Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), or ‘authenticated source product’, is the French certification granted to certain French wines, cheese, butter and other food products, including Espelette pepper, Le Puy-En-Velay lentils and Roquefort cheese. The appellation exacts a very rigorous set of clearly defined standards.

Poularde de Bresse was awarded the AOC label in 1957 and since then has become a highly regarded product served at many famous tables throughout France and around the world. To qualify as a ‘poularde’ the hen must not have produced any eggs, must be a minimum of five months old, have white feathers and have spent at least three quarters of its life free-range. It also should weigh no less than 1.8kg, and have been fed on maize.

When I was contemplating the idea of serving Poularde de Bresse in my restaurant I went to my good friend Robin from Gartmorn Farm and asked him if he could give me a ‘poularde’ from his stocks.

The requested hens arrived and I cooked them the way they should be done, which is very slowly before being finished with sautéed Scottish girolles mushroom and creamed stock reduction. What a treat! It might not have been the real thing from home but its a very tasty, moist and extremely tender chicken.

We do not have a classification of produce in Scotland but if we start looking around us, what we have is probably just as good as the more famous equivalents – if not better in certain cases.

●Fred Berkmiller and Betty Jourjon run L’Escargot Bleu and L’Escargot Blanc restaurants and own L’Escargot Epicerie in Broughton Street, Edinburgh, 0131 557 1600, www.lepicerie.co.uk

●Gartmorn Farm by Alloa produces free-range chicken, duck, turkey and guinea fowl, 01259 750549 www.gartmornfarm.co.uk