Whenever I go to Paris, I end up taking home a few souvenirs. But I don’t mean Eiffel tower keychains or felt berets. If you know me, you already know that every extra space in my bag is dedicated to food.
Tea from Mariage Frères. Bottles of wine from local shops. And, without fail, jams from La Chambre aux Confitures.
La Chambre aux Confitures
With several locations scattered around Paris, each tiny shopfront is elegant, decorated with warm woods, and full of jar after jar of jams, chutneys, and honeys – in flavors that range across the whole sweet-savory spectrum. Midway up the wall, a line of taster jars is broken up only by small cups of spoons that invite you to test out flavors like salted butter caramel and rhubarb geranium, quince and and strawberry yuzu.
The sweet jams themselves are lightly sweet (not over-sugared) and perfect for mixing up with plain yogurt, spreading on a perfect croissant, or pairing with cheese.
Addresses: As of this writing, there are four locations in Paris:
1. 60 Rue Vieille du Temple
2. 9 Rue des Martyrs
3. 20 Rue de Buci
4. 9 Rue des Petits Carreaux
There are also locations in Lille, Lyon, and Aix-en-Provence.
Price range: 100 gram jars of jam are typically 5 euros while 200 gram jars run about 8 (though I’ve seen gourmet options that run as high as 9.50 euros).