It sounds a bit smoke and mirrors. You don’t have a tip for what to use instead of duck fat? 
No - afraid to say he doesn’t like that either! But thanks for that ‘cos I can try both myself.
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You’re right, he’s fussy.
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I use olive oil to roast vegetables.
If you like confit duck, I found that there’s enough fat in a tin of 4 legs (don’t confit them myself) for a year’s cooking.
Olive oil is the obvious one. Incidentally, this week 3 litres of Spanish extra virgin olive oil is about €16 in Aldi. And I’m sure that would be sufficient to roast a good few potatoes (or the root vegetable of your choice).
That’s what I thought of first. I was just wondering about coconut oil for a change.
Can you please share your recipe?
We have a soup competition in our village shortly and this could be a candidate.
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Ah yes, confit food. 
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When we first came to France we used to buy the tins of confit de canard, particularly to take back to the UK, but I don’t think they compared with the vacuum sealed legs.
We lived between France and the UK for several years before we moved here f/t, and in those days, I used to order half a dozen Gressingham duck legs online and confit them myself
Interesting.
I used to buy confit duck from Field & Fare (I think that’s what they were called), the vacuum-packed version, and confit chicken too.
Probably because I was already used to the tinned version, I never enjoyed them as much. But I do like crispy fat.
Rather than an English ‘canard’ - know which one I prefer…
Me too, and what’s even better is that I’m married to someone who doesn’t…
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White winter vegetable soup,
Equal amounts of cauliflower, parsnip. Add an onion and sautee with a know of butter Add a little salt & some white pepper
Add vegetable stock, cook until vegetables are tender. Blitz with a stick blender & add some Creme fraiche & a little nutmeg.
Serve with croutons or crusty bread.
This works well with cauliflower stalk, pale cauliflower leaves & miss shapen parsnip..
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That’s pretty much what we do, but we use cream instead of coconut cream. We grow butternut every year as it grows very well here and a lot ends up in soups, and they keep very well for several months (the butternut, not the soup 
).
Back to the title… I’m wondering… where did you read this?
“The French” and other locals (including me and OH) are very happily enjoying winter vegetables, mostly grown within our area and absolutely delicious. 
I’m not sure where I read it tbh, I’ll try to find it again.
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That was easier than I expected. It was the Times. The thing is though, Stella, while you and people you and we know are eating lots of veg, the sales figures are countrywide.
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An interesting article. As so often it covers all of France so in some places it will be correct and in others… perhaps not so.
re Cauliflowers: “We in France” obviously need to eat more of them as Britain is buying 'em elsewhere nowadays. 
Seems France used to export 60%, but not any more…
Can’t blame Britain for choosing a cheaper supplier, of course, but I’d have thought there’s only so many times per week that “We in France” can enjoy the wonders of cauli-this and cauli-that 
(OH and I, we’re doing our best!)
“People just don’t want fresh vegetables any more,” said a fruit and veg shop saleswoman in Paris".
Obviously, we’re not in Paris…
Vegetables here are sold loose and there is a great selection.
Packaged “soup/stew” mixed-veg is selling well locally: carrot, leek, turnip, onion and whatever. Just needs chopping up… but I prefer to pick and mix to my personal choice.
There are veg I see each winter but never tried cooking. But we’ve probably eaten and enjoyed them when out and about (friends/restos)
Not seen curly kale here for a few years. Lovely stuff and (I believe) very healthy.
I’d buy a lot more veg if the prices weren’t absolutely ridiculous locally. And I’m sure it’s not the farmer getting the ridiculous increases over the past few years.
Yes, I love curly kale and @Jennifer11 so does Stuart !
And in the olden days, I remember my mum cooking brussel tops. Not had them for absolutely yonks and I know they don’t sell them in France. I suppose the only way to get them is to grow brussel sprouts but we don’t have a vegetable plot.
I’ve never had confit duck - Stuart doesn’t like duck except when it’s at the Chinese restaurant when it’s crispy duck!
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