French villagers visited their twin town in the area over Easter.

Residents of Cerizay village, which is near Nantes, arrived in Ongar for a three-day visit.

After arriving on Friday, April 22, they visited the historic town of Maldon, sampled English cuisine and competed against locals in a game of boules.

Nicole Louchouarn, 72, was chairman of the French branch of the Ongar and Cerizay twinning association for 26 years.

She said: “It was absolutely fantastic.

“We had the most beautiful weather you could ever have imagined.

Countering French disdain for English food, she said the local cuisine was one of the trip’s highlights.

“The food was absolutely delicious. We had fish and chips from paper on Saturday night. We always eat well in England.”

Derek Spring, of the English branch of the twinning association, said: “It was a fantastic visit. The weather was excellent and we even managed to beat them 13 -0 at boules.”