Catching a Rainbow

Of all the vast range of foods coming from the fertile soils or abundant sea in and around Brittany, it is perhaps the artichoke alone that is most synonymous with this region of France.
Practically an emblem of the five counties it is said that the artichoke can only grow within five miles of the sea; as the plants requires salt blown in on the wind to encourage good growth and well developed heads. How true this is I do not know. If you have an idea I would be pleased to here…click here.

When talking about artichokes in Brittany I am referring to the globe artichoke such as the Camus de Bretagne which can be found growing all over the region.
Native to the eastern Mediterranean, the artichoke is the edible flower bud of a thistle-like plant and a member of the sunflower family. It should not be confused with the Jerusalem or the Chinese artichokes, both of which are tubers that grow underground.

In Brittany there are three varieties of artichoke, which make up the mainstay of production, the most popular being the Camus de Bretagne. Available from the end of May to November, they account for 64% of the artichokes produced in Brittany.
The second, the Castel de Bretagne accounts for 27% and the Petit Violet de Bretagne makes up the remainder.

The Camus de Bretagne averaging 500g per artichoke has an even round structure with slightly serrated leaved which are large but slightly shorter than the other two varieties. The Camus is eaten cooked either as a whole vegetable or just the stuffed artichoke hearts, which are the firm base of the flower structure sought after by food lovers all over the world.

The Castel de Bretagne, are slightly larger than the Camus, averaging 600g per flower head and arrive on the market slightly later in May than the Camus. They have a slightly elongated form, a green grey colour, and a distinctive taste, which sets them apart from the Camus.

Lastly there is the Petit Violet de Bretagne, which are much smaller averaging 150g each. They arrive in the shops towards the middle of June and are recognisable by their small size and purple tinge. They are usually sold in bunches and are excellent quartered and stir-fried or at their best eaten raw with sea salt and a dribble of lemon juice and olive oil.

The botanical name for Artichokes, Cynara scolymus, derives from the Latin canina meaning canine and the Greek skolymos meaning thistle. Its English name is a derivative of the Arabic for the thistle.
Although man has been eating artichokes for more than 3000 years it was
Catherine de Médici, the wife of King Henry II of France who is purported to have introduced the first plants into the country.
Artichokes are not immediately recognisable as good to eat and I am always amazed to think that someone thought of eating a plant, which after all on the outside is just a hard tough thistle, but I am glad that they did.


The Camus and the Castel varieties should have bright green firm flower heads and as with any flower bud the petals should be closed tight to form a dense mass. Although technically a flower and as such the outside edible parts are really petals, I will refer to them as leaves from now on to avoid confusion.
In the hand an artichoke should feel heavy, dense and when a leaf is removed it should come away with a clear snap. When removed the leaf base should weep a little liquid and show no sign of insect infestation. The ends of the leaves should not be yellow nor in some cases black, which are indications of old artichokes.

Fresh Artichokes will keep for up to a week in the bottom of the fridge providing you do not remove the stalk. Cutting the stalk will result in the artichoke wilting quicker and reduce the keeping qualities of the plant. They freeze well if blanched in boiling water for a few minutes before freezing which helps preserve the colour and as with cooking, the addition of lemon juice will also help maintain a good green artichoke.
Artichokes can be boiled or steamed and adding a cut lemon to the water whilst boiling will prevent the artichoke from turning black during the cooking process.
Once cooked artichokes do not keep well and must be eaten within two days, any longer and the vegetable develops an unpleasant taste and a slimy texture.

How to cook globe artichokes.

Artichokes can be cooked either by boiling in plenty of salted water or if you prefer by using a steamer although the latter process usually renders a darker artichoke which has a less pleasant appearance.


1. Cut off the stem close to the base of the flower head and drop into a very large pan of boiling salted water, the addition of cut lemons prevents discolouration although some prefer vinegar.

2. Simmer uncovered for about 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the artichoke. Any leaves exposed to the air during cooking will darken and so a lid too small for the pan you are using can be placed on top of the chokes to ensure they are fully immersed whilst they cook.

3. To test if cooked the point of a knife should enter the base of the artichoke with only a little resistance, similar to a slightly underdone boiled potato.

4. Once cooked remove the artichoke and tip upside to drain before serving. They can be served hot with melted butter or better, sauce hollandaise or cold with a vinaigrette or olive oil.

How to eat an Artichoke.

Essential equipment.
1. Large bowl for debris.
2. Finger bowls filled with hot water and several slices of lemon.
3. A change of serviette.


Eating an artichoke can be divided into two stages and for those people who have never tried one, can appear fairly daunting.
Whilst I was the restaurant manager of Gravetye Manor a hotel in West Sussex, an American couple ordered artichokes. It was the first time they had tried this delicacy, but at the time I was unaware.
An hour and a half after being served with their artichokes I was surprised to hear that the couple had not yet finished, which was unusual, and so I went to investigate.
Arriving in the restaurant I saw that the two were five minutes away from having eaten the entire artichoke, leaves, fury inside and the heart. Obviously it was too late to tell the couple that what they were doing was wrong and that ninety per cent of a globe artichoke is inedible…perhaps not to this stomach hardy duo from across the pond.
When you try your first artichoke, or if you already have, you will perhaps better understand this little anecdote.

Artichokes are usually served alone on a large plate; and any sauce is better served separately in a sauceboat.
To eat an artichoke, pull off the outer leaves one at a time and dip the pale fleshy part of the leaf into your chosen sauce.
The only part that is eaten is the fleshy base of the leaf and even then the edible part it is not bitten but sucked and pulled out through the front teeth. Sounds disgusting, but it is the only way.
The first few leaves may produce a disappointing amount of flesh, but as you begin to work your way round the artichoke and move further in towards the centre, so the amount of flesh at the base of each leaf increases.
After a while the leaves become smaller and the amount of edible flesh decreases until it is not worth bothering about. It is then time to remove all the remaining leaves and proceed to the heart of the artichoke.
The heart is the base of the flower and is recognisable as being covered by a myriad of small filaments, which need to be removed.
The heart has the form of a very shallow bowl and to remove the filaments a knife is inserted at a slight downwards angle from the edge of the heart towards the centre. Working around the heart with the point of the knife always in the centre the entire fibrous middle can be removed in one go…with a little practice.
The dark green heart can then be covered in sauce and eaten with a knife and fork.


In addition artichoke hearts can be prepared on their own, the leaves are discarded for a quite different experience.
To see how to prepare artichoke hearts click on the camera below for a short informative video.











Quick simple and foolproof Hollandaise sauce. (4 people)
















As with mayonnaise, hollandaise’s cold counterpart, many recipes make the making of the sauce an overcomplicated and lengthy if not a ritualistic procedure, when in effect they are both made extremely easy by the use of a food processor.
I would reiterate a food processor and not a liquidiser; there is a difference and this sauce will not work in the latter.

1. Melt 200g or 8 ounces of butter in a measuring jug or similar, in a microwave for two minutes at half power. If not fully liquid continue for an additional minute. Remove from the microwave and allow to stand. (The solids will sink to the bottom of the jug, leaving the clear butter on top).
2. In a small cup place three tablespoons of white wine vinegar and a good turn of freshly ground black pepper according to taste.
3. Warm the vinegar and pepper in a microwave until hand hot, definitely not boiling.
4. Place the yolks of three eggs in the bowl of a food processor and switch to high speed.
5. Pour in the vinegar and blend for a minute or so until the yolk vinegar mixture starts to thicken.
6. Pour in the butter fat in a good steady trickle allowing about two minutes to pour in all the butter. If the sauce is too thick then add a little of the milk solids at the bottom of the jug which contain water thus making the sauce thinner.
7. Pour into a warm sauceboat and serve immediately.

This sauce will not separate as does sauce made by hand, and should be served warm.