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French trains go for British baguettes

by Anna Brones on May 9th 2008 at 4:00PM

In a country so proud of its culinary heritage, it's hard to imagine any foreign versions of local specialties ever being sold. I'm talking about France, the country where the capital city organizes the Baguette Grand Prix, just to determine which boulangerie makes the best one (it even makes the French national news). Surprisingly enough, even in a place with such high bread expectations, somehow British baguettes managed to make their way onto the trains of the French railway.

The Guardian reports that Fosters of Barnsley, a Yorkshire bakery, has started exporting truck loads of baguettes across the Channel to be sold on trains. The move has made baker John Foster deemed the "most hated man in France," according to French media.

With a well-known background of Franco-Anglo tension regarding food, the fact that British baguettes are being sold to French railway passengers is rather humorous. Maybe Sarkozy will see it as an attack on his country's culinary heritage, or maybe the French will just start exporting fish and chips.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Food and Drink, Europe, France, United Kingdom, Transportation

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Janet May 9th 2008 7:35PM

I am wondering if perhaps the UK breads are only being sold on the train that runs from Paris to London (thru the CHUNNEL). This train is run by the British, so if/when French trains go on strike, this train still runs on its regular schedule.

w67 Jul 21st 2008 12:13PM

Eurostar is also a french train ( TGV: high speed train: tres grande vitesse) , so I don't know about the english part of the travel .

Eurotunnel french part has french shops, the english one has english shops .

In France it's more and more difficult to find a good baguette, I travel to England next month, I'll try to find a good english baguette , and I'll tell you ;-)

I have no remember of the story of english baguettes on the french TV or in our newspapers ... may be this is only a story from english journalists

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