Paris by Mouth food tour

The last day of our trip to Paris was mostly spent eating and drinking. John and I had a lazy morning before heading out of the apartment for an early lunch… I didn’t think I could last until our Paris by Mouth food tour at 3.30.

Richard, Rachel, John and I had decided to book an event together in Paris to celebrate Christmas and our birthdays, rather than buying presents. After doing some research, Rachel found Paris by Mouth and we all agreed that this sounded good.

After meeting our guide for the afternoon, Stephen, we started the food tour at an award winning boulangerie. We learnt how traditional baguettes have protected status, and how the bread must be made on the premises at boulangeries. We then had a delicious buttery croissant each, and found out what makes good quality baguettes and croissants.

Our next stop was one of the best chocolate shops in Paris. It looked more like a high end jewellers than a sweet shop, with all the chocolates, caramels and pâté de fruits displayed in glass cases, in a beautiful spacious room. We sampled a couple of delicious ganaches and a peach flavoured fruit sweet… yummy 😋

A charcuterie shop was next, with cabinets packed with beautiful terrines, cooked meats and sausages. We learned about the mould on the sausages, and the history of charcuterie, which was originally a means of preserving the meat (mainly pork) and using the whole of the pig.

After this we went to a family-run fromagerie where cheese is aged in cellars below the shop. Stephen told us about the 5 different types of cheeses in France… goat, pressed, blue, washed and soft cheeses. As with wines, many cheeses have protected status and can only be made in certain regions.

The cheese shop was next door to the oldest covered market in Paris, so we had a wander around that, looking at the produce on sale, before making our way to a wine shop. Here we sat down to eat the baguettes, cheeses, meats and caramels that Stephen had bought from the shops we visited, together with several different French wines. While we ate and drank, he explained where the produce was from and told us a bit more about it.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience and, despite having spent a lot of time eating in France, we learnt a lot, as well as coming away with full tummies 😊

The next day we packed, said our goodbyes to Richard, Rachel and Thomas, and caught a taxi to the airport. The flight was uneventful and we were soon back in Wales, and getting ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Dwygyfylchi. Happy New Year!