Peter Mayle

I was lucky enough to spend some of my school days in Barbados, where my father was working, and this gave me…

— Peter Mayle

“We had a crisp, oily salad and slices of pink country sausages, an aioli of snails and cod and hard-boiled eggs with…

— Peter Mayle

One must never forget that life is unfair. But sometimes, with a bit of luck, this works in your favour.

— Peter Mayle

In the south of France the phones cut in and out, the electricity isn't particularly reliable. I think many people would get…

— Peter Mayle

Next to the defeated politician, the writer is the most vocal and inventive griper on earth. He sees hardship and unfairness wherever…

— Peter Mayle

I have a robust sense of humour which helps me deal with problems.

— Peter Mayle

“I called Monsieur Menicucci, and he asked anxiously about my pipes. I told him they were holding up well. "That pleases me,"…

— Peter Mayle

Sunglasses must be kept on until an acquaintance is identified at one of the tables, but one must not appear to be…

— Peter Mayle

“Look at those vines,' he said. 'Nature is wearing her prettiest clothes.' The effect of this unexpectedly poetic observation was slight spoiled…

— Peter Mayle

I left school at 16 and skipped university to work, initially as a waiter. I think I missed out on what would…

— Peter Mayle

There are plenty of miserable millionaires all over the place.

— Peter Mayle

There is nothing like a comfortable adventure to put people in a good humor. . .

— Peter Mayle

“The town maps in the 1939 [Michelin] guide were so accurate they were used by the Allied forces in 1944 during the…

— Peter Mayle

The great thing about having money is that you can actually just get on with your life and not have to think…

— Peter Mayle

Depending on the inflection, ah bon can express shock, disbelief, indifference, irritation, or joy - a remarkable achievment for two short words.

— Peter Mayle

I have a terrible weakness for collecting snatches of other people's conversations, and occasionally I'm rewarded with unusual fragments of knowledge. My…

— Peter Mayle

The English kill their meat twice: once when they slaughter it and once when they cook it.

— Peter Mayle

Prescription for writer’s block: fear of poverty.

— Peter Mayle

It is at a time like this, when crisis threatens the stomach, that the French display the most sympathetic side of their…

— Peter Mayle

“It was a meal that we shall never forget; more accurately, it was several meals that we shall never forget, because it…

— Peter Mayle

Best advice I've ever received: Finish.

— Peter Mayle

I'd rather live precariously in my own office than comfortably in somebody else's.

— Peter Mayle

The funny thing in France is that writers are not allowed to retire, because the French government say you are still earning…

— Peter Mayle

Why not make a daily pleasure out a daily necessity.

— Peter Mayle

There is nothing I like better at the end of a hot summer's day than taking a short walk around the garden.…

— Peter Mayle