Bonjour French Market Friends,
This week in France, at the opening of the European Rugby Championship game between Toulouse and 
English Club Sale, the supporters were entertained by the arrival of a parachutist who was flying in through the open stadium with their match ball. Unfortunately, the edge of his parachute got stock on the roof of the stadium, and he hung there, above the heads of the spectators for over 40 minutes until firemen, with an extended ladder could reach him and bringing him down safely, with much encouragement from the crowd. There is no truth in the rumour that this was a deliberate tactic to disrupt the English players who lost their game to Toulouse. (Image courtesy@charliefelix)
Back here in Cape Town I was privileged to attend a special concert for the French Consul given by Muzukidz.co.za at the Good Hope Seminary Junior School. This is a group of young people from the townships who have been taught to play the violin
since 2016. Their teacher, Maria Botha who founded the NGO is passionate about making a difference to the lives of disadvantaged children through learning the violin. She has dedicated years teaching these young people from the age of 5 upwards, and it was obvious from the concert how talented these children are and how much pleasure playing 
music gives them. Madame Bel, the Consul General asked the youths about their music and the response was very clear, it has made a huge difference not just to themselves but has also uplifted their families. I asked Maria what they need, and she says the older students need larger violins as they are all growing up, so if you have an adult violin at home that you are not using, please let me know and we will get it to Maria. If you would like to find out more, you can view their website www.muzukidz.co.za
This week our new cheese stocks also flew in, from Paris, and hopefully will land safely 
in Cape Town tomorrow. We expect to have all our favourites in stock for the Easter weekend celebrations. We will have lots of truly delicious cheese on hand. Please contact me if you would like us to prepare a special cheese platter for you to serve when you celebrate Easter. Right now, we have lots of ripe Brie layered with truffle cream, so we have this on a special discount. If you have not tasted it, now is the time to come in ask for a taste. There are plenty of other cheeses which you can taste as well.
This wee
k we have received a new range of oils from the master oil manufacturer, Lapalisse Huileries. This oil manufacturer was started in 1898 by Abel Paillard in the Auvergne. The family descended from Abel have continued to grow and develop traditional oils and have branded their oils Abel1898 in his honour. We currently stock their Walnut and Hazelnut oils, now we have added Avocado oil, Pistachio oil and Pumpkinseed oil.
With Easter approaching if you are thinking of chocolate treats, I can highly recommend that you pre-order some of our beautiful, individual cakes for the long weekend. Our cakes are made by French master baker Cedric, he uses top quality imported chocolate in the cakes and the icing. You can taste the difference; in fact, the chocolate is quite addictive. Please note that we need your order on Monday morning, if you wish to pre-order for the Easter weekend.
We now have some Bollinger Special Cuvee NV Champagne available at our shop. This champagne is made 
with over 85% Grand Crus and Premiers crus from the Champagne region this maintains a consistent quality and style. The grape varietal composition is 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier. The champagne comes in an attractive gift box.
For my recipe this week I decided we needed to prepare some ideas for the Easter weekend, and I thought that little rabbit-face ginger biscuits would be fun. The recipe is very simple, and the kids can help you decorate. Serve the biscuits with fresh orange juice for your children and a glass of Bollinger Champagne (for yourself) or create a refreshing Champagne and fresh orange juice cocktail.
Please note we are open every day over the long weekend. We will close at 5pm on Easter Friday, and Saturday, at 2pm on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. I hope that you have an enjoyable and restful weekend and look forward to seeing you in our shop soon.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team