Jam, jelly and more jam and jelly

Although it is the season for it ... this is not a recipe for making jam or jelly!

I want to tell you about a lovely little shop that we've discovered last year in Vouvray. At breakfast on the first day of our stay, our hostess, Mrs. T. served us 'madeleines' (sweet butter cakes), 'croissants' and two types of baguette (plain white and wholegrain), butter and four kinds of jam. There was coffee or tea, of course, and orange juice.

The colour of one of the jam caught my attention. It was transparant lilac with dark purple particles. Not knowing what it was, I asked Mrs. T. She told me that it was made of violet petals. I had heard of rose petal jam and had even eaten it. But this was quite new to me. I put some on a slice of buttered baguette and tasted it. Believe me, it was delicious! You could almost 'taste' the frangrance of the violets. Did Mrs. T. make it herself? No, she bought it at the corner shop just down the street. She described it as a small grocery shop, also selling cheeses and bio fruit and vegetables supplied by local farmers.


That afternoon, on returning from our daily excursion, we stopped at the shop and went in. It turned out to be more than just your ordinary village grocerer. Although small, it carried a vast amount of gourmet items, ranging from fresh fruit and vegetables to wine, cheese, special salad oils, such as the rare and expensive 'argan' oil. The main feature, however, was this cupboard stacked with at least 50 different types of jam and jelly.

We were greeted by a shy looking young man behind the counter. Could we look around? Go ahead, he said and looked very surprised when I started taking pictures of his impressive jam collection. My friend explained that we were staying at B & B up the road and that we had had the unusual, yet exquisite violet jam for breakfast. The young man was pleased and told us all about where he got his produce from and how he chose his suppliers.

Being invited that evening by friends who live nearby, we bought some bottles of sparkling Vouvray as a gift. We also got two splendid melons and a slice of aromatic Saint Nectaire cheese for next day's picnic. Two days later we returned to get some jars of jam and jelly for my mother. It goes without saying that I didn't leave without buying some violet petal jam for myself.

Next time you're in Vouvray, drop in at this little deli. You'll love it! You'll find it at the corner of the avenue Léon Brûlé and the rue des Ecoles.

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