Pick your own fruit and veg - a great idea

I think the idea of  going to a farm on the outskirts of a town, armed with a knife and a list to pick fruit and vegetables is a brilliant idea. At Laborde, a suburb of Auxerre, is the Jardin de Laborde, a family- owned business that started small and has expanded hugely over the last decade or so. They supply the baskets, they grow the fruit and veg - all you have to do is go and choose what you want and gather it up - fantastic.

Claire, our host, picking strawberries

Not just fruit and vegetables, but herbs, too. I'd love to see this happening in New Zealand, to supplement our great Farmer's markets.

Fresh goat's cheese, cherries and pleurottes (oyster mushrooms)

When you've got all you need from the fields and hot houses, you return to their 'shop' to puchase - and you can also purchase locally made products from all around Auxerre, such as honey, cheeses of course, wine and liqueurs, cured and fresh meats, breads, cakes, nougat and so much more.