Opened in 1777, the shop is the showcase for Maille, a Parisian firm which merged with the famous dijonnaise house of Grey-Poupon. Here, you can buy 20 varieties of mustard, including cassis flavour. We were quite happy with €7 (£5) worth of plain old Moutarde Fine de Dijon, pumped into a jar from a barrel on the counter. We visited the Mus?Amora (Amora being the multinational that now owns Maille) to discover the history of the condiment. Like blackcurrants, mustard seed thrived on Burgundy soil, and found a market in rich Renaissance homes, where meat was not a luxury.Aren't there any smaller makers left?Careful perusing of ?cerie shelves flagged up specialist Dijon brands including T?raire, Renne de Dijon and Edmund Fallot.

The latter, which has a very creamy, mild flavour, can lay claim to being a genuinely local product having re-introduced mustard plants to the Burgundy hills. Other companies rely on imports, mainly from Canada.Where can I eat all these treats?Les Deux Fontaines at 16 Place R?blique (00 33 80 60 86 45) has been open for just a year. Packed with young dijonnais who relish the modern spin on traditional Burgundian fare, its fricassee of snails, cream, mushrooms and bacon was a fabulous way to thaw out on a winter's night.Also impressive is Le Chabrot at 36, rue Monge (00 33 3 80 30 69 61), which is being re-invented by its chef Jean- Fran?s Vachez. We loved his pumpkin and crayfish custard tart scattered with pain d'?ces crumbs.Can we squeeze in a wine tasting?There are caves in Dijon, but a two-hour tour of the C?d'Or with specialist tour operators Wine and Voyages (00 39 3 80 61 15 15; wineandvoyages ) is worth every minute.We rattle through various famous villages and our guide, Laurent, points out Roman?Conti: four acres of £1,000-a-bottle Grand Cru.

At Nuits-Saint-Georges we get our throats round the product, courtesy of the Maillard-Grivot cellars. Their Vosne-Roman?Premier Cru aux Malconsorts is a stunning mouthful at €30 (£20) a bottle.To get there, I just follow my nose?Best take a plane as well. Buzz flies direct from London Stansted to Dijon, Monday and Friday from October to March Summer flights are more frequent but not yet scheduled. Fares start at around £86; (01279 660400 ) I stayed at Hotel Tulip Inn "Le Jura", 14 avenue Foch (00 33 80 41 61 12; ): a double room costs from €90 (£60) per night. Dijon Tourist Office is at 34, rue des Forges (00 33 80 44 11 44; ). Les Halles du Marche, rue Ramey, is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning, all day Saturday.

Le Mus?de Beaux-Arts at Palais des Etats-de-Bourgogne (00 33 80 74 52 09) is open 10am-6pm; closed Tuesdays. Mus?Amora, 48 quai Nicolas-Rolin (00 33 3 80 44 44 44) has variable opening hours: the tourist office arranges tours.. Having set new standards in small-screen kitsch, the television drama Footballers' Wives is taking its toll on children. The character Chardonnay Lane, a glamour model who had a "fairytale" wedding and self-combusting breasts, may have inspired one of the fastest-growing girl's names. The number of girls called Aaliyah rose by 300 to 468, ranked 92, largely in tribute to the R&B singer killed in a plane crash last August.