The Secrets of Sand Carrots

Sand Carrots (Carotte de Créances or Carotte de Sable) are a classy French crop and hugely popular with our chefs as they offer an excellent flavour and shape - nearly perfectly straight!

You can find them on the menus of chefs such as Clare Smythe at Core, which holds three Michelin Stars. Or Dominic Chapman at The Beehive, who serves them with his rolled shoulder of stuff pork - braised in stock with star anise then finished with butter. See him use them in a pork dish here.

Sand carrots are grown in Normandy, in and around eight villages close to the Créances basin, an area which has cultivated the crop since the19th Century and was granted AOC status in 1960. The farmers use long, narrow fields with sandy soil that's been fertilized with seaweed for generations, making it rich in iodine and sulphur. The most widely grown carrot is the Rouge de Caretan, a heritage variety.

The carrots are stored in the ground, often protected by a layer of straw, and only lifted when needed for market. They are always sold unwashed which helps preserve their unique flavour.