Bristol versus Lyon

Is British food really that much worse than French food? Two years on from my French sejour, I've returned to a question that I was often asked in Lyon. Well, actually, it was most often less of a question and more of a snigger; I'd be required to defend the food of our little island - our pies, jars of Marmite, bowls of jelly - to sophisticated Frenchies with palates more accustomed to fine foie gras than fish fingers. Oh, and insist that no, we Brits don't eat cooked breakfast every day, or stop to have tea and cake every afternoon. Just the other day I was asked what the food specialities were in Lyon, so I thought I'd write a gastronomic head-to-head for Lyon and Bristol. And seeing as I'm British, the conclusion should have been foregone. It all started well. Lyon's andouillete - a tripe sausage - is a local favourite. But, come on, who actually wants to eat pig's intestines? Which means that the intestine-free sausages served up by the brilliant St Nicholas Market suasage man win hands down.

Bring on the rest of the main courses. In Lyon, a wise diner would choose one of the more generically French dishes but someone hoping to sample everything Lyonnaise might succumb to the lure of the pike quenelle, another much-hyped speciality. Don't be fooled. Creamed fish bound together with egg yolk, boiled, and smothered in cream sauce? I'd take a Bristol Pieminster pie any day.

On to pudding. Ah, here I thought, Lyon would take a leap ahead. Chocolate fondant is hard to beat, although its richness might defeat you. But then I discovered the best chocolate brownies ever in the Lansdown pub which threw this conclusion into doubt. And THEN I discovered large drifts of unpicked blackberries in Ashton Court and on the Avon Gorge riverside path. Stand aside Lyon. Just as paper always beats stone, blackberry and apple always beats chocolate.

With Bristol clearly in the lead, it was time for a moment of reflection. Could little ole Bristol beat the so-called capital of gastronomy? It was then I realised it couldn't. OK, so some of Lyon's signature dishes might not be to my taste, but if you avoid those you'll feast like a king for not much at all. Fondue, foie gras, salade lyonnaise, pain perdu. Cheese, croissants, baguette and coffee. (It's not exactly a healthy diet!) Take your pick. And, best of all, lunch breaks really are breaks, not huddles behind computer screens with sandwiches, and people not only eat, they talk. Ho-hum. Perhaps it's time to move back to France?