Bonjour French Market Friends,
This week the legendary French actor Alain Delon passed away at his home in France. Famous for his portrayal of the tough French gangster in the 60s and 70s, his good looks and style typified the inimitable “French look” of that period. He won many top awards for his various roles. His contribution to the French Arts was recognised with the awarding of the Legion d’Honneur in 1991. This week President Emmanuel Macron honoured Alain in a post on social media, saying, “Wistful, popular, secretive, he was more than a star: a French monument.” My favourite role that Alain played more recently, was Julius Ceasar in “Asterix at the Olympic Games”.
Back home in Cape Town there is a glimpse of Spring as the sun peeks out between the rain clouds, the temperatures are starting to warm up slightly. On Sunday I went up the West Coast to Paternoster to the Wolfgat restaurant which overlooks the rolling Atlantic Sea. On our arrival we took part in a dune and beach
walk organised by Wolfgat, where our highly knowledgeable guide opened our eyes to the diversity of the local flora on the dunes, beach and rocks. He explained the borderline differences between edible and nonedible plants and cautioned on trying our own foraging without in-depth knowledge. Despite the grey clouds the little vygies were all lifting their petals to the sun’s rays, across the dunes and inland, as far as I could see.
This walk enhanced the enjoyment of our meal which was a tasting menu of sustainable and diverse seafood prepared in different ways, served in handcrafted plates. The wide variety of unique fish dishes were prepared by chef Kobus Van der Merwe and his team, using ingredients that he foraged locally. Each mouthful was a different taste and texture, the Wolfgat Restaurant definitely deserved the global recognition it received in 2021 as the Best Restaurant in Africa. Paired with the meal there is an interesting range of locally sourced wines, including a sparkling wine made in the original single fermentation method. If you have not managed to book yet, then I recommend that you put it on your Bucket List.
I
n our cheeses range this week, from the Auvergne region we have Saint Nectaire AOC, much loved by the French, this cheese is not so well known outside of France. Records of the production date back hundreds of years, made in small 1,5kg wheels from Salers cow’s milk, this cheese is washed in brine regularly, then it is aged on straw mats. It starts with an orange crust that turns to grey as it ages. The medium soft texture has a distinctive aroma and taste.
From Burgundy we have received more stock of small tubs of Epoisses. This iconic pungent, washed rind cheese is washed with the Marc de Bourgogne, the brandy from Burgundy. The texture is creamy, the taste is gentler than the aroma.
If you prefer gentle flavoured cheese, I recommend the triple cream Delice, also produced in Burgundy, this cheese is made with extra cream giving it a higher fat content than the average cheese. It has a white crust 
like Brie but is decadently richer and creamier. Try pairing this with some of our locally produced fruit preserves.
From Spain in addition to the addictive black truffle crips (chips) we have received a stock of Iberico Jamon Ham flavoured crisps from the famous Spanish producer Torres.
Talking of sea food, we have received a lot of enquiries for squid ink products. W
e do stock squid ink in 2 x 4gr sachets. Some of our clients are looking for ingredients for seafood dishes from Venice, others are looking for ingredients to add to han
dcrafted beer. This week we received Linguine nero di Seppia, a black coloured pasta. This durum wheat semolina pasta with wheat germ and black squid ink squid ink is made by Morelli Pasta. A family-owned business in its fifth generation, which has continued with the traditional production of pasta made from wheat germs which gives a unique flavour and delicious taste. This pasta is ideal to accompany seafood such as clams.
I wish you a relaxing weekend – take a drive up the West coast and enjoy the carpets of Vygies.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team