Julienne is just a posh name for cutting into small batons. Matchsticks, which are even smaller, are often called allumettes. Those of you that don’t know any French will be completely underwhelmed to hear that allumettes is simply the French word for matchsticks.

Two blocked-off cuboids of carrotFirst you wash and peel your vegetable. Then you “block off”. That just means cutting any rounded or irregular edges so you have a neatly-shaped cuboid. It’s easier said then done, but you can see my attempt in the photo above.


Rectangular slices of carrot ready for cutting into juliennesNext, you cut the block into slices, and finally the slices into sticks.


Julienne carrots (cut into small batons)It’s not so easy as it can be difficult to get them all exactly the same size. If you were working for someone like Gordon Ramsay, then you’d better get it perfect every time, but for the home cook, it’s highly unlikely that anyone would notice any irregular ones anyway, so have a go.

Don’t worry about all the offcuts you may have. You can use them for soup or stock. Why not make carrot and orange soup?

You can also make some nice garnishes with the offcuts too. (Coming soon… but I’m already trying to do too many things at once.)