And the winner isThe strawberry marshmallow Haribos - much to Paul's dismay. He was taking an informal vote to see who preferred the strawberry marshmallows or these soft banana candies (which tasted like the banana flavoured penicillin we used to have as kids).

At the end of the week, plenty of bananas remained on Paul's desk while the strawberries were nowhere to be seen. The packaging is all en Francais as the Candyman picked these up on holiday in the Pyrenees, France.
The Candyman hoping people would vote for the little banay-nays.

Dinner with the PopeSometimes after a tough day, I am afraid to say, this is what dinner consists of!

At least it is great wine - Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhone wine region in France, and corn nuts are part of the vegetable food group, right? After this instance, we then whipped up a smoked salmon and potato salad to add some nutrition.

Pape=Pope

Evaporating seawater produces...
This sea salt comes from Noirmoutier Island near Brittany, France and is sold at Borough Market. It comes in some lovely flavour combinations e.g. sea salt and sea weed, sea salt and hot spices (cumin, curry & chili's), sea salt, ginger and coriander and more. As Momma Dolce always says, 'it is the presentation that counts', and the vendors know this well as salt is not the sexiest product to sell. With very well designed labels, modern and fresh signage, beautiful large wooden bowls and scoopers and a lovely french-y checkered tablecloth, the stall at the market looks inviting. The two gentlemen who run the stall have created such a simple, yet pleasing way to view and display salt. It made me want to put my hands into the bowls and feel the texture and salt on my skin -which is most likely frowned upon.

Apparently sea salt tastes different than normal iodized salt as its makeup is different. It is generally more expensive than normal salt and usually found in gourmet restaurants and also in those lovely hand baked crisps. I think the sound and texture of sea salt and fresh ground pepper coming out of a grinder onto your meal adds to the experience and theatre of cooking!

I might buy some seasoned sea salt tomorrow and ask the gentlemen who sell it what best to use it with. I am thinking a steak or a nice fish filet drizzled with salt and olive oil and broiled in the oven. Tomorrow is market day.

C'est raclette oui ou non?

Raclette is a specialty that comes from France/Switzerland. At Borough Market they sell raclette (see pics)and for £5 you get a plate of potatoes with the melted milky traditional cheese on top -served with a gherkin (pickle) or two.

I went to a few parties where raclette was served and at these parties the cheese was ladled over cured and cooked meats - like ham, chicken, beef, fish along with all types of vegetables like onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and more... in addition to roasted potatoes.

At work on Friday, British members of the team were baffled at the cost and desire for raclette as they argued, 'Isn't it just jacket potato and cheese?' which is standard British fare that you can get on any corner for £2 for double the portion. I never thought of it that way and laughed...I actually agree and think that stall is puling a fast one on visitors. It is essentially baked potatoes (cut up into cubes) and cheese.

At least they scrape the cheese from the large traditional cheese wheel. To scrape is where the word raclette comes from...but they give you nothing else?! The guy even sells olives on the side. Maybe a piece of crusty bread would be nice? For £5 that is a lot to pay for a French version of jacket potatoes and cheese, non?

Am sure the French man who wears his fancy apron and speaks in his French accent is scratching or scraping his head all the way to the bank in wonder how people would pay that much for some cheese and potatoes!

Pic of a traditional raclette spread.