La Belle-Iloise are an iconic French producer, renowned for their beautiful tins and delicious produce. Since 1932 they have been producing tins of sardines from Quiberon, Brittany the home of French sardines. Now it is run by Caroline Hilliet, the granddaughter of founder, Georges Hilliet. We highly recommend a trip to one of their magnificent stores during any trip to France. Their sardines are fished in season in the local area when they are mature, and are then prepared by hand within 24 hours with the utmost respect for tradition. Their refined quality is the result of precise techniques passed down from one generation to the next. Meticulously selected, pickled and trimmed, they are delicately tinned after cooking. Chilli pepper (piment) + tomato (tomate) + garlic (aïl) = Pitomaïl ! Mellow, balanced flavours and genuine Provencal tastes lie behind the attractive iridescent colour of this recipe. The creator of la belle-iloise, Georges Hilliet, used to prepare a spicier version of his tomato sardines for his personal stock. In the 1960s, his friends encouraged him to add this new recipe of sardines, Pitomaïl (chilli, tomato, garlic) to the catalogue... And it became one of their best-sellers !