Veggie PARIS

Think the French can’t do good vegetarian and vegan food? Think again! A new Paris tour highlights the best places to dine, taste and shop vegan products

- Sophie Gardner-Roberts

Just over half a dozen tiny wheels of cheese are lined up on the counter, waiting to be tasted. One looks like a miniature Camembert, another like a goat’s cheese and a third has a dark orange crust that looks like it could be made of different, tasty spices.

A morsel of the Camembertlike one is handed to me and, after a doubtful sniff, I pop it in my mouth. It’s an instant hit. It’s creamy, yet tangy and salty; it tastes just like cheese! The reason I’m so surprised is that these fromages we are tasting are entirely plant-based; no dairy has been used to make them and yet they are, unmistakably, like ‘cheese’.

The secret lies in the hands of Marie Carmen Iriarte who co-founded Jay & Joy (jay-joy. com/en) with her partner Eric, one of France’s first plant-based creameries. Located at the heart of the 11th arrondissement in Paris, the shop is also the place of manufacture. The cheese is prepared and made on site, using cashew, almond and/or rice milk.

“The idea behind this was that we, as vegans, wanted to be able to enjoy a traditional platter of cheese just like everyone in France does,” explains Marie. Though they are not yet able to reproduce the creamy texture of the heart of a camembert or a brie, I was impressed by the taste and immediately convinced. I promised myself to return as we dashed off to our next tasty destination.

Vegan gastronomy

‘Gourmet’ and ‘vegan’ may not mix well in many people’s minds but here I was on a foodie tour dedicated to vegan gastronomy in the French capital.