.

But he soon discovered that the strange characters, ambitious local politicians, vain sportsmen and yes, badly-behaving foreigners provided more than enough material to keep newsrooms happy.

There are the politicians preaching the benefits of Brexit while living a grand life in FranceThere is also one village in the Pyrenees where many flock believing when the inevitable end of the world comes, it will be the sole place that will survive. More stories include treasure-seekers convinced of a Catholic Church cover-up, the downright dishonest practices in the truffle markets and other inhabitants of the region who have included ex-terrorists and murderers on the run.

This is an inside look at the peculiarities of human nature and life on the other side of the Channel, with characters and places you’ll love, Are You the Foie Gras Correspondent? is a book for anybody thinking to pull up stakes and moving to where life is “slower-paced” or has a fascination with the true life in France’s southern provincial cities and countryside.