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Dijon is famed for its mustard (Moutarde de Dijon) and hence it comes as a shock to hear that the company Maille is closing its mustard factory in Dijon (21 Cote d’Or, Burgundy). Whilst that is sad for the 300 or so workers, it does transpire that in any case most Dijon mustard is made outside Burgundy; that Maille is owned by multi-national conglomerate Unileve; and that surprisingly Dijon mustard is not covered by any “Appellation Controllee”, which would otherwise protect the name from being used elsewhere or for non-standard products.

Dijon mustard is essentially a blend of brown and white mustard seeds mixed with wine vinegar. Purists argue that only wine vinegar made from good wine will do, and that cheaper wines produce poorer mustards. 

Generally if a mustard is called “a l’Ancienne” it is a wholegrain mustard as distinct from a smooth mustard which tends to affect the texture rather than the taste.

The other well-known French mustard is from Meaux (77 Seine et Marne, Ile de France) the same area as the Brie de Meaux cheese - unfortunately they do not go well together! Here Pommery produce a mustard with additional spices (secret recipe of course) as a wholegrain mustard in distinctive earthenware crocks with a cork stopper - always looks good on the table.

Maille still has a boutique shop in Dijon at 32, rue de la Liberté - and one in Paris at 6, place de la Madeleine
in the 8th arrondisement - close to those other foodie meccas of Fauchon and  Hediard.

For more info on Maille, its range of products and shops see http://www.maille.com

English mustard is ground mustard seed which is made into a paste often with just water, or sometimes beer or cider. It is much hotter than French mustard, and the best known example is Coleman’s in the bright yellow tin - Colemans is also owned by Unilever!

Each July the French get very excited about 180 or more professional cyclists who cover 3,500km over three weeks racing around France, including staggering climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Tour de France 2009

With lots of razzamataz, commercial sponsorship, scandal and sporting achievement, it is a spectacle well worth seeing - especially as it is free. However, the downside is that the Tour can cause major disruption with roads closed for hours, hordes of people and traffic - and all hotel rooms along the route booked.
In 2009 the tour starts in Monaco on 4 July 2009, travels down the Mediterranean coast into Spain to Barcelona - then up through Andorra to the Pyrenees. With a skip to Central France the route heads east through northern Burgundy to Alsace, south the the Alpes and then heads for Paris and the final stage which finishes on the Champs Elysees on 26 July 2009.
Sat 4 July Monaco
Sun 5 July Monaco > Brignoles
Mon 6 July Marseille > La Grande-Motte
Tue 7 July Montpellier
Wed 8 July Le Cap d’Agde > Perpignan
Thu 9 July Gérona > Barcelona (Spain)
Fri 10 July Barcelona > Andorra
Sat 11 July Andorra> Saint-Girons
Sun 12 July Saint-Gaudens > Tarbes
Mon 13 July rest day - Limoges
Tue 14 July Limoges > Issoudun
Wed 15 July Vatan > Saint-Fargeau
Thu 16 July Tonnerre > Vittel
Fri 17 July Vittel > Colmar
Sat 18 July Colmar > Besançon
Sun 19 July Pontarlier > Verbier
Mon 20 July rest day - Verbier
Tue 21 July Martigny > Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Wed 22 July Bourg-Saint-Maurice > Le Grand-Bornand
Thu 23 July Annecy > Annecy
Fri 24 July Bourgoin-Jallieu > Aubenas
Sat 25 July Montélimar > Mont Ventoux
Sun 26 July Montereau-Fault-Yonne > Paris Champs-Élysées

For more info on the Tour de France see www.letour.fr

Coulommiers is both a cheese and a town - in 77 Seine-et-Marne, Ile de France, 40 odd miles east of Paris. The town celebrates its cheese in a grand cheese and wine festival from 7-10 April 2006 - cheese and wine tasting, competition for the best cheese, competition for the best cheese eater, concert, exhibition etc.
See www.foire-fromages-et-vins.com

Coulommiers is a soft cheese, essentially a small Brie, made from raw cow’s milk. The more one investigates the more one discovers - as there is Brie de Meaux, Brie Fermier, Brie de Melun, Brie de Coulommiers (which is not quite the same as Coulommiers), Brie de Montereau, Brie de Rungis and Brie de Provins. Brie de Meaux is widely regarded as the best, but as with all these styles of cheese, appropriate ripeness is critical.Too young and hard and so much flavour and texture is missing. Ripened too quickly the cheese separates and is lumpy. A good cheesemonger will ask when the cheese is to be eaten and choose appropriately, Getting one that has just the right amount of ooze is critical, in the short period before it gets dissolves too far into a sticky goo which smells of ammonia.

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The recently opened A77 autoroute runs from the A6 Autoroute du Soleil at Nemours (77 Seine et Marne, Ile de France) south of Paris due south towards Nevers (58 Nievre, Bourgogne) and eventually Moulins (03 Allier,Auvergne) and offers greatly improved access to the upper Loire, Sancerre, Briare (for the Pont Canal over the Loire) etc.

Most French autoroutes have names and this is known as the Autoroute des Arbres - Autoroute of the Trees. It features a delightful “Jardin des Arbres” rest area which is designed as a “shop window” in which to present a few of the remarkable species from the nearby National Arboretum at Barres. The Société des Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhône, (the company which runs this motorway) then developed a more ambitious idea for the whole of the A77 autoroute: -
small groves of trees and copses have been planted all along the motorway. They are presented as arboretums to attract the attention of travellers.Their density increases then steadily decreases on both sides of the road over the whole route.
Each rest/service area has been named after the species chosen to beautify it including sephora, purple beech, cedar, gum tree, gingko, tulip tree and sequoia which succeed each other along the 101 km route.
It certainly puts the M1 and the likes of Newport Pagnall services to shame - BUT then most French autoroutes are toll roads, and they seldom have the sheer density of traffic which we have to endure in the UK.
For more information on the National Arboretum at Barres which is at Nogent-sur-Vernisson (45 Loiret, Centre) see www.arboretumdesbarres.com . - junction 18.1 off the A77 south of Montargis. The “Jardin des Arbres” rest area is just south of Junction 18.1 on the A77.

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