// This little piggy went to Morzine.

This weekend saw the Fete du Cochon in Morzine. Never having been to a 'Celebration of the Pig' before, we didn't really know what to expect.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were pigs. Lots of them. Metal pigs, fabric pigs, fake pigs, real pigs, raw pigs, cooked pigs. Apparently it all goes back to the fact that pigs were traditionally killed at this time to see Savoie families through the winter. Now it's something of a secular tradition.

But there was also a real emphasis on getting closer to where and how we get out food. Traceability and quality were the watchwords, and it was a real celebration of what we can take from the soil in all its forms. There was even a Slow Food representative there.

And with it falling on All Saint's Day (a bank holiday in France) there was a real carnival atmosphere about the whole affair. For anyone interested in a quirky, charismatic and decidedly Slow Autumn break, you'd be hard pushed to beat this. It would make a splendid half-term holiday (book now for November 2009 and make the most of our early bird discount).