Terroirs Xmas Treats

There is nothing more delightful than buying a food lover a food present, and to be honest there is nowhere better in Dublin for doing just that than in Donnybrook's Terroirs, where Sean and Françoise Gilley have assembled the most delectable range of goodies and treats you can find.

For example, just take a look at the enthralling collection of biscuits they have sourced from Le Petit Duc, an artisan firm of biscuit makers headed by Anne Daguin, daughter of the famous French chef André Daguin. These glorious biscuits are all made from ancient recipes, and there is nothing else like them being made today: there are 19th century caramel flavoured Valkyries, with chocolate, almonds and brown sugar, the brilliant honey and almond triangles she invented herself, and a creation from the 14th century, little saffron-flavoued Coeurs de Petit-Albert.

Another  box of sublime biscuits are the galettes made by Jane and Olivier Roellinger, the garlanded owners of La Maison de Bricourt, in Cancale, Brittany. The biscuits are just one thing amongst a range of artisan foods which the Roellingers make, all of them intriguing, and cherishable. And, whilst it might seem like the strangest thing to say, one of the most covetable presents you could give anyone is the peppercorn mix from Alain Ducasse which Terroirs sell: this is stunning, and no kitchen is complete without it.

Oh, and don't forget, Terroirs is actually first and foremost a wine shop, so there's a chance to get a few bottles for yourself whilst buying pressies for everyone else.

Ceramic Vegetables designed by Alain Ducasse for sale at approx £45 each from Terroirs

email: info@terroirs.ie

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text © John & Sally McKenna
illustrations © Ken Buggy