Les Niçois Aunt Josie’s Tomato Spread 100g

Tomato arrives in two forms here: sun-dried tomatoes for concentrated, savoury fruitiness, and tomato concentrate for a deeper foundation. Extra virgin olive oil carries those flavours across the palate, while garlic and onion add warmth. A little hot chilli leaves a small spark at the end of the bite.

There is richness, but also lift. Red wine vinegar puts a sharper edge around the tomato and oil, so the spread feels particularly at home on toast with a good, crisp surface. The sun-dried tomato brings a sweet-savoury direction; the concentrate makes the whole mouthful feel more firmly rooted in tomato. It is a pleasing choice when you want that flavour to be the centre of an apéritif rather than one topping among many.

A spoonful can also give a simple meal a useful head start. Fold it into soft eggs and the tomato becomes gentler; put it against warm pasta and a little of its oil helps carry the seasoning. On bread, you get the most direct version: rich tomato, a touch of garlic and that late little chilli lift. Add a fresh mozzarella slice if you want a cool, milky counterpoint.

• Mozzarella and grilled bread: Toast thick slices of country bread until the edges colour. Spread with tomatade, add torn mozzarella and finish with basil leaves. The cool cheese gives the concentrated tomato something soft and milky to meet. Serve the toasts while the bread still has a little warmth.
• An omelette worth sitting down for: Make a softly set omelette and spoon a little tomatade across the centre before folding. Add a green salad and a piece of bread for a lunch that asks very little of you. Taste before adding extra seasoning; the spread already brings garlic, vinegar and chilli.
• Pasta with the cupboard’s best idea: Loosen a spoonful with a little pasta cooking water, then toss with freshly drained pasta. Add chopped parsley or basil and a little grated cheese at the table.

A tour manager and a music producer make an interesting pair of people to find behind your apéritif. Luc Sananes and Olivier Chini met while working with the musician Jil is Lucky. Luc already wanted to open a restaurant inspired by the South; together, they opened Les Niçois in Paris in January 2014.

Olivier went on to develop the grocery range, taking that relaxed, generous idea of the table beyond the restaurant. Tata Josie’s tomatade fits the mood beautifully: a concentrated tomato spread that can start with a toast and find its way into the rest of lunch. The setting can be your own kitchen, the music whatever you fancy. Brown the bread, tear the mozzarella and let the first bite set the pace.

Store unopened at ambient temperature. Refrigerate after opening.