No French social occasion of any note can start without serving an apéritif. While most apéritifs are alcoholic, this is not a requirement, especially since it is common for guests to be invited for apéritifs and travel home to eat afterwards.

It is worth remembering to move on promptly if you have been invited in for an apéritif rather than a meal. The two are quite separate items in the social agenda and neighbours will often pop round for a quick chat over a drink before going back to their own table for supper.

Something small and savoury to eat will always be offered alongside an apéritif, with cheese in some form being a common part of the occasion. As an alternative to those little cubes of processed cheese, some hosts, particularly in north France might offer shavings of an extra mature hard cheese such as mimolette. It makes a welcome change from the ubiquitous salted peanuts and confusingly for the English, chips or potato crisps.