Bonjour French Market Friends,
Big news in the Cheese World was the theft of 24 tons (950 wheels) of top West country cheddar. The 
cheese was ordered from Neal’s Yard Dairy, an artisanal cheese shop in London, by someone posing as a purchaser for a large French supermarket chain. The collection took place then disappeared. Neal’s Yard paid their suppliers, which has left them out of pocket by a huge amount. Celebrity chef Jaimie Oliver has sent out a message to all his supporters to be on the lookout for any cheddar being offered on the sly. I promise we don’t have any here! We do stock an excellent 18 months aged cheddar but it comes from Ireland.
This week saw the celebration of Halloween, All Saints Day and Diwali. Whilst Halloween on 31st October is a growing celebration here, especially for little children enjoying Trick or Treats, dressed up as witches etc and walking around their neighbourhoods with little buckets for Treats. One little girl visited my shop with her father on her way to a party. I noticed her 
costume and make up. She was carrying an empty little yellow bucket decorated with a spider, I couldn’t resist adding a little treat to her bucket, her smile of delight was too cute. This week is also Diwali, the celebration of Light, where gifts, particularly sweets and cakes are shared.
Halloween is not such a big deal in France but All Saints Day, La Toussaint, on 1st November is an important day and a Public holiday. Family members traditionally visit the graves of their relatives and pay their respects by cleaning up the graves and decorating with fresh chrysanthemums followed by a family meal. As it is Autumn time in France, theses meals would often include roast meats and chestnuts.
Also, upcoming this week is Guy Fawkes Night on 5th November, to celebrate the foiling of the plot by Sir Guy Fawkes to blow up and overturn the English Parliament on the 5th of November 1605. Let us hope that the Presidential election 2024 in the USA, coincidentally on Guy Fawkes Day, goes off peacefully and no one decides to act like Sir Guy and blow up the Capitol.
Here in our little shop our preparations for Christmas festivities continue with the arrival of half of my order of Italian Christmas cakes. I’m hoping the other half of my order will arrive in time. We have received the medium and mini sized Panettone and large Pandora plus several other speciality panettones. Do let me know if you wish to preorder a cake and we will reserve for you.
In our cheese range this week, from the Calvados region in Normandie is the 
Pont l’Eveque. This cheese has been produced in the region since the 12th century by the local monks. This square, cobble stone shaped cheese has a light orange crust and gentle flavour. It is a speciality washed ri
nd cheese named after the town where the local Bishops used the town’s bridge to cross. It has been awarded a PDO status which guarantees that the cheese has been produced in the traditional washed rind method from rich creamy milk sourced from dairies within 50km radius of the town. Serve with some figs and a strong flavoured red wine.
I recommend our Domaine Andre Mathieu Chateau Neuf du Pape “Le Cente
naire” 2019 to pair with the Pont l Eveque as you need a full flavoured red wine to balance the taste of this cheese. This Domaine has been making wine since the 1600s, renamed more recently after the current owner and family member, Andre Mathieu. This Domaine has 13 hectares of vineyards
in this designated Chateau Neuf du Pape wine region. This wine come from vines planted over 100 years ago, hence the name “Le Centenaire”. Predominantly made with Grenache grapes, maceration is slow, 18 months in old oak barrels. I specifically chose this wine because of its roundness and silky texture plus a great depth of flavour. You can drink it now or lay it down for up to another 20 years (if you don’t drink it straight away with the cheese).
For my recipe this week, I am sharing a traditional ratatouille dish, originating from Provence, perfect for 
serving as a side dish to roast meat, or as a light vegetarian meal. It is a simple dish of seasonal vegetables, where you can prepare the vegetables and toss in some olive oil, then slow bake in the oven. I like to include lots of garlic and fresh rosemary from my (balcony) garden plus Herbes from Provence. Ideal for entertaining as you can just heat up the dish prior to serving.
I hope you have an enjoyable weekend; the weather still has not decided whether its Summer time yet, but we do seem to be getting warmer at last.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team