Du Pain et des Idées

Du Pain et des Idées review

To look at the fluffy, golden croissants at Du Pain et des Idées as they emerge steaming from the oven, you would never guess that French baking is in crisis - but it is. 'They don't even teach croissant making in bakery school any more,' says baker-owner Christophe Vasseur, 'and 80 per cent of the croissants you find in bakeries, even those that claim to be artisanal, are industrially made.' The lack of teaching is compounded by the lack of interest from students. 'Only one
in ten who gets the diploma goes on to work in a bakery. There are easier things to do than get up at four every morning.'

But Vasseur, who worked in fashion PR before a career change at the age of 38 led to him winning the Gault-Millau prize for Best Bakery last year, traded lie-ins for the chance to follow his dream. He is motivated by fond childhood memories of baked goodies - like the tendresse aux pommes, a flan brioché filled with apples, raisins and cinnamon that his neighbour used to make; with no recipe, he has since managed to 'find it through memory'. After three years of training, Vasseur set about putting into practice what he had learnt; months of trial and error have gone into every product at this most Proustian of bakeries.

Among his specialities are the nutty pain des amis to be shared among friends; even his baguette tradition rises for seven hours before going into the wood-fired oven. Other creations come from literature, such as Le Rabelais - pain brioché with saffron, honey and nuts from the recipe of the renaissance writer - and Le Pagnol aux Pommes. The latter, a bread studded with royal gala apple (with its skin on), raisins and orange flower water, is a special treat only available on Fridays, when it attracts a crowd eager to grab one straight from the oven at 11am.

The only possible quibble with Du Pain et des Idées is that it doesn't open at weekends. 'Even the most passionate baker needs a work-life balance,' says this modern artisan.