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An Irish Chef in France

Euro-Toques chef Martin Dwyer, is much missed in Ireland since he and his wife Sile sold their eponymous restaurant in Waterford and moved to France. They now live in the Languedoc, where they take guests - and feed them very well.

Martin frequently gets asked what does he miss from Ireland, or what does he find better out in France and this has inspired him to make out two lists: Ten Foodie Things Which Ireland/France do Better

Those which Ireland does better.

1. Fish.
It is a case of “Thank God we are surrounded by water” in Ireland. Down here by the Mediterranean we suffer from much depleted stocks, prime fish like Turbot and Brill are rare and prohibitively expensive.

2. Bread
This one is not going to be popular with the French but the French have an over reliance on the Baguette, a suspect loaf as far as I am concerned, how can one have as one’s daily bread a loaf at its best for only an hour or two? Also there is no good Brown Wholewheat bread here, I discovered that the French discard the coarse wheat chaff (the best bit.)

3. Cappuccino
The French have a notion that sweetened whipped cream improves a Cappuccino. It doesn’t.

4. Tea
This is one of France’s total failures. Firstly they do not make it on boiling water. Secondly the tea is not of good quality. Where are the Barry’s when you need them ?

5. Floury Potatoes.
Plain boiled potatoes, roast potatoes and the best mash potatoes are better made with an Irish “Ball of Flour”. Difficult if not impossible to find in France.

6. Fresh Milk
Fresh milk is a given in Ireland, all shops no matter how humble will have a daily delivery. Here only the better Supermarkets stock milk fresh and the French have developed a remarkable ability to stomach UHT.

7. Crackers for Cheese
Bread is preferred with Cheese here, all well and good except when one has eaten a big dinner after which only the crisp crack of a water biscuit will hit the mark with one’s smearing of ripe Camembert.

8. Curry
I suppose because the French did not have the colonial relationship with India as the Brits did they never got familiar with this type of food. They really don’t do Curries and use the spice in a totally different way.

9. Rhubarb
Sad soft bunches of rhubarb make an appearance in the “Exotic” section of our local supermarket from time to time. These are roughly four times what one would pay for a bigger bunch in Ireland. Enough said.

10. Bacon.

They just don’t do good joints of bacon for boiling and glazing here. They cut them into cubes instead and use them to savour their Daubes and Coq au Vins.

Ten Foodie things which France does Better.

1. Meat.
Our village butcher shares an abattoir with his brother in the next village, he brings his own Lamb down from the Massif Centrale where his relatives farm it and he will not sell me meat, even though hanging in his cold room, unless he reckons that it has hung for long enough. I know that Irish butchers are leaping and bounding upwards but they still have a bit to go to match my man.

2.Patisseries.
Nearly every local boulangerie, no matter how small, will produce enticing trays of patisseries, Croissants, Pain au Chocolate, Pain au Raisins and exotic looking Choux and whipped cream confections along with superb glazed tarts.

3.Supermarkets.
I actually think that Irish Supermarkets (with the notable exception of Ardkeen Stores in Waterford) have dropped in quality since I left for France seven years ago. Still none have Cheese, Fresh Fish and Traiteur counters to compare with their opposite numbers here in France.

4. Summer Fruits
This is an area where the climate of Southern France gives it the edge. The quality of the Apricots, White and Yellow Peaches, Plums of every colour, Nectarines of every shape and style, delectable sweet juicy Melons is to die for.

5. Offal.
People enjoy and eat offal here in France and every Supermarket and Butchery stall in a market will have a supply of Lambs Kidneys, Sweetbreads, Brains and Tripe, plus Duck and Chicken Livers. Stuff like this I often had to order well in advance in Ireland.

6. School Lunches.
The son of some French friends, who is a structural engineer, told us that the Spec for a school canteen kitchen was identical to that for a three star hotel. Couple that with the fact that, every week our local primary sends out the lunch menus for the coming week to the parents for approval.

7. Non Floury Potatoes.
This is where the French make a draw of the potato war. They do love a good waxy spud. These are certainly the best for a good sauté potato but especially for those potato dishes cooked in the oven like a Pommes Anna but most especially for their triumph : Gratin Dauphinoise.

8. Wine.
Yes, no argument here.

9. Jambon.
The French dry cured Ham is of remarkably high standard here - and other areas beside Bayonne produce good stuff. I think it is the dampness of the Irish weather which makes the air dried curing impossible.

10. Café, Café.
The French do enjoy their little Cafés and their tiny cups of strong hot coffee (ask for express by the way, not espresso). It has been my experience that nearly all bars and even the humblest of village will be able to produce a decent brew. (Just don’t ask for tea).

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Martin Dwyer started cooking professionally over 40 years ago in the legendary “Snaffles Restaurant” in Dublin. After a time in a Relais Chateau in Anjou and in “The Wife of Bath” in Kent he opened his own much acclaimed restaurant, “Dwyers”, in Waterford in 1989. In 2004 he sold this and moved south to France where he and his wife Síle bought and restored an old presbytery in a village in the Languedoc. They now run Le Presbytère as a French style Chambre d’Hôte. Martin however is far too passionate about food to give up cooking so they now enjoy serving dinner to their customers on the terrace of Le Presbytère on warm summer evenings. Martin runs occasional cookery courses in Le Presbytère and Síle’s brother Colm does week long Nature Strolls discovering the Flora and Fauna of the Languedoc.

Le Presbytère can be seen at: www.lepresbytere.net;
email: martin@lepresbytere.net