I’ve just come back from a family reunion in France. Every day, for just over a week, between 12 and 20 of us ate, drank and were merry. We took turns to do the shopping and cooking. A daily shop came to about 200 euro, about $300, including alcohol. Lots of alcohol. I realised that everything (except prawns) cost a good deal less than here in Australia. A croissant was $1.50, a baguette the same, a large apple tart just $15 – even less at the supermarket. Not only was everything cheaper, but it also tasted better. Even regular potatoes which, I discovered have an incredible flavour.

All of which seems strange given the abundance of sunshine, land and farmers in this part of the world.

Is the problem the supermarket duopoly here – Woolworths and Coles have over 65% share. In France, the two biggest share about 40% of the market. And are our supermarkets defining quality so that it’s all about appearance rather than taste?

Take chicken. Your typical free-range Australian chicken has enormous breasts and relatively short legs. The French equivalent is long-legged with much smaller breasts, generally leaner and it tastes delicious. I don’t know what Australian chicken tastes like. Sure, the mention of Chicken tikka, Karaage chicken, or chicken and walnuts will get my mouth watering, but not for the chicken.

In truth, the bird I’m talking about was more expensive than Australian chicken, at $10 a kilo chez Leclerc vs $6 at Woolies, but I’d recommend it to anyone – unless covid has killed your taste buds.

The ultimate French chook is the Poulet de Bresse, a specific breed from a specific region – it even has its AOC, like wine – and it’s not cheap at $30 a kilo from Carrefour and presumably much more from your local boucherie.

Poulet de Bresse sets a benchmark for what chicken can be and that has an impact on the whole of France. The end result is the delicious Leclerc $10 chicken.

Another famous French benchmark is the Michelin restaurant guide which was born in 1900 to encourage Parisians to drive more and in doing so, wear their tyres out faster. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to find one nearby – the Charente isn’t famous for its produce beyond an odd cabbage mousse and a debatable alcoholic drink called Pinneau de Charente – and then I came across Le Moulin de la Tardoire, a one star Michelin restaurant about 40 minutes away. I can recommend it to anyone who ever finds themselves near Angouleme. My father claimed it was the best meal he’d had in France since he’d first visited in 1947. And we had the cheap menu. With wine, the meal came to about $60 each and that included an excellent Pouilly Fuissé and a less exciting Sancerre.

My heart may be in Australia, but my stomach remains in France.

Back home I can recommend the Best’s Pinot Noir. At a little over $25 it’s an absolute bargain. Dare I say, it’s one of the best.