Le Pain et le Patrimonie Or “Where Has All the Flour Gone?”

OK, so I'm not French, not born here, no I'm a Brit who chose to live here in this very special corner of La Belle France.  One of the attributes that have always attracted the English to France has been the respect the French have for their heritage, traditions and the value placed on the important things in life like the family, good food and good wine.  Down here in Provence we see those values expressed all around us in the towns and villages, the people and the business that uphold the old values.

Foreigners visiting France are always impressed to see people hurrying home with fresh bread and pastries every day, an important part of life that surely no French man or woman would ever give up.  Almost every village boasts a boulangerie producing fresh bread and delicious cakes, indeed sometimes several are needed to cater for all the variations of local taste.

For us a weekly treat for many years has been breakfast at Au Pain Romaine in Vaison la Romaine on Market day, there we would buy excellent bread, sometimes treat ourselves to the delicious fruit flans, and if there was the excuse of a celebration or a friend's birthday in he offing we'd buy one of their sinful chocolate cakes!  My personal favourite however was the Pain au Raisin, I've tried these from many a boulangerie but for me those from Au Pain Romaine deserved the Medale d'Or without doubt.  I had happily contemplated many future visits to Au Pain Romaine, snug and warm inside in the winter or under the shady plane trees of the Place Montfort in summer.  Of late however, now under the banner of Maison Lesage, all is not well at Au pain Romaine.

First the impressive display of chocolate cakes disappeared.  Next the display of patisseries seemed to shrink and somehow become less inviting.  Next the ovens, which had always produced basketfuls of fresh sweet scented baguettes, were turned off and the lower floor became dark, gloomy and deserted.  The pains au raisin changed beyond all recognition; no longer succulent they became dry, doughy, fatty, unappetising, and virtually inedible.  Worse still – the bread was stale!  At breakfast on market day we were being served yesterdays bread, what could be going on?

The answer to this mystery is that bread is no longer baked on the premises at Au Pain Romaine but 30km away in a shed on the industrial outskirts of Sarrians!  No more warm bread fresh from the oven, now it is at best cold after a long journey in a van, and if you're unlucky (as we have been) it's yesterdays.  If you want fresh patisseries in Vaison now my advice would be to try the supermarket.

Come on Français(e)s, is this what you want?  Where is your determination to protect the French heritage, where's your concern for tradition and the good things in life?  Is this what you want, stale factory baked bread?  If not then speak up, tell the owners at Maison Lesage what you think of this development and take you custom elsewhere.
Of course if this is what you want then you don't have to do a thing. Just sit back.  Who knows maybe there will be a McDonald's or KFC on the Place Montfort soon as well!

Footnote
I'm delighted to see that so many of you are reading this post; I'm very disappointed that such an important market town as Vaison la Romaine is loosing one of it's best bakeries and I'd like to be able to shame Maison Lesage into baking on the premises again.  If any of you reading this have any idea how I can get the issue media attention I'd love to hear your suggestions.  Thanks