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Cafe 'overwhelmed' with customers after accidentally being awarded Michelin star

The lunchtime eatery serves lasagne and beef bourguignon - but the award was meant for a restaurant which has a choice of lobster flan and calf's brain

Sunday 19 February 2017 15:05 GMT

The small eatery was overwhelmed by the streams of gourmet customers keen to try the newly awarded restaurant (Google Street View )

A cafe in a small French town has been flooded with customers after it was accidentally awarded a prestigious Michelin star.

Bourges' Bouche à Oreille is a cheerful eatery which serves homemade food such as lasagne and beef bourguignon to local workmen on long tables covered with a plastic dotted tablecloth.

But gourmet customers started streaming through the doors of the local establishment following the news it had been awarded a Michelin star.

The unexpected publicity boost was the result of a mistake by the respected Michelin guide, when it announced its top tables for 2017 on its website. The Michelin star was meant for a restaurant also called Bouche à Oreille located in Boutervilliers, Essonne, about 200 kilometres north.

Véronique Jacquet, who runs the cafe, told the French newspaper Le Parisien that she had been "overwhelmed" with bookings. "I have new clients that want tables for three and four but at the same time I have my regulars. The problem is that we don’t have that much space,” she said.

TV crews and reporters descended on the small cafe to find out what the buzz was all about and Ms Jacquet said that when she told her Parisian son what had happened, he could not stop laughing.

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

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1/8How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

Weetabix

Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nation’s favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms.

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How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

Nescafé

The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafé Original at Sainsbury’s has gone up 40p from £2.75 to £3.15 – a 14 per cent rise—since the Brexit vote.

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How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

Freddo

When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (£450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make.

Cadbury

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

Mr Kipling cakes

Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis

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How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

Walkers Crisps

Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p.

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How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

Marmite

Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterling’s slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons’ customers £2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent.

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How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

Toblerone

Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months.

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How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite

Maltesers

Maltesers, billed as the “lighter way to enjoy chocolate”, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs.

iStockphoto

The more up-market Bouche à Oreille offers customers choice from a €48 (£41) menu, which includes calf’s brain, lobster flan, chocolate pear crisp and a glass of champagne all served on a double tablecloth laid table.

Claire Dorland-Clauzel, a director at Michelin told Le Parisien: “This is a technical mistake on a map. We have apologised to both establishments and we are sorry to have misled our clients.”

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