Les Bonbons!

Just a few metres from the top of the main street through Valbonne village stands every parent's nightmare: the sweet shop. Forget running the gauntlet of hastily put together sweet displays in the supermarket, this is an extravaganza of sugar. What you see here represents a tiny proportion of what's on sale inside and outside this shop and even though I'm more a chocophile I find it hard to pass by without buying something; it's the colours, the presentation and, more than anything, that sweet, sweet smell that brings back childhood and candyfloss and toffee apples and home made fudge in one good sniff...
Many of these bonbons are made from guimauve or marshmallow though the french version is slightly less sweet, slightly harder than the commercial variety. If you'd like the details about guimauve then go here but if you haven't got the time then let me tell you about this recipe: apparently if you put 3 marshmallows in a bowl in the microwave, no more than that, let them cook till they've tripled in size, wait till they've collapsed and cooled and then knead the paste a little you'll end up with iridescent marshmallows like you find at fun fairs. Let me know if it works...