When I moved to Paris, my former-French-exchange buddy turned friend greeted me with a welcome that bordered on frenzy.
“I am so happy you are here,” she said, when we met in a café near my new apartment. As you can imagine I was… flattered, relieved, anticipating a lecture on the state of my wardrobe… but she was off on a different tack: “Now you can eat properly.”
Turning to her husband, she told him: “When I used to stay with Joanna in England, it was awful. The food was terrible.” She turned back to me, adding kindly: “And I know now, for an English woman, your mother is a very good cook.”
Fortunately, not many are as forthright as my (actually often very charming) friend, but the expression “the British eat to live, the French live to eat,” was something I heard often in Paris, and not only from French people. And, as I noticed the queue of people who stood outside my local bakery every day, I began to see that they had a point.
Of course, I missed the prawn-cocktail-flavoured crisps, Ribena and other delicacies (not to mention my mother’s cooking) when I was away – but not half as much as I missed French food when I moved back. Imagine then, what it must be like for the ever-increasing numbers (that isn’t based on statistics by the way, just the impression you get walking through west London) of Parisians living over here.
However much they may admire our parks, our museums – even the distance between underground stations (more time for kipping than on the Metro, apparently) – when it comes to food, polish our Michelin Stars as we may, London still has some catching up to do. The main message is that the British opt for quantity over quality.
“I think there are three stages you go through when you come to London,” says Sandra Cossart, a Parisian who has been living here for three-and-a-half years. “First you get excited about the diversity, all the different shops and restaurants from all over the world. Then you start to get nostalgic about French food – so you buy more cheeses and so on. You also dream about finding fruits and vegetables that aren’t packaged – of being able to touch them, smell them. Here every thing is ‘asceptisé’ – cleaned and packed. And finally, I think you get used to it and enjoy the variety – even if sometimes you do feel the need for a petit salé au lentilles a choucroute.”
While that may sound like something we would all enjoy, the difference between the two cities appears to be far more fundamental that just the packaging. Clem Ladroie, for example, originally from Nice, has been living in London for five years.
“I’ve lived like a British guy since I’ve been here,” he says. “I eat anything that is quick. I don’t know if – objectively – that’s an Anglo-French thing, because my lifestyle has changed a lot since I’ve lived in London, and now I’m always working. But in general, in France, people will always sit down and have a meal. You would go to the bakery after work and buy your baguette – it would have to fresh and warm – and then go home and make a nice meal.”
Ladroie also notices a greater attachment to liquids over solids: “British people also tend to drink more,” he points out. “French people will have a glass of wine at lunch or at dinner, but the British drink more. I drink more here than I would in France.”
The idea of the meal as an event is also something that Cossart misses. “The conviviality surrounding eating isn’t the same,” she says. “The British don't really invite others to eat; so we have to do it because we miss it a lot – sitting around a table, drinking wine while eating. You can find people – foreigners, French people, but also some British – that appreciate dinners, cheese, wine – so we recreate that French conviviality.”
That’s all very well, but if you don’t have a Parisian friend, where do you turn to recreate that French feeling? The bad news is that – with the exception of wine, which most seem happy to get at French off-licence Nicolas or even a local Oddbins – most Parisians seem to view the Eurostar as an extended trip to the corner shop, bringing their cheeses – and finer wines – back with them.
When it comes to imported delicacies, the consensus appears to be that specialist shops are vastly over-priced, but mention standard fare and opinion is sharply divided. “Tesco has a cheese counter with all the main cheeses, such as epoisse or camembert,” says Mathias Feau, who has been living in London for ten months. “The choice is the same as any supermarket in France and prices are not that expensive.”
For Cossart, however, British supermarkets are a source of actual distress. “I sometimes go to Tesco and Sainsbury’s, and I get depressed. Especially about the fruit and vegetables and what they call the French cheeses, and disgusting bread,” she says.
Ah, the bread, a highlight of any trip to Paris. It’s hardly surprising that it would be one of the main things that Parisians miss over here. “Bread is a terrible issue here. Worse than cheese,” says Cossart sadly.
Cecile Cantin, from Versailles just outside Paris, has been living in London for ten months and is more positive about our national cuisine than most. “I like British food, but I wouldn’t want to eat it every day,” she says, adding that those looking for the perfect pain should head for French bakery Paul. “They use lots of different grains and it tastes just like it does at home,” she says.
Cossart also suggests Planet Organic – not only for the bread, but because it gives you a chance to actually touch and smell the food.
However, if you are looking for a Parisian experience but do not want to have to go to the effort (or indeed expense – Eurostar tickets and organic food add up) of doing it yourself then there are several restaurants that come recommended.
“You can find good, affordable French food in Café de Paris' in Covent Garden,” says Feau. “Other than that, another restaurant where we usually go is Tartine in South Kensington.”
For a rather more pedestrian Parisian fix, Cantin recommends Café Rouge. “I’ve been to the one in Soho. It’s probably not the best French restaurant in London, but it’s not too expensive and it’s got a big menu. To me it feels like being at home, because the pictures on the wall are exactly the same ones as I’ve got a home.”
However, before we despair that the whole of South Kensington is about to fade away, you’ll be pleased to hear that there is one British standard that the French admit to liking: the Sunday roast. “I like the gravy” says Cantin.
