Reading Peter Mayle is a bad idea for two reasons; one - he's not a very good writer, and two - he fills you with a burning desire to cook with a variety of ingredients which whilst no doubt plentiful in the south of France, are less common in.... Tesco's say. Can you imagine asking for bresaola or grelot onions? I was once naive enough to enquire after truffles and was asked if I preferred milk or dark chocolate! However the yearning is now firmly embedded, so a cassoulet its going to have to be.

Checking t'internet for recipes it appears that Toulouse sausages are mandatory. At this point I should refer you to problem number two above - where to find the damn things. Bizarrely both Tescos and Sainsbury's claim to stock them, but do they buggery. I could of course buy them over the web and pay one small fortune for them and another for delivery (well - ok a fiver- for delivery). But the idea of making them myself has lodged itself along with the whole year-in-provence-french-peasant-cuisine thing. So that's what we'll do.

I'll keep you posted.....