Time for a revolution

I have always respected the relationship that the French have with food. The markets, the baguette, the lunchtime set meal, the family meal table, the restaurants.

For more than two decades I have felt that French supermarkets were about 20 years behind those in the UK, but with the emphasis on independent small shops and the belief that good food rather than cheap food was a priority it seemed unimportant.

A recent trip to Brittany has shown that things are changing and in my opinion it is not all for the good. Our first stop was in a small town where the only place offering hot food was a fast food outlet serving hamburgers, chips, chicken burgers and sandwiches. Worse still, the outlet not called vite manger but 'Fast Food'. More shockingly, almost every table was occupied with an abundance of polystyrene containers and fizzy drinks. At least some of the French are concerned about this trend with one car sticker saying: Hamburger - non, Crêpe au Beurre - oui.

It seemed that there was a trend in larger towns for many of the shops to remain open throughout the traditional two- or three-hour lunch period. Sadly, it appears that shoe shopping has become a greater priority than the traditional three-course lunch.

Some meals seemed somewhat dated, with heavy creamy sauces and desserts that had not moved on from the 1980s.

But there were still some positives: the markets remained supreme with the finest and freshest produce; the bakers continued to sell bread to die for, and there is still good emphasis on regional dishes.

Times are changing and it isn't all, in my opinion, change for the better. If the current food trends occurring in the UK are maintained with farmers markets, specialist small producers and new innovative restaurants, it will not be long before we will stay in the UK for a gourmet break rather than channel hop.

Celia Wright​ is group technologist at Oscar Mayer