An enjoyable long week-end in Provence before the influx of tourism opened my eyes to the seriousness that Label Rouge is/should be taken.
I always buy Label Rouge chicken on principle - but only, until now, because I thought it was standard of superiority coined up up by suppliers. Not so apparently.
A visit to Provence without taking in some spice shops is a sin. Visiting one, I asked what unusual spice could I add to my home recipe of Herbes de Provence. The proprietor, who clearly knew his stuff, was quite indignant that my ārecipeā included the likes of parsley, bay and fennel! He explained that to meet the high and exact standard of Label Rouge, Herbes de Provence must only consist of 27% Rosemary, 27% Sarriette, 27% Oregan and 19% Thyme. He chastised visiting out-of town chefs for adding other herbs. In particular, Marcus Waring during his excellent 16 part series visiting Provence, for adding lavender flower! I naturally took away a small bag of herbes mixed to Label Rouge standard and have to admit, from last nightās bbq, yes it flavoured the steak much better than my normal!
Wiling away some time for the rain to stop, I surfed around the Label Rouge website, and would urge anyone else like me, not au fait with the lable do the same as it is most interesting regarding traditional French foodā¦
There have been a few threads here on Label Rouge recently, but itās a good point worth repeating for British people used to an agricultural system where the higher standards relate to animal welfare and not to the flavour!
I was all set to buy nothing but poulet de Bresse - seen lots of videos of happy chickens en plein aire - until I learned they spend the last two weeks of their lives being fattened in crates.
Not only the flavour but have you seen UK poultry, the size of it??? That puts me off for a start as they are not the norm compared to proper producers who treat their fowls with respect. Makes you wonder what drugs the bigger birds were given too.
i urge you to watch it! It is on bbc iplayer. Very well presented and stands out by its simplicity.
He is one of the better ones without any histrionics or lispy patronisation.
Greg Wallace? The failed market stall holder and failed restranteur? He is rubbish! He bought his way onto Masterchef and now they cannot get rid of him. Pity as it is a good program.
Hope Iām wrong, but I get the impression through posts on many SF threads that easy access to a range of decent meat poultry and fresh veg depends very much on where one lives.
Around here, I have to scout a bit to get free range porc direct from sometimes hard to find farms, but otherwise, superb meat and veg is easy to find. Mind you, I buy almost everything except fish on local markets, rather than in supermarkets and we eat what is in season.
We seldom stray north of the Midi, so donāt know much about local markets further north, but when we go down to the coast we notice how much more expensive are our local cheeses such as Cantal and Roquefort, and how much of the beef and veal is from the Aveyron or the Cantal. Yet, at home I donāt feel weāre paying a lot for cheeses from other far away places places such as Franche-Comte, the west and the Pyrenees.
Returning to Label Rouge - I think handwritten words like āfermierā on small market stalls are often a better indicator of quality than mass-printed labels
Masterchef, like many other shows is a franchise. Wallace, despite failing at many of his ventures has made money along the way that I understand put some into the UK franchise - pretty sure it is true as why else would a show director keep someone on who is holding down audience numbers
The one you tried last night would presumably have been very fresh,whereas your normal may not have been ? Keeping a herb mix just a few weeks or months will reduce the flavour and intensity.
If your going to add other herbs to Herbes de Provence, then I agree with him. That shouldnāt mean that you canāt add other flavourings to your dish if you like.
Silly statement. There are plenty of āproper producersā in the UK. Bird sizes can vary depending on breed and UK poultry is generally bigger for that reason. They are not drugged in order to make them bigger.
Yes indeed to freshness. I generally buy small portions from market epice ladies, which is misguided I am sure as their stock is maybe not managed well
In my new found love affair with label rouge, I found label rouge tinned sardines today! Never noticed them before! Yes, more than bottom shelf marques, but what a difference!
