FRENCH journalists arrived in Hatherleigh at the weekend and tucked into a plateful of . . . British beef!

A TV team from Paris were a little late arriving for the pre-arranged lunch at the home of Hatherleigh Mayor Denise Herrod-Taylor, but the town's finest fare went down just as well at 3.30pm.

'It was more a case of cold beef and salad rather than roast beef and veg but it did not seem to matter — they ate the whole plateful,' she said. 'There was no comment it just kept disappearing so I think it went down absolutely fine.

'I also gave them raspberries and clotted cream and they drank cider — it was a very pleasant meal.'

Mrs Herrod-Taylor was interviewed as part of a feature programme about the beef war between France and England and the town itself will form a significant part of the programme.

This will not be the first time Hatherleigh has been featured on French TV — it started the ball rolling with the ban on French produce two weeks ago.

The mayor said the whole thing had just snowballed from there.

'The farmers' protest at Millbay Docks in Plymouth started it all off but we had the first big boycott of French produce,' she said.

'I thought it would last a few days but everything has just got bigger from there. Lots of towns and supermarkets are banning French goods now.'

After interest from Tokyo TV, Sky TV, BBC and Westcountry came a request from the Radio Four Today programme to interview Mrs Herrod-Taylor. Even the Daily Sport called her.

'They asked me what Hatherleigh was going to do next,' she said. 'I nearly told them about the Hatherleigh Farmers' Monty but thought better of it.' — a reference to the town's version of the Full Monty in whichsome local farmers almost bear all for charity.

After Hatherleigh's French produce ban, letters and cards came pouring in from farmers all over the country.

'They just wanted to say thanks for supporting their plight.' added the mayor. 'One letter from a farmer in Guildford managed to get here addressed to The Mayor, Haverley, Devon.'

When interviewed for French TV Mrs Herrod-Taylor, who has a French daughter-in-law and three half French grand-children, said she wanted to send a clear message to the people of Hatherleigh's twin town Ballots in Normandy.

'I think when we got the first coverage in France it upset some of the residents of Ballots but I made it clear on Sunday that we are not against the French people.

'We have a very strong and valuable link with Ballots and as individuals we like the French people. It is the bureaucrats and the Government we are bashing. It's not a personal thing.

'We do not want to make the French eat our beef we just want them to have the choice.'

Unfortunately, the French journalists, who had spent several days in England, were called back to France on Monday night so their plans to visit Hatherleigh Market on Tuesday for the large suckler cattle sale did not come to fruition.

However, they filmed at the market on Monday and talked to local farmer Ian Trenaman, retired vet Jim Hindson and councillor Dennis Bater.