Snail Farmer Looking for Love in Provence

The French equivalent of the UK reality TV series 'Farmer Wants a Wife', the basis for the show is that a number of farmers are presented to the public. Members of the public are then invited to write to the contestants and from this selection of letters, the farmers must choose some that they wish to meet and consider as future spouses.

In a way it is online dating to the extreme! But in this situation we have a fly-on-the-wall type view of what will happen and how the stories unfold. Now in it's 11th season 'L'Amour est dans le Pre' has selected 14 farmers from across France, including 11 men and 3 women. Airing this evening on M6 it is expected that some 3 million viewers will tune in to meet the farmers who are looking for love.

Among them will be 54 year old Monique from Provence. Hailing from an idyllic mountain paradise, she has returned to the region, after many year on the Cote d'Azur, to continue the farm that her grandparents started. Monique will actually hold the record for the most number of animals on the show - with around 40,000 in her care!

Monique in fact practises heliciculture, also known as heliculture, and more commonly known as snail farming. Selling these escargot to some of the best restaurants in the area.

So make sure you tune in to French TV this evening (M6) to see if she finds the man of her dreams. She is looking for someone who is tender and attentive, emotionally available, and she is ready to live a long distance relationship at first if necessary. But be aware! She does not want a partner who smokes.

Will she find love on the snail farm...it could be a slow burner.