France Based Food Bloggers

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Comment by Shirley Isaacs on July 7, 2010 at 10:31am

I have a printmaker friend who is looking for antique illustrations of chocolate moulds (mainly French) - would anyone have any ideas?
Ta. Shirley

Comment by Nicolas Dreyfus on January 8, 2010 at 5:32pm

I have worked for a very large American Survey Company assessing market share of different produces in the French supermarket world. I have met a number of food buyers from most of the French supermarket (1970's). I moved to London end of 70s and represented a French Cheese company (at the time the Speciality Cheese Market was not yet developed in the UK). Although the Uk supermarket buyers are VERY difficult people, I can assure you that they are FAR better to deal with that their French counterpart.
The main big difference, until know is that the British Own Product have a far wilder ground than in France (but they are catching up).
I have now my own French Catering business and a Delicatessen and I get my supplies for most products direct from France. The variety, the quality and the price are to my knowledge so far still superior in France than here where you have less competition in a market (which is usually represented by 60% Own Brand and a 30/40% Commercial Brand and sometime a small "quality/regional" brand.
You will find here Far more Pre Cooked products than in France where we still tend to COOK for the family. Loads less Pre Packed products as well. And then you have the Markets often twice a week, in different areas of a city or even small villages.

Comment by Jackie Dyer on January 7, 2010 at 10:06pm

Hi - I'm based in Dorset but about to sign my life away by buying a house in Burgundy (71) at the end of January. I tend to find British and French supermarkets on a par these days. I always used to be mesmerised by the French supermarkets, say 10 years ago but I think GB has caught up. The thing that gets me is that what's on offer is all so differnet from the usual in France but that may change now that we will be in France more often so I may be able to comment more deeply.

My particular interest is food and wine matching so if you have any great French food and wine matches, do let me know!

Comment by Shirley Isaacs on December 9, 2009 at 12:43pm

Fiona - I suppose living in London and Paris, or any of the big capitals, are probably similar in that you can invariably get anything at any time! I also think you're right in that the grass is always greener too! I just love foreign foody shops and markets and always think they're better than the ones here.

I would think that Peter sees the industry from a completely different angle to us consumers. My father, before he retired, was a food importer, so I have seen things from both sides - and know how difficult the supermarkets can be, although I think a lot of the food producers try and get away with murder (so to speak!)

Comment by Fiona on December 5, 2009 at 5:10pm

..but the grass isn't always greener - I love to go to Waitrose when in UK and its great for picking up more unusual veggies. We live in Paris and can source most things but visiting our holiday home in the SW is a completely different story: hardly any range of fish and what is there is sooo expensive in comparison to home (I always moan to them too!) and quite frankly i am glad a friend passes on his home grown veggies - the supermarket quality is so often so poor - swings and roundabouts I feel...

Comment by Shirley Isaacs on December 5, 2009 at 5:05pm

Hi Peter - whenever we're in France, we marvel at the wonderful displays in the super or hypermarkets - I think it puts us to shame here in the UK. I've sometimes been to Waitrose when the fruit and veg look pathetic! I suppose the suppliers have the same problems as they do here - the supermarkets unfortunately hold the whip, but as a customer, this sometimes pays off for us.

I really wish that our selection of fish and shellfish in our supermarkets, could be a fraction of the choice they have in France. I suppose this is down to public demand - we seem to love cookery programmes, but sadly I think it's still a minority that actually cook.

Comment by Peter Crosskey on December 5, 2009 at 3:30pm

Hi Shirley,
The food in Paris is fine, but the French food producers who supply supermarkets are likely to go out of business because the retailers are paying them so little for their production. The fact that a lettuce can change in price from 20 centimes in a lorry to a euro on a supermarket shelf just makes it all the more blatant.
There's a post about a group of MODEF growers on crosskey.co.uk which explains it. The editor I wrote it for lost interest, so I posted it for the growers.

Comment by Shirley Isaacs on December 5, 2009 at 12:04pm

Hi Peter (again!) - being half-French and having family in Paris, I'm very interested in French food and wonder what you meant in your last comment? On a recent trip to Paris, we had a mixture of very good and some bad meals, and also because of the exchange rate - quite expensive. Do you find food has changed there?

Comment by Peter Crosskey on December 4, 2009 at 11:49pm

Hi,
I'm an English freelance hack with a specialisation in French food industry (subtle difference). I really enjoy working in French, but I only write in English. Some of the things that have been happening in France over the past couple of years I find quite incredible: maybe one day I'll wake up and realise it was just a bad dream...

Comment by Fiona on September 9, 2009 at 8:36am

Welcome Savourez - the hampers are fantastic...

I assume from your blog that it is the SW which you travel back to? Also, I enjoyed your article on Petersham Nurseries - I reviewed My Favourite Ingredients a while back and they kindly supplied photographs and added me to their website - really nice people to work with!!

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