Mickaël was a French chef.
He probably still is, although we've long since lost touch.
Many years ago, he ran the kitchen of a smart country hotel, just outside the beautiful Romano-French town of Saintes in Charente-Maritime.
His food was spectacular and, over time, we got to know him and his Madamepretty well.
One day he said to me, ‘Why don’t you come to the market with me in the morning?’
So I did.
À six heures du matin the very next day, we drove into town to one of Saintes’ then daily farmers’ markets.
It was a Damascene moment.
I watched as this chef – at the top of his game – wandered around chatting to all the different stall holders and producers. There was a little small talk, of course, but mainly the focus was on what was good, fresh, in season, right here, right now, aujourd’hui, ce matin.
Moving between the stalls, Mickaël made his assessment of what produce was at its very best and put his orders in.
He didn’t have a shopping list. He didn’t have his recipes to hand.
He looked at what was good, he bought it, and then he decided what he was going to cook.
And that was how the daily menu for the restaurant was developed.
Selon le marché.
According to the market.
In the UK - and sadly now, France - our supermarkets have conspired to kid us that everything is equally good all year round.
It’s a lie.
The result of which is that we get identikit food.
Food that is bland, boring and all the same – regardless of season, weather, geography. Food that couldn’t be further removed from the people that produce it.
We can do better. We deserve better.
Producers deserve better.
The planet deserves better.
Shopping according to the market forces us to be more creative. To live in harmony with the island that we inhabit. To enjoy the differences in the seasons. And to understand that nature, always, has the last word.
It’s a mindset. A philosophy.
Three individually anodyne French words that, together, have the power to start a revolution:
Selon le marché.
Nick
He probably still is, although we've long since lost touch.
Many years ago, he ran the kitchen of a smart country hotel, just outside the beautiful Romano-French town of Saintes in Charente-Maritime.
His food was spectacular and, over time, we got to know him and his Madamepretty well.
One day he said to me, ‘Why don’t you come to the market with me in the morning?’
So I did.
À six heures du matin the very next day, we drove into town to one of Saintes’ then daily farmers’ markets.
It was a Damascene moment.
I watched as this chef – at the top of his game – wandered around chatting to all the different stall holders and producers. There was a little small talk, of course, but mainly the focus was on what was good, fresh, in season, right here, right now, aujourd’hui, ce matin.
Moving between the stalls, Mickaël made his assessment of what produce was at its very best and put his orders in.
He didn’t have a shopping list. He didn’t have his recipes to hand.
He looked at what was good, he bought it, and then he decided what he was going to cook.
And that was how the daily menu for the restaurant was developed.
Selon le marché.
According to the market.
In the UK - and sadly now, France - our supermarkets have conspired to kid us that everything is equally good all year round.
It’s a lie.
The result of which is that we get identikit food.
Food that is bland, boring and all the same – regardless of season, weather, geography. Food that couldn’t be further removed from the people that produce it.
We can do better. We deserve better.
Producers deserve better.
The planet deserves better.
Shopping according to the market forces us to be more creative. To live in harmony with the island that we inhabit. To enjoy the differences in the seasons. And to understand that nature, always, has the last word.
It’s a mindset. A philosophy.
Three individually anodyne French words that, together, have the power to start a revolution:
Selon le marché.
Nick