and baking. Natural

and baking. Natural disasters were somehow avoided, saving the crops and consequently the work of millers and bakers, and St Honoré was credited with these miracles. After his death in around 600AD, drought loomed and his relics were appealed to, and even carried in a procession around the city walls. Before long, the rain swiftly came. His post-humous reputation continued to grow and in 1202, a baker wished to build a chapel in his honour and donated some local land to the city of Paris. This chapel was extended in 1579 and bequeathed its name to Rue Saint- Honoré which extends to Rue Faubourg Saint- Honoré from the 1st to the 8th arrondissement. Streets aren’t the only locations bestowed with his eponym as there is also the Saint-Honoré market and the now missing Saint-Honoré gate on the west of the city. The Saint-Honoré chapel has since been replaced by the departments of The Ministry of Culture. In Paris in 1400, the guild of bakers was established in the church of St Honoratus and dedicated the day of his feast to the 16th May. Even royalty jumped on board – in 1659, Louis XIV decreed that the feast of St Honoré must be observed by every baker annually and donations must be given in his name. Both financial and edible donations were accepted. You may be wondering why bakers, pastry makers and millers all needed a patron saint. These professions have always been gruelling, but none more so than during the medieval times when the workers suffered from various breathing and skin aliments due to the flour particles filling their lungs and pores. They also had bad reputations for selling under-weight bread or using bad grain. For these practices, they were punished with a contraption called the ‘baker’s gallows’ where they’d be forced into a basket, hoisted up to 40 feet in the air, then dropped in mud. And what about this cake? Even by the 19th century, bakers and pastry chefs were still honouring St Honoré and now they put their professional skills into action by baking him a showstopper of confectionary. In 1847, the Chiboust boulangerie on – where else? – the Rue Saint-Honoré, created a ring-shaped brioche filled with a finicky filling of crème patisserie lightened with Italian meringue. This cream, which became known as crème Chiboust and even has its own Facebook page, is applied with a special St Honoré nozzle to form the pastry’s iconic petals of cream. Eventually, the brioche was replaced with puff pastry and topped with a circle of cream choux buns dipped in caramel. It’s no wonder that this is the patisserie of choice for St Honoré; all its elements demonstrate essential baking and pâtissier skills. Celebrate St Honoré on the 16th May at Les Fetes du Pain where there will be competitions (including the Best French Traditional Baguette), demonstrations and tastings taking place in front of Notre-Dame in Paris, or by picking up a St Honoré cake from your local boulangerie (or make one at home if you have several hours to spare). Visit Amiens Cathedral, a UNESCO heritage site, which dates back to the 13th century - St Honoré is tributed with the eponymous south portal. WOOD-FIRED HOT TUBS AND SAUNAS Relax. Replenish. Revive. Kick back and relax in a Cotswold Eco Tub Delivered all over France hottubsinfrance.com LE MOULIN SUR CÉLÉ An enchanting luxurious riverside retreat in the beautiful Célé Valley Experience la France Profonde www.lemoulinsurcele.com 62 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 63