Something fishy with Simon Rhodes from Lobsterpot Fishmongers, Wood Street Food Hall

MY wife and I have just returned from a short break in Le Touquet in Normandy France.

This bustling town characterises the typical French way of life. With its street café culture and amazing fish restaurants you cannot help but to embrace the way of life and absorb the ambience, relax and watch the world go by with a glass of ice cold Muscadet and a plate of Normandy oysters.

With the sun doing its best to give everyone a wonderful bronzed (or in my case; a beetroot) tan there was a sudden feeling of contentment and an overwhelming desire to live there forever.

Food is my passion and the French do food so well. They adore it, they live for it, and they almost worship it.

Fish plays an important part of French cuisine. In contrast to Britain it features heavily on French menus.

When we arrived, which was a French bank holiday, the town’s market was in full swing. There were stalls for every kind of shopper and every kind of taste.

Right next to the market is a permanent covered fish market. Each stallholder was showing off the day’s best catch. There were prawns piled high of all sizes, from the tiny grises (small brown shrimps) to the large langoustines; there were lobsters, alive and cooked; whole cod, salmon, skate wings, scallops, and of course, mussels and oysters. The colours were so vibrant and everything was fresh.

But what got me was that it was so popular, with queues of people waiting to buy fish.

Here in Britain we seem to treat fish as something that we should grudgingly eat because the sea is not that far away.

So, to recreate the French lifestyle, get a bistro table and chairs and place them outside your front door, so that you can watch the world go by. Then order in some lovely bright sunshine to last for at least six to eight hours.

Next plate up some fruits de mare consisting of our Colchester oysters, cooked crevettes, small brown shrimps, dressed crab, cooked whelks, cockles and a little smoked salmon. Finally don’t forget the ice cold Muscadet.

And remember, like the French. to savour the food, invite some family or friends and have a lively discussion about life.

Bon Appétit!