La Cocotte - Alliance Francaise, Dublin

La Cocotte, Cafe and restaurant


Poulet basquaise with dauphinoise

Hachis parmentier, confit de canard


Paris bun

It probably has nothing to do with Paris, so how did it get its name?


I remember these from growing up in Belfast and Van Morrison mentions having one with lemonade in his song Cleaning Windows.

They seem to be associated with poorer times in Ireland and Scotland and maybe the reference to Paris was a way to make them sound a bit grander than the simple ingredients of flour, milk, sugar and oil would suggest.

They were made to look a bit fancy too, with a cherry on the centre mound and rock sugar sprinkled on top.

Any ideas on where the name comes from?

Château de Tracy

It was nice at a family gathering of the Tracey clan to be able to get so close to a namesake bottle of Pouilly Fumé. We all took turns at posing with the bottle with the eventual aim of posting to social media.

The back label provides some details on the wine and a stop at the Tracy sur Loire commune overlooking Sancerre will be a definite visit on our next trip to France.

But it was the depuis 1396 on the front that really got me looking. Have they really been making wines there for over 600 years?

Turns out they have and there's a Scottish connection too.

I browsed to the Château's website and was pleased to see that it includes a short film in French with English subtitles. Even if your name's not Tracey, if you are a wine lover you'll appreciate it.

There is the château in all its glory, the vineyards and cellars. And the occasional pop sounds of corks being eased from their bottles.

Daniel, an old French friend, when he hears the distinctive sound of a popping cork always asks, "Oui, qui m'appelle?" - who called my name?

No need to ask... It's on the bottle!