In Lille for the weekend, I was wandering around in the historical center when I came across this completely out of the ordinary shop front. For the very good reason: I found myself standing in front of the oldest stores of the city: the Maison Méert, founded in 1761! A magnificent patisserie, that for more than 250 years, has delighted gourmets with its specialties from the region of Lille, such as berlingots (candies) and gaufres à la vanille(vanilla filled waffles).
Classified historical Monument in 1980, the store has had the visit of many celebrities since the 18th century: Napoleon, Churchill, De Gaulle (who was regularly delivered the famous waffles at the Elysées!), the King of Belgium Leopold 1 (who gave the Maison Méert the title of "Official supplier of His Majesty") and also Marguerite Yourcenar, Amélie Nothomb, Jean d'Ormesson, Dany Boon...
Powerful or artists, all attracted by the incredible Pompeian and Oriental decor of the shop and by the recipes that Mr. Méert concocted after five years spent in the Colonies (on cocoa, sugarcane, vanilla and coffee plantations) and during his career among the greatest confectioners in Europe.
Pastries, jams, chocolates, macaroons, marshmallows, gingerbreads, confectionery...
The Maison Méert is a veritable palace of flavors and original savors to be discovered. You can also try their miniatures of revisited classic pastries (an example, a «Religieuse au chocolat » a choux pastry filled with chocolate cream, but instead of its traditional topping there is a chocolat macaroon).
All of these wonders are made on the premises respecting an ancestral know-how, but don't panic if you are not in Lille or you arrive, like me, too late to be able to relax in one of the two flamboyant style tea rooms.
With such success, the Maison Méert now has branches in Roubaix (at the Piscine museum), in Paris, at St Germain des Prés and in Brussels. Also famous abroad, the house was part of the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010 and should open a shop in London very soon!
If you can't wait to visit one of these addresses to discover the succulent products of Lille, you can now order them online on their shop.
Enjoy!
Valérie de Comme des Français
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