More About Tins and Cans

The Tins and Cans collection at Epicerie Corner is the broadest category in the store — 325 products spanning tinned vegetables (Bonduelle, Cassegrain, Notre Jardin, D'aucy, Géant Vert), tinned fish (Connétable, Saupiquet, Petit Navire, Pêche Océan), prepared tinned meals (Côté Table, Nos Régions), pâtés, terrines, rillettes (Côté Table, Henaff, Lucien Georgelin), legumes (chickpeas, flageolets, lentils), specialty tins (crab, cod liver, corned beef) and artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms and hearts of palm.

Tinned Vegetables — the French Brands

France has a well-established tinned vegetable industry rooted in the market-garden regions of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley. Bonduelle (founded 1853, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, now a €2.5bn group) is the anchor brand: Bonduelle Corn 285g (south-west France origin, non-GMO); Bonduelle Extra Fine Green Beans 280g (hand-picked, extra fins = maximum 6mm diameter) and the 440g version; Bonduelle No-Sugar-Added Corn 420g and Organic Corn 280g; Bonduelle Salsify 250g (a long, black-skinned root vegetable with a delicate flavour, harvested in France); Bonduelle Red Beans 2×130g; Bonduelle No-Sugar-Added Peas 280g; Bonduelle Sliced Mushrooms 345g; Bonduelle Greek-Style Mushrooms 400g (button mushrooms in a vinaigrette marinade); Bonduelle Vegetable Macedoine 265g and 530g; Bonduelle La Parisienne Stir-Fry Vegetables 300g and 600g (potatoes 31%, green beans 26%, carrots, onions — cooked in France, a complete vegetable mix for sautéing). Cassegrain (founded 1830, Nantes, the oldest French vegetable canning brand) brings its signature fondant texture (a French culinary term for a yielding, melting tenderness): Cassegrain Soft Melting Peas 280g, 140g and 495g; Cassegrain Extra Fine Butter Beans 220g; Cassegrain Cooked Flageolets Extra Fine 265g and 465g; Cassegrain Cooked Lentils with Carrots and Onions 130g and 265g; Cassegrain Duck Fat Lentils 410g (lentilles cooked in rendered duck fat — a south-western French preparation); Cassegrain Peas and Carrots 130g, 265g and 465g; Cassegrain Green Beans 220g and Extra Fine 110g; Cassegrain Salsify 250g; Cassegrain Planter Jardinière 265g (mixed vegetables in the classic French jardinière style — carrots, turnips, peas, French beans); Cassegrain Aubergines à la Provençale 185g, 375g and 660g (pre-fried aubergine in a Provençal tomato sauce with garlic and herbs); Cassegrain Ratatouille in three sizes; Cassegrain Courgettes à la Provençale 185g and 375g; Cassegrain Vegetable Tajine 375g (grilled vegetables with coriander and North African spicing); Cassegrain Vegetables for Couscous 430g; Cassegrain Peppers with Espelette Chilli 375g; Cassegrain Black Beans with Lemongrass and Combava Leaf 250g; Cassegrain Coconut Beans with Tomato 250g; Cassegrain Small Brussels Sprouts 265g; Cassegrain Flat Green Beans à la Provençale 375g. Notre Jardin (96 products — the collection's largest sub-range) covers the complete spectrum of tinned and jarred vegetables at an accessible price point: all standard vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, green beans, asparagus, flageolets, lentils, chickpeas, spinach, macedoine, beetroot, celery hearts), mushroom varieties, hearts of palm and more, in multiple sizes from 110g to 795g. D'aucy (a Breton cooperative, founded 1906) contributes peas, corn, green beans, asparagus, macedoine and couscous vegetables.

Tinned Fish

Connétable is one of France's oldest sardine brands, originating in the Breton fishing tradition. Its range includes Connétable Sardines in Olive Oil Label Rouge 115g, Sardines with Chilli 140g, Sardines with Olive and Lemon 135g, Sardines with Olive and Espelette Chilli 135g, Sardines in Olive Oil Without Bones 115g; Connétable Natural Yellowfin Tuna Label Rouge 112g; Connétable Natural Atlantic Salmon 112g; Connétable Natural Cod Liver 121g and Smoked Cod Liver 121g. Saupiquet, Petit Navire and Pêche Océan (15 products each) are major French tinned fish brands covering tuna, sardines, mackerel and salmon. Côté Snack offers ready-to-eat tuna salad kits: Parisian, Italian, Mexican, Catalan and Nature — each 250g pack contains tinned tuna with accompaniments for an assembled salad. Nautilus Crabmeat 105g and Nautilus Chunk Crab 105g: tinned crab meat. Chatcka Antarctic Snow Crab 180g: premium Antarctic snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) from cold southern waters, wild-caught.

Prepared Tinned Meals — Côté Table and Nos Régions

Côté Table is a French brand of complete ready-to-heat tinned dishes: Cassoulet (Toulousain 420g, Classic 840g), Choucroute Garnie 400g and 800g, Royal Sauerkraut 400g, Beef Bourguignon 300g, Coq au Vin 400g, Blanquette de Veau with Mushrooms 285g, Chili con Carne 400g and 820g, Royal Couscous Poultry and Merguez 980g, Paëlla Royale Chicken Mussels Chorizo 940g, Tartiflette 800g, Gratin Dauphinois 850g, Cannelloni Pure Beef 800g, Ravioli 6 Vegetables 800g, Sausages and White Beans 840g, Poultry Quenelles 255g. The terrines and pâtés: Côté Table Country Terrine with Porcini 180g, Duck Terrine 180g, Wild Boar Terrine Cognac 180g, Rabbit Terrine with Mustard 180g, Trio of Terrines 270g, Duo Terrine Pack 2×180g, Pure Pork Country Pâté 3×78g, Pâté de Foie Pur Porc 3×78g, Pure Pork Rillettes 3×78g. Nos Régions Ont du Talent (17 products) brings French regional specialities: Cassoulet with Duck Confit 420g and 840g, Cassoulet de Castelnaudary 1680g, Duck Confit 2 Legs 425g, Mogettes de Vendée 530g (large white beans from the Vendée — a French PGI), Mogettes with Carrots and Bacon 530g, Ratatouille à la Provençale 650g, Aubergine Riste Provençale 650g, Piperade Basquaise 600g, Tripe à la Mode de Caen 600g, Aveyron Tripoux 400g, Breton Pâté 200g, Trio of Terrines 270g, Bloc of Duck Foie Gras from Périgord 130g, Old-Fashioned Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil 115g, White Tuna Bretagne Nature 160g, Espelette Chilli Pâté 180g.

Specialty Tins — Pâtés, Artichokes, Asparagus

Albert Ménès French Pheasant Terrine with Cranberries 180g: a premium French pheasant terrine — game bird meat with aromatic pork and cranberries. Albert Ménès Rabbit Pâté with Wild Thyme 180g. Lucien Georgelin Country-Style Pâté 250g and Pâté au Foie Gras 200g. Henaff Pure Pork Rillettes 3×78g: Henaff is a historic Breton charcuterie brand (founded Pouldreuzic, Finistère, 1907). Hereford Corned Beef 200g and 340g: British-style corned beef. Géant Vert (Green Giant) brings US-origin artichoke hearts, palm hearts, organic corn, white asparagus and ultra-soft corn. Artichoke hearts (from Géant Vert, Cassegrain and Notre Jardin), hearts of palm (Géant Vert and Notre Jardin), white asparagus (D'aucy, Notre Jardin, Géant Vert), mushroom varieties (Paris mushrooms, Greek-style, sliced, forestry mix), and legumes (chickpeas, flageolets, lentils in multiple formats). Duck Confits Gésiers 212g: duck gizzard confit, a Gascon classic used in salads.

For dedicated tomato products, see Tinned Tomatoes. For tinned fruit, see Tinned Fruit. For cassoulet, choucroute and other tinned meat dishes in depth, see Tinned Cassoulet and Choucroute.

Tins and Cans FAQs

What is the difference between extra fins, très fins and fins for French tinned green beans?

French tinned green beans are graded by pod diameter, a system that is more precisely standardised in France than in most other countries. Extra fins (extra fine) are the smallest and most prized: a maximum diameter of 6mm. They have the most delicate texture and the shortest cooking time — in a tin they are already fully cooked and require only heating. Très fins (very fine) run from 6mm to 9mm diameter: slightly more substantial, still tender. Fins (fine) run from 9mm upward. The extra-fine classification from Bonduelle and Cassegrain specifically means the beans were hand-picked at an early stage of development; machine-picked beans tend to be sorted to a slightly larger size. For salads Niçoises, garnishes or side dishes where the bean is a feature, extra fins are the standard choice. For long-cooked dishes (cassoulet-style, or braised with tomatoes) where the bean is one element among several, very fine or standard is perfectly appropriate.