According to Jean-Michel Carton, the owner of Artisan Boulanger-Pâtissier Carton Paris ( 6 Boulevard De Denain, 75010) and the winner of this year’s “best croissant in Paris”, a perfect croissant has to have… A perfectly browned shell, with the central leaf “la couleurette” slightly darker than the rest, each “feuilletage” pastry…

From the perfectly crunchy baguette tradition to a fluffy croissant, good bread is abundant in France, but Alex Croquet pushes the art of baking to a whole other level. Based in the small village of Wattignies in the outskirts of Lille, Alex Croquet has refused proposals to expand from all over the world whether it's in London, Paris or Tokyo. In the style of a true artisan, a shokunin, he wakes early every morning to make bread at his boulangerie in Wattignies village, which also supplies the bread to his Lille bakery.

There is one ingredient that stands out more than any other in our search for the top ingredients in the world. Saffron. The most majestic of all spices has a four thousand-year history that spans numerous cultures, countries, and civilizations and is valuable asgold. Saffron originated from the flower of…

We sit down with Victoria Espinosa, founder and owner of Xocao Chocolate, one of our favourite and stunning products from around the world. The chocolate company has gone from strength to strength, transforming artisanal and bean-to-bar chocolate in the country and showcasing the quality of their native beans. Now, they…

Bruno Cayron has vegetables in his veins. As a young graphic designer in Paris, it was his ecological convictions that saw him return to his birthplace to create one of the most diverse market gardens in France, completely organic and in harmony with the clay-soil and climate of the region…

A small, uneven fungus that packs such an aromatic punch and is considered globally as a prized, luxury ingredient. Ever wondered how truffles grow and where you can find them? Luxeat recently spent some time exploring the north west of Italy and sat down with Ezio Costa, wife Clelia and…

PÂO DE LO cake recipe by Nuno Mendes,from the book “Lisboeta: Recipes from Portugal City of Light” My kind of a dessert! Serves 4 100g caster sugar 4 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk 80ml olive oil 20g plain flour Extra-virgin olive oil, to serve Sea salt flakes, to serve…

A single word holds the key to the magic to so much of what we understand about the world of taste and flavour today – Umami. But what is this famous fifth taste, where do we find it, and why is it that we can’t get enough of it? In…

In part of our series umami from around the globe, we have the pleasure of speaking with Ricardo Sanchez, who is gradually taking over the family business from his father Arturo. The term umami is closely related to pure, acorn-fed Iberico Jamon. As a family business, Arturo Sanchez have followed…

Umami is synonymous with Japan in many ways, in everything from their cuisine to their tea ceremonies, but there’s no reason the illusive ‘fifth taste’ can’t be produced in other countries too. This was exactly the thought that struck journalist Nina Gruntowski one day, when she discovered that green tea…