c'est Bon!
France has made an impact on British appetites with the introduction of the baguette and classic dishes like cràpes suzette.
The Parisienne, the traditional French stick, and Provençale, the crusty and floury baguette are on offer from Bagatelle, 751. This company also supplies 30 different types of breads, all created by French bakers following the oldest traditions. Varieties include Pain A L'Ancienne, the authentic old-fashioned French farm bread with a nutty taste; Pain Brie, made from wheat flour, fermented dough and butter and Pain Sur Levain, described as "the result of a natural leaven and stoneground flour".
From Delifrance, 752, there's a range of Petite Baguettes such as Sundried Tomato Petite Baguette and Mediterranean Medley filled with a selection of olive oil barbecued vegetables - courgettes, onions, mushrooms, red and green peppers. Available in boxes of 35 x 110g.
French method puff pastry is being produced at Canterbury Foods', 754 factory following a £1million refurbishment. Products are supplied as blocks, pre-cut sheets as ovals, rounds and squares, either plain or with a lattice finish. A free recipe leaflet is available.
No French-style meal would be complete without cheese in some shape or form, so how about serving it as a starter for a change rather than at the end of a meal? For example, Crispy Coated Camembert from Brake Bros, 755, or French brie coated in breadcrumbs from Kitchen Range Foods, 756?
Other starter ideas are Escargots in Garlic Butter, Petite de Campagne and French Onion Soup, all from Brakes, 757, or Garlic Mushrooms, Home-Style Breaded Mushrooms, made with mushrooms from the Loire Valley from Kitchen Range Foods, 758.
French menus should include traditional favourites like Chicken Dijonnaise and Beef Bourguignon. These are ready-made meals from Thomas Morel, 759, which require the minimum preparation.
Or there's Breast of Duck a l'Orange and Moules Mariniers from Brake Bros, 760. Ready to cook, the mussels are packed in individual pouches with one pouch suggested as a starter serving and two for a main course.
For creating dishes in a hurry, Bestfoods, 761, offers several sauces under the Knorr label such as Au Poivre, Demi-Glace and Provencale - just heat and serve. Cook in sauces, 762, include White Wine, Red Wine and Chasseur.
For accompanying dishes, make sure you serve authentic mustard such as Organic Dijon mustard from Gordon's Fine Foods, 763.
To give salads a French flavour, try the Salad Makers salad dressings from Universe Foodservice, 764, such as French Style Light, Balsamic Dressing and Coriander and Dill. A quick spray of Garlic Mist, 765, will give extra pizzazz to salads.
Customers will be persuaded to order puddings when they see the mouth-watering selection of French desserts. These include Tarte au Chocolat, Tarte Normande, Tarte au Creme Anglaise and Tarte Tatin from Brake Bros, 766 and of course, Crepe Suzette, also by Brakes, 767.
Or there's La Tarte Nouveau Monde, alcohol-free, a chocolate almond cream and pecan nut on a chocolate sweet paste base, glazed with maple syrup or Le Normandie, caramel mousse with caramelised apples blazed with Calvados on a joconde biscuit. These are just some of the delicacies available from Bagatelle, 768.
French wine is an essential part of creating the French experience. Wine and Co, 769, has introduced some new French imports. These include Chateau Les Palais Corbieres 1998, a lush red from a property dating back to the 13th century and Bourgueil Domaine Les Pins 1999 Cuvee Les Rochettes.
The Bordeaux Wine Bureau, 770, can supply information on wines from this part of France.
Sales of bottled water have risen dramatically in this country. Perrier, 771, is probably one of the best-known brands. It recently extended its range to include a new 50cl bottle.
Another French brand Evian, 771, claims to be the market leader in this country. Evian Volvic has produced a limited edition bottle with a golden top and a transparent glass body as a collector's item.
