Brigitte Dessailly — golden-blonde bob and sparkly blue eyes — remembers fondly the evening in January when Emmanuel Macron took a bite of the raw meat on toast she gave him in a cold-store warehouse in northern France.

Campaigning in the National Front-run town of Hénin-Beaumont, a former coal mining bastion hardly receptive to his message of optimism, the then presidential hopeful had nevertheless found a few fans to greet him, among them the 59-year-old saleswoman. After some small talk about “Charbonnay” wine grapes grown on a 180-metre coal heap in Ms Dessailly’s nearby hometown of Haillicourt, she had exclaimed: “You can count on my vote,” a promise the 39-year-old politician rewarded with a kiss on both cheeks.

Six months after Mr Macron’s victory in May, Ms Dessailly is less enthusiastic. The widow and mother of three says she has been puzzled by some of his measures, which have prompted critics to label him “president of the rich”.