The History of Kitchens and Cooks gives further intimation on Mr Boulanger usual menu, stating confidently that “Boulanger served salted poultry and fresh eggs, all presented without a tablecloth on small marble tables”. Numerous commentators have also referred to the supposed restaurant owner’s eccentric habit of touting for custom outside his establishment, dressed in aristocratic fashion and brandishing a sword

According to Miss Spang, there is not a shred of evidence for any of it. She said: These legends just get passed on by hearsay and then spiral out of control. Her interest in Boulanger dates back to a history of food seminar in Paris in the mid-1990s