Soup with seaweed, buckwheat and artichoke

A smooth, vegetable soup made with seaweed, artichoke and buckwheat. The soup is a tribute to Brittany, using classic ingredients from the region. The three types of organic seaweed - wakame, dulse and royal combo - are from Finistère, and the buckwheat and seasonally harvested artichoke are also from Brittany. Arvorig - the name la belle-iloise gives the soup - is the old Breton name for the region where Brittany is found today.

Shake the soup well before opening, heat gently and serve with warm and buttered crusty bread. 

La belle-iloise was founded in the fishing port of Quiberon, Brittany in 1932 by Georges Hilliet, when he was 22 years old. Quiberon was one of France’s key sardine canning hubs, with 14 canneries located there.

Hilliet was a firm believer in quality, artisanal production from the outset and resisted the emergence of mass retailing in the 60s, keeping faith with his own production values. He vowed he’d sooner sell his sardines from a basket on the beach than compromise on quality. The company was eventually re-named la belle-iloise, a tribute to the people of Belle-Ile - the island opposite Quiberon where the sardines are caught.

Today Hilliet’s granddaughter Caroline Hilliet Le Branchu helms the company, continuing her grandfather’s ethos of quality, sustainable production and tinned fish that melds traditional recipes with innovative flair.