It is the latest Anglo-Saxon hit on the Parisian literary scene — a work so successful that the capital’s leading English-language bookshop has had to expand its shelf space for it.
But l’oeuvre in question is not a book. It is a tin of baked beans — or rather thousands of tins, which have found their way into the W H Smith store in Paris as it seeks to capitalise on rising demand for British food in France.
The bookshop set up a small section dedicated to traditional British foodstuffs amid its more conventional fare — novels by the likes of J. K. Rowling and Sebastian Faulks, or newspapers, including The Times — last year.
The jelly babies, custard, Polo mints, Ribena, Walker’s crisps and other products proved so popular that W H Smith had to double the size of the department this summer.
“We now have 610 references and we have tripled the number of mince pies we are ordering this year, compared to last year,” said a spokeswoman. “But it still looks like we might be sold out by Christmas.” She said that the shop had sold thousands of tins of baked beans to expatriates and French Anglophiles in the past 12 months.
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It is not alone. Exports of British foodstuffs to France are increasing at a rate not seen since the crisis over BSE in the 1990s. Sales reached £1.37 billion in the first nine months of this year — up by 11.5 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to Chris Brockman, a market research manager at Leatherhead Food International.
The rise in 2008 compared with 2007 was 18.4 per cent, he said, adding: “The UK is getting a reputation for innovation and creativity.”
His comments were backed by Le Figaro, which vaunted British food in Le Figaroscope, its weekly cultural magazine, yesterday.
“It is impossible to resist the invader,” said Anne-Charlotte de Langhe, a columnist.
The only sombre note in otherwise glowing coverage of British restaurants and shops in Paris came from François Simon, Le Figaro’s feared critic, who dined on fish and chips at the Frog & Princess pub in Paris. His pint of beer saved an otherwise unenjoyable meal, he said. “Mon Dieu, how it understood me.”
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Mr Brockman said that the success of British exports was due partly to the changing nature of French eating habits, with long sit-down lunches giving way to Anglo-Saxon style snacks, fast food and sandwiches. Le snacking, as it is known, rose by 11 per cent in value last year, giving British crisp, chocolate and biscuit manufacturers a new outlet.
The boom is also being driven by expatriates who want food that reminds them of home and by the decline in sterling, which is making British products cheaper.
With exporters reclaiming a place that they lost when French officials banned British beef in 1996, France is the second-biggest market for British food after Ireland.
Aurore Spedicato and Sabrina Abib, both 20-year-old students in Paris, were happy to contribute to the trend.
“We like these things because they remind us of London,” said Miss Abib as she stopped in the food section of W H Smith. “I like the tea and I love the shortbread. And my little sister is always popping in for the chocolate bars.”
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Catharine Clear, 50, who has lived in Paris for 20 years, walked past clutching a box of PG Tips. “I like French gastronomy but it’s nice to eat British things from time to time,” she said. She intended to buy a tin of baked beans for “the son of a French colleague who really likes them”.
Taste of home
— British food has often been ridiculed. In 2005 President Chirac said at a meeting: “One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad”
— In fact Britain exported £11.5 billion worth of grown or processed food in 2007 — a rise of 9.1 per cent from 2006
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— Polish migrants returning home from Britain last year took a taste for British foods with them, creating a £47 million export trade, an increase of 55 per cent. Popular brands included Walkers shortbread, Twinings tea and Patak’s curry paste. Our beer is also very popular — Shepherd Neame brewery has doubled production thanks largely to exports to Poland
— Whisky tops the list of Britain’s most popular consumable exports. Last year more than £3 billion was sold outside Britain
— Tiptree jams and chutneys can be found in Japanese supermarkets
— Parcels of tea, baked beans and crisps are sent to British troops serving in Afghanistan to help morale
— Marmite is sold in more than 25 countries and the company says that 25 per cent of Britons take a jar when they go abroad
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— McVities chocolate digestives, Cadbury’s Fingers and Mr Kipling cakes are popular with British expatriates
— In 2008 Marks & Spencer announced plans to sell its ready-made curries in India
— The London chef Manju Malhi hosted a 40-episode cookery series in India to teach viewers how to prepare classic British dishes, including bangers and mash and roast chicken
Sources: Times database, agencies, Food from Britain