French market (Normandy) - what to buy on morning on 24th to have a FABULOUS first family Christmas???

[SalLikesEggnogUnderMistletoe]

Well, after drooling over everyone's lovely Christmas menus, I am now convinced that all kinds of horror will befall me should I not have a great menu... So, please help:

We are arriving in a small village 20mins from Caen on the afternoon of 23rd. Can prepare everything for Christmas eve (main Christmas meal for us) in gite, but ingredients would have to be bought on morning of 24th. I have NO experience of French markets, never mind knowing what would actually be available at such a late time.

Any suggestions, thing to look out for? Or basics that we should buy at Ferry port in Calais?

This would be our first Christmas with ds, and while he couldn't care less (9 months), it is kind of important to be perfect.

You can't plan.That's the thing with markets.Just follow your nose and go with what smells and looks good. You should find some cracking cheeses, charcuterie,maybe good jams and conserves, something for pud.

Sounds lovely.
Are you there for 1st time or is it familiar territory?

Hmm, sounds lovely moondog. I go to food markets (ok, to Borough Market mainly) a lot, so the idea of living off mainly fresh food for a week sounds brilliant.

It is our first time there, and since I got to pick our destination I want it to be perfect. No pressure then . We're staying here, which I'm hoping will be ok with a new crawler...

...

Looks very nice indeed Sal.
Will there be other peopel there too?

Oh asicsgirl, hope it will be good!

And thanks, moondog. Well, one of the other gites on site is rented out too, so the play barn is shared, but we will be the only ones (well me, dh and ds) in our property.

It's a strange Christmas really, as we're usually either with family (first choice) or somewhere adventurous (Christmas in China being a not-so-great choice in retrospect). All the family are abroad though and since we went home in November we couldn't do another trip now. And ds, much as I adore him, ruined adventure travel forever

A gite sounded domestic enough, the play barn sounded good, and the French food clinched it for me. Now just to ensure I can actually pull it off!

Ooh sorry, hi hoochievirginm. same as for asicsgirl though - I'm terrified a little worried that it won't be as good as I want it to be!

I know what you mean.
It';s good to try something different thoguh.
All my family are abroad this year too (all living there) and we would probably have cleared off if not for the fact that dh works abroad and just wants to cme home.

We had one Christmas with dd at 13 mths in Sri Lanka.Hard work. Once they hit 3 it gets a bit easier.

I would be in the palybarn with the papers and a glass of wine.
V close to a radiator.
That would do me.

Get organic milk at a hypermarket en route, as you might find it hard to source in smaller shops. The market (in Falaise? wait til you see the castle ramparts, the town's name does not translate as "Cliff" for nothing) will have seasonal veg only, including wild mushrooms, fabulous charcuterie, seafood (oysters from Courseulles hopefully), poultry, bread and patisserie
Have a fab time

hmm. rather tempting - i can do this for at least a week... papers, wine, cheeses. not bad at all!

Marina, thanks for the tip! I've just shown dh your post, and he's getting more excited by the second. He's such a little boy - dragged me (kicking and screaming) up and down the hill to Prague's castle last year. While freezing to death. With a terrible cold (me). And 6 months pregnant. Might use ds as an excuse to rest more this year!

Buy a jar of goosefat and some large Charlotte potatoes to make roast potatoes and a capon (chapon).

Otherwise I wouldn't go to any trouble - salad, cheeses, some tangerines (the ones called Soculente) a bûche from the best pâtisserie in town.

Thanks Anna, I'll add that to the pre-market shopping list.
How fresh / organic / good quality is the bigger supermarkets (e.g. in Calais)? Should I, for example, buy the milk and goosefat there and wait until 24th to buy potatoes and capon at market, or should I buy these at supermarket and only leave markets for all the other nice things (breads, cheeses, etc etc as mentioned above).

I wouldn't bother going to a hypermarket at all.

You will be able to find all the food you need in your local town - there will be an épicerie (a Shopi, perhaps) for supermarket packaged goods, but all the produce will be miles better and fresher in the market.

Oh brilliant, thanks!

Get the chapon in the market, although Licques near Calais is nationally reknowned for its poultry and you can get their appellation-controlee birds in the Carrefour at Coquelles...but I'd still do the market personally
Goose fat will be available everywhere
Normandy is a province that likes its good food, I am sure there will be pretty much everything except for organic milk readily available in Falaise. (PS I think the "20 minutes from Caen" either means a new motorway or French driving speeds )

lol Marina.

This is making me drool. I might need to move to France.

I used to live there. I miss it so much! I am living vicariously through you on this thread. Enjoy la belle Normandie!

Thanks Marina! I'll have an extra glass of wine on you on my first night there, I promise!

Make mine a pommeau - be sure to try some
Bon voyage

So how'd it go Sal?

Hi Marina - sorry, only just saw this! It was so lovely - I kept taking property leaflets looking at places to buy so that I could live there forever! (Not that I can afford it, mind you, but I couldn't let small details like that get in the way of my imagination now, could I?

I started work again yesterday and nothing fits. It was worth it though!