We left France a couple of weeks ago and I have had in mind for a couple of weeks to write this blog. Bread is a big thing for the French. There is a saying, “a meal is not a meal if it doesn’t include bread”. I believe that machinery made a big difference to bread, some would say that it reduced the taste. In one article (podcast) I heard a baker agreed it removed some of the tastes. They said so much sweat goes into hand making bread and a machine simple doesn’t add that! I also heard that bread is starting to hit some economic issues in France, with people wanting longer lasting bread, or cheaper bread or both, so the local baker is hitting some issues in small villages and that is why the baguette vending machine is starting to come in, these being loaded up by a baker on a daily basis and it means one baker can serve multiple villages. Of course the main issue to the local baker is the supermarkets who sell bread at up to ¼ of the price of the local baker (based on our experience and not any extensive research). A baguette from a baker starts at around €1 so getting a baguette every day means €30 a month just on bread. I do have a bit of a weakness for bread, and what amazes me is the regional variations in bread. Some of it is as pliable as plasticine needing good dentures to work your way through it, some crusty, some not so crusty, some fluffy and soft, some sweet. Last year the bread in a place called St Michel Chef Chef was just so nice I put on a few stones as I munched my way though too much of it, it so melted in your mouth. To be honest a lot of the bread we bought travelling through France was not as nice as I get from the local Budgens garage back home. But then that could move me onto French food and I’d better not start, I have yet to have that fantastic french meal that I’m told every French cook dishes up.