Quoi de neuf - French shopping in September 2019
New products, designs and ideas from around France. This month: feet, French notebooks, organic soaps and an apéro alternative
Feet under the table
Based in Lille, Fabrique des Pieds is a specialist in reshaping and repurposing your furniture by adding stylish, contemporary legs fashioned in steel or wood.
Their aim is to offer high end, quality handmade products at an affordable price. This year they launched three ultra fresh and trendy colours for their Tulip range: terracotta, pale green and indigo blue.
It will also soon be available in black and white.
They come on adjustable rollers. Prices from €110.
www.lafabriquedespieds.com/gb
La rentrée: time to take note
Leading French notebook manufacturer Oxford was founded in 1864 and is part of the Hamelin company based in Caen, Normandy.
La rentrée – the annual September return to school and work – is the perfect time to explore its wide range of high quality notebooks, diaries and filing products.
For your children or grandchildren it has a wide selection of school diaries, detachable leaves, multi-section notebooks with repositionable dividers, and notebook-organisers.
The firm changes with the times, however, and has also launched SCRIBZEE, a note-taking application that saves scanned notes in a secure cloud at no cost.
They can then be consulted, edited or shared by any connected device.
www.my-oxford.com/int-en
Foamy and French!
Monsavon have been cleansing French hands since 1925 and today their solid savons – made near Dijon – tick all the boxes for the ecologically minded: they come in 100% recyclable paper packaging, and are made from 99.9% natural ingredients (77.9% organic ingredients).
Enriched with milk proteins and glycerin, their dermatologically tested formula is gentle and moisturizing for the skin.
They come in three scents: apricot and basil, lemon verbena, and vanilla.
Available in supermarkets, RRP €2.59.
www.mavieencouleurs.fr/marques/monsavon
Apéro alternative
Looking for an alternative to wine or beer to offer guests at apéro time? Floc de Gascogne (Lou Floc is Occitan for ‘bouquet of flowers’ and 80% of it is made in Gers) is an aperitif made according to a traditional recipe from the 16th century.
With an average ABV of 16-18%, it is a subtle marriage of two-thirds of fresh grape juice and one-third of young Armagnac.
It is the quality if the Armagnac chosen by the producer which dictates a Floc’s own quality – keep a nose out for notes of violet, rose and plum blossom).
The drink obtained a prestigious AOC label in 1990 and an AOP in 2009, and comes in red and white versions.
It is a flexible beverage, equally tasty served chilled over ice or in a cocktail – such as le Ginger, which is Floc with ginger ale.
Widely available at cavistes and supermarkets, priced on average €9-€12.
www.floc-de-gascogne.fr
