'I ditched UK for France and couldn't believe the 1 big difference at French schools'

A mother-of-three who swapped Britain for a picturesque French city reveals how her children enjoy a lavish three-course lunch daily at school – tucking into squid and creamy Camembert.

Steph Beech, 39, hailing from Liverpool, relocated to Carcassonne in Aude, France back in 2017 when her partner, 35, switched careers.

While she pines for "a good curry" and the convenience of her native tongue, Steph has discovered that life for herself and her children, aged 16, seven, and five, has become far more laid-back and nature-focused.

Food and housing costs remain comparable to Britain, yet the family enjoys considerably more quality time together thanks to Wednesday being a school-free day, with "everything" shutting down on Sundays.

Piano instructor Steph explained: "At school there's no uniform for one.

"They have Wednesdays off, although some kids go on a Saturday morning.

"To be fair the canteen food is amazing, they get a full three course meal.

"They get an entree, main and dessert. They'll have a salad starter, then the main can be quite a lot of vegetarian options like a veggie lasagne, and a yoghurt for dessert or freshly made tartes and pastries.

"There is always a side of bread and cheese. It really teaches them how to have a meal. It's something you notice when you go out, the French kids sit so well. They're not on their phone or iPads.

"It's very different to the UK. It opens them up to more varied selection of food. They're having calamari and Camembert.

"They have all sorts of food and it's all 90 per cent organic which it has to be across France".

With an additional fortnight off in the summer, Steph describes it as "a dream" for the children, though admits it poses challenges for parents.

She remarked: "I feel like I've been off ages already compared to parents in the UK.

"There are more things to do, the weather helps with that. There is more of that outdoor lifestyle and activities to do that don't cost money.

"We can just go to the lake for a swim with a picnic".

Initially, Steph found it tough when her children struggled to forge friendships at school due to the language barrier.

She explained: "Even though they were born here we didn't speak French at home so when they started school they learnt there.

"We'd teach them basics like the colours and numbers but going further we thought we didn't enough and leave it to the French to teach it.

"We didn't want to try and teach them French as it wasn't our first language. Now they have their French and are teaching me and correcting me, which is good for me".

While she doesn't deem one educational system superior to the other, Steph perceives the UK and French schools as "just very different".

She observed: "In France, they get them out on more school trips. They do get a lot more homework.

"My daughter has been getting homework and it's got to be in the next day".

After eight years of continental living, Steph confesses to yearning for particular British delicacies.

She revealed: "I can't get a good curry here. Some of the food is quite different, the same with school.

"When they [the kids] go into school half the time they're not wanting to eat the food because what we eat at home is what we'd eat in the UK – we'll make a curry at home or chicken.

"We tailor it more to a kid rather than an adult palette. I miss the ease of just being able to speak English.

"With the other foreigners here, we just tend to hang out together. We're making French friends as we go but maybe not as quickly as we would in the UK.

"I'm back in England a lot as I have a business there".

Looking ahead, the household remains uncertain about a potential return to British shores.

"We're just going year by year and going with the flow".

You can follow Steph and her French journey on TikTok @stephsfrenchlife.