Good afternoon everyone,
We are very happy to announce that we will be open on Thursdays from the 13th of February. We would like to thank everyone for bearing with us, and as an inducement to come and see us this Thursday coming, we are offering a 20% discount on all bread and baked goods. Simply use the code THU20 at checkout and the discount will be automatically applied*.
On the pastry counter it's business as usual - another week, another bun. After the success of our chocolate and marzipan bun in January, we are happy to introduce the vanilla and almond bun, our classic vanilla bun with a generous nub of almond paste and flaked almonds added before the bake, and vanilla syrup applied once out of the oven. Gilding the lily? Never. Sometimes more is better.
Wine. With the wintry weather looking likely to hang around for a little longer, we've added some robust reds to help keep the cold away. The Champ des Treilles Rouge is that rare beast, a really good value Bordeaux. Corinne and Jean-Michel Comme have been practicing biodynamic agriculture since the early 90s, which at the time was unheard of in this most conservative of regions. They make a single red wine, blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and ageing in traditional cement vats rather than oak, to avoiding masking the purity of the fruit. Importers Vine Trail say: The fruit is ripe, natural, with dark cherry, fruits of the forest, hints of spice, and dark chocolate. It has a lovely play on the palate with great freshness and very finely tuned, ripe tannins.
The wines of Brigitte Chevalier, of Domaine de Cebene, located in the rugged Faugeres region of the Languedoc, have featured on our shelves ever since we first tried them and were hooked by their depth and power, always allied to freshness and drinkability. The 2020 vintage of Belle Lurette is made mainly with the fruit from a 6ha plot of very old vines of Carignan, some over a hundred years. This means that yields are extremely low; at two bunches per vine, it takes two vines to produce a single bottle. The pay off is great complexity, with layers of earth, spice and dark fruit. One to take your time over.
A classic to finish on. No one does winter warmers like the Southern Rhone, and this Gigondas is from one of the very top producers in the region, Moulin de la Gardette. It's big and bold but so balanced and elegant, with raspberry and blackberry fruit, leather and warm spices, held together by saline minerality, juicy acidity and fine tannins. Another one to take your time over. Ha.
More cheese next week, and another Covered Market update.
Thanks for reading and have a lovely Sunday,
Kate and Hugo
*Please note the discount will only be applied to bread and baked goods ordered for collection on Thursday 13th February.