Tea Time in France

Everyone loves a good, homely English cake, but it can be interesting to see the differences between our tea time treats and the delicacy of French Patisserie.

Tea time in France is an altogether more sophisticated affair. Forget rustic carrot cakes or a lovely, if asymmetrical, lemon drizzle, here cake means precision. In order to explore these differences (it's a hard job, but someone has to do it), I headed to Carli, a Patisserie and Salon de Thé in Nantes.

You've got to love the minion made out of chocolate!

As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by a huge selection of miniature desserts. If I could use one word to describe these creations, it would be delicate. Everything is made with such precision that ten absolutely identical cakes can be produced, and every single one of them will look beautiful. I selected a Criollo- a gleaming chocolate and raspberry mousse with a chocolate cake centre. Furthermore, they used delicate little pink macaroons as decoration. Speaking as someone who has consistently failed at producing a successful macaroon, I can only marvel at a place which is so dexterous that a perfect macaroon can be used as decoration, not just to marvel at in its own right.

Such gems are commonplace in France. The time that must go into making these little delicacies must be huge, yet many boulangeries in every town will create these patisseries on the side. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I prefer them to English cake- you can't beat the basic, homely comfort of a Victoria Sponge- yet the precision and dedication put into the multitude of layers that makes up a tiny piece of French patisserie is to be admired.

For more information, visit http://www.carlinantes.com/?q=fr

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