Spice rack – étagère à épices (I think – at least that’s what Google says).
From my experience, hot spices are not something that the French really like. I think a good French friend of mine thought I was trying to poison him and his family when I served up spicy Thai fish soup, and ever since then he has been rather nervous about accepting dinner invitations.
So, to try and find hot chillies, or some of the more exotic Asian, African and Caribbean spices in local French markets and supermarkets, can be tricky to say the least.
We recently moved to Brighton and like most self-respecting English towns and cities, there is a healthy mix of restaurants from all over the world. Even better, there is a great shop in Brighton called “The Spice Shop” and that inspired me to create a spice rack in Brighton. Enezio from Brazil works at the shop and mixes a lot of the spices himself and is a font of great knowledge. I think the original shop is London.
The Razel Hanout mix from Morocco is great with chicken. I have always enjoyed chillies and when we lived in St.Come I used to have around 20 different chillies growing all over the house. I used to bring them inside in winter but they were outside for at least 8 months of the year. One even turned into a small chilli tree that lasted 3 years. The Creole mix is another favourite of mine – great for BBQs. But to be honest they are all tasty, so it is a chance to be inventive with your marinades and sauces!
The Spice Shop, 10 Gardner St, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 1UP
So we have replicated our Brighton spice rack in Mas de Mahystre in St.Côme with around 28 tins of spices. Many come from The Spice Shop and many are more local spices. Please help yourselves and replenish when you can.
We will do our best to stock them up at the start of each season.
Enjoy and be creative!!
A Hideaway In France 