Maître Philippe & Filles are known more for French cheeses, and that is how it should remain. However, it is rumored that the Dutch also produce quite decent results when it comes to cheese… The most famous Dutch cheese is Gouda, a large round hard cheese made from cow’s milk, ideally with as few holes as possible, which comes from the eponymous village in the Netherlands, or is at least named after it. The name itself is not protected, which is why Gouda can and is made all over the world. It follows, therefore, that the quality is not always up to par.

In early July, I had the great pleasure of traveling to the Île de Ré in Brittany with a film crew from Kabel Eins to find out how fleur de sel is made. We visited Maud and James, the two extremely likable salt farmers from Comptoir des Pertuis, who took us into their salt marshes and gave us a glimpse into their fascinating profession.  Read the short illustrated report of this exciting trip on our blog now!

In the last week of February, we flew to Porto to attend the two wine fairs "Essência do Vinho" and "Simplesmente Vinho". In just a few days, we discovered numerous exciting wines, reunited with many friends, and placed a few new orders that will arrive with us soon. Among them the fantastic rosé from Rita Marques (Conceito), a very elegant Encruzado and a fresh Vinho Verde. Read more about our discoveries and experiences in this blog post ...

Among gourmets, Jamon Ibérico, the air-dried ham from Spanish pigs, is extremely well known. It commands high prices and is considered the best ham in the world. Particularly famous and renowned is Jamon Ibérico de Bellota, or Bellota ham, which comes from pigs that are raised on traditional acorn pastures.But what about Germany? Does it always have to be smoked Black Forest ham here? No! In Lower Franconia, agricultural scientist Hans Huss raises 250 so-called acorn-fed pigs each year on traditional acorn pastures before they are turned into excellent acorn-fed ham that can truly hold its own against Jamon Ibérico!

In early October, we had the pleasure of traveling to Brittany to get to the bottom of the phenomenon of the year-round sardine. We visited the Conserverie Gonidec in Concarneau, from whom we source the excellent sardines "Les Mouettes d'Arvor". We were also allowed to go out on a sardine cutter and watch the real fishermen over their shoulder during their nightly endeavor ...

My fourth trip to Portugal this year took my wife and me back to the Douro Valley, but this time we also visited the Dão, the wine-growing region a little further south inland, which some already cautiously refer to as "Portugal's Tuscany". We met four promising winemakers, both familiar and new, and brought back a wonderful selection of fantastic wines that I am sure you will enjoy!

After a visit to our "fish department", it must be clear to everyone: we have a passion for sardines! Some may even call it a little obsession, but the adoration of this fish takes on completely different proportions in other countries! For example, in Lisbon: there, the Festa de Santo António is celebrated every year on June 12th. This is a holiday in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of Lisbon, during which the whole city is on its feet and sardines are grilled and eaten around the clock in the brightly decorated streets. A true paradise for us … and it goes without saying that we absolutely wanted to be there this year!

We are always on the lookout for exciting new products that capture our hearts and that we can offer our customers. Our focus is, of course, on French delicacies, but when there are interesting products to discover and taste elsewhere, we are curious and take a closer look … Portugal seems to be a real treasure trove in this regard! This time we went on a little wine journey to the famous Douro Valley ...

During our short break in Lisbon, we visited Conserveira de Lisboa, ate at the legendary canned food restaurant Sol e Pesca, and also met up with Tiago from the design-focused startup Miss Can. We ate a lot of fish, but also plenty of pastéis de nata, and of course took in the beautiful city, which is truly always worth a visit!

Jean-Yves Bordier is THE French butter pope, and his butter creations are famous and popular worldwide! Reiner Veit interviewed the master. Here is a short account of it all.

On her journey through France, Anaïs visits some of our producers. This time she is visiting Charcuterie Hardouin in the Loire, from whom we source our delicious terrines.

On her journey through France, Anaïs stops at several of our suppliers. This time she visits Huilerie Leblanc in the Massif Central, from whom we source various oils and mustard.