Today I found myself exploring for the first time the allure of frozen food. For a country which has a long tradition of picking the freshest produce straight from the growers during market days, it comes as a surprise that the concept of frozen food would go down well with ordinary French folks.
The fact is the Picard logo is ubiquitous in France and not only is the chain well liked for its innovation, quality and value for money, it has captured the hearts and minds of the French public. In a recent consumer survey, the brand topped Ikea and Amazon to be France's most popular store. There are 108 branches in Paris alone, and over 780 throughout the country.
At Picard, the kind of frozen food that we are familiar with has evolved into an impressive range of entrees, appetizers, main courses and mouth-watering desserts.
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| A tempting range of bite-size petit fours and macarons |
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| Sorbets and ice creams in stunning presentation |
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| True to the form of French haute cuisine, these could have come from Fauchon |
Apparently everything in the store is flash-frozen which means they defrost very quickly and retain most of their nutrients. You can get every kind of fish imaginable and an interesting mix of the staple foods including beef, lamb, poultry, vegetables and fruit, both raw and prepared. The novelty of April, for instance, is the smoked salmon millefeuilles on the right which have been delicately assembled with fromage frais, basil, and vegetables.
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| Bags of frozen stock in cubes |
Coming from a country where wet market is THE place to get fresh ingredients, I have to admit I am more drawn to the concept behind Picard as a brand than the products themselves. It is selling a new kind of lifestyle that appeals to the younger generation. If you want your potato in brunoise, why bother with the fuss by doing it yourself when they come out from a bag perfectly diced? For me, the tiny boxes of frozen herbs and bags of veal stock and red wine sauce should prove to be rather handy for the odd meal that I might be preparing one of these days.
Apparently everything in the store is flash-frozen which means they defrost very quickly and retain most of their nutrients. You can get every kind of fish imaginable and an interesting mix of the staple foods including beef, lamb, poultry, vegetables and fruit, both raw and prepared. The novelty of April, for instance, is the smoked salmon millefeuilles on the right which have been delicately assembled with fromage frais, basil, and vegetables.
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