EARN YOUR CRUST
FINE FUEL
A Boulangerie Rouleur
In the hands of a master baker, bread is an art form (get bready for some crumby puns).
Between 2013 and 2019, I worked within the sponsorship team of Team Sky. In March 2019, I flew to Monaco to film with Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome and Wout Poels for one last time before we hand-slung our sponsorship to Ineos.
It was the end of an era. After filming and interviewing the riders, I borrowed a Pinarello and headed for the Col de Braus, a beautiful mountain that keeps rising.
COL DE BRAUS
After a long and emotional day of filming and riding in the Alpes-Maritimes, I was toasted. On the way back to my hotel in Nice, I stopped off at renowned Boulangerie Jean Marc Bordonnat for a fresh baguette. Then, I grabbed a ripe avocado, cream cheese, smoked salmon and salt flakes from the market, took them back to my hotel and devoured the lot while gazing out at the endless blues of the Côte d'Azur.
It was the best baguette I have ever tasted - soft and airy inside, with a light, crunchy crust. The flavour was sour, savoury and sweet - absolute heaven, the kind of baguette you want to eat with lashings of fresh butter and salt flakes, nothing else (my terrible phone picture of a messy hotel coffee table doesn’t do it justice).
During our wrap-party, we ate lobster, oysters, seafood platters, crème brûlée, but this baguette is still my culinary highlight of Nice. (If you are in the area, you must also visit Chez Pipo for some traditional socca, a regional speciality.)
I struggled to find bread of this quality in and around London. Few have come close, such as Olivers in Kingston Market (who make the best almond croissants in my book), until by chance, I cycled past the Saturday market at Squires garden centre in Oxshott, on my way back from the Surrey Hills.
The stack of bread at De Camps Maison Gourmande's market stall caught my eye. I had to investigate. Luckily, I had a musette bag in my pocket.
Vincent Decamps greeted me with enthusiasm and gave me the story behind each loaf. A baguette is the benchmark of any boulangerie, so I sandwiched one inside my musette along with a Napoleon sourdough paillassou and a stick of Glastonbury Farmhouse Butter traditionally churned with whey cream.
I pedalled home, sliced into the baguette, and smothered it with Glastonbury butter. It transported me back to Nice. I was no longer in my kitchen. I was on the seafront of the French Riviera sharing a nectarine with Geraint Thomas, after riding through the Alpes-Maritimes.
That's the power of food. It recalls and creates memories.
Now, onto the Napoleon 48hr sourdough - a darker bread made with a combination of white and rye flour exclusively grown in France. A bread with this much flavour deserves a simple pairing. I chose buttery soft-scrambled eggs - my go-to post-ride breakfast as it has a great balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates (most importantly, it tastes great).
After a bit of research, I discovered that Decamps provides baked goods to Michelin-starred Sorrel Restaurant in Dorking, our Surrey Joyride dining destination.
On my first visit to Sorrel, Steve Drake and the team prepared a ‘tomato tea’, served with fresh sourdough and Irish butter. This dish highlighted how exceptional bread kneads fewer accompaniments.
Why is Decamps bread so good? Because he has done the bakers ‘Tour de France’ and put the miles in - learning from the best bakers of each region before developing his own recipes; none of which have any additives or preservatives, and are composed of wheat grown exclusively in France and stored without any pesticides.
The humble loaf is fine fuel, indeed. If like me, you are a Boulangerie Rouleur and would like to taste the wares of Decamps Maison Gourmand, you’ll find Vincent at Squires Cobham Market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings or if you want to enjoy a pastry and coffee with your ride companions, head over to Vincents French Cafe & Bar Brasserie at Pachesham Golf Club, or simply order online.
All can be found here: decampsmaisongourmande.com
Gareth - LeBlanq
