Bonjour French Market friends,
Here in Cape Town, we have arrived in the month of February, famous for Romance and the best weather in Cape Town. If you are starting to plan for la Fete de St Valentin, in one of the magnificent settings of our unique city between the mountain and the sea, then take a look at our beautiful products – a romantic candlelight picnic with the best French cheese, Terrines, fresh baguettes, delicious chocolate cakes and a bottle of champagne, you can find it all at our little French speciality shop.
Apart from 
our amazing collection of gooey ripe French cheese, back in stock this week, from neighbouring countries in Europe, are iconic cheeses, 18-month aged cheddar from Ireland and sheep’s milk Manchego from Spain. From Italy we have 18-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, Buffala mozzarella and burrata. We have a new stock of French butter, salted and unsalted. What is special about this gourmet French butter is the high butter fat content, which gives it a richness and depth of flavour, spread some on a fresh baguette and you do not need anything else. It tastes great.
New stock came in of Maldon Sea salt flakes. These salt flakes have been hand harvested on the shores of the seaside town of Maldon, since 1882. HM Quen Elizabeth visited the salt works in 2010 and granted Maldon Salt a Royal Warrant as official purveyors of sea salt. Maldon salt flakes are recognisable by their pure white colour and pyramid shapes, they are used by great chefs and ordinary cooks throughout the world because of their pure taste.
One of 
my favourite fishy tastes is white anchovies. The most famous come from the Cantabrian region in Spain, where the sea waters are deep and chilled. One way to prepare the anchovies is by preserving them in vinegar, oil, garlic, and parsley, known as Boquerones. We have just received new stock in our shop. These are often served as a popular aperitif dish. In my recipe this week I combined Boquerones and egg mayo to make a tasty starter. I suggest serving this with a chilled rose, made by Gerard Bertrand, grown on the slopes of the Hills of the Roses, right on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.
I hope you have an enjoyable weekend and relax in this hot summer weather.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team