What lovely things to take home from France?

[hastalav]

Going to Normandy end of Summer for a week. I haven't been to France in a long time now, so wondered if anyone has recommendations for nice things French to take home apart from wine?

Things from the pharmacie, the supermarche, etc. Not perishable. Would love to hear.

I will be buying a few cases of wine in Auchan or similar and Efferalgan (fizzy non caffeine paracetemol), so what else?

Thanks!

Not exactly a hidden treasure, but Giverny is well worth a visit. Monet's home and where he painted much of his work. Absolutely beautiful.

Bourjois Shower Gel!
All the Camembert

www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain

I’ve only been back a fortnight and am well stocked up, but I want to go again for the things that weren’t on my list.🤣

People always say canned duck on here.

I can't imagine what you'd use it for, isn't it a fatty gloopy mess?

Honfluer is a pretty harbour town.
Falaise is where William the conqueror was born that's quite pretty too.

And deauville, just along the coast from Honfluer

The one thing I'd bring back from anywhere in Europe these days is extra virgin olive oil, because it has become astonishingly expensive over here.

Go racing at Deauville and see the huts on the beach too.

@hastalav

you can bring pretty much anything food wise from France into the UK. Watch out for soft cheese if you are flying though: anything of that texture fails the safety checks (weeps to remember an airport policewoman punching a ripe Vacherin Mont D’Or into the disposal hole as it wouldn’t fit… even her colleagues were wincing at each blow 😱).

but don’t try to bring your ham & cheese sandwiches the other way: since Brexit, you can’t bring any meat / dairy from the UK into France.

@Amsx

It’s delicious! You take it out of the tin, scrape most of the fat off ( keeping it for the best roast potatoes) then heat the duck legs in the oven. Finish them off in a sauté pan to crisp up the skin. Then just eat it as it is (with dauphinois potatoes and green beans) or it’s lovely shredded in a salad as well.

Fleur de Sel salt

Another vote for the mustardy mayo. Amora is good.

For anyone not going to France - recommend Delouis mayonnaise as a French mayonnaise with the touch of mustard, available from Waitrose/Ocado

Maison Verte Basil and Thyme washing up
liquid

Époisses cheese. It's from Burgundy rather than Normandy, but you should be able to get it in a supermarket. It's ready to eat when you need a spoon rather than a knife to divvy it up. 😉

Fromage blanc!

The one thing I can't seem to get an equivalent of over here. It's like yogurt but creamier. But also not like Greek yogurt,Quark etc.

Apologies for lowering the tone but if you have calpol resistant babies or toddlers, paracetamol pessaries for infants. They are very very lovely at 2am when a child who WILL NOT swallow calpol has earache.

Yes it's fine. I brought back tomatoes, fresh wild mushrooms, truffles abd pasta from Italy with no issues. And a pizza fir dh's work dinner that night 😂

Dh recently drove back from France with 10kg prepacked raclette cheese which we freeze and a massive list of carrefour groceries

Good for him, nothing like a good raclette on a winter's evening, aka June ;)

I was thinking more about fresh meat, etc. But I think it is more the other way round.

Pessaries or suppositories. Suppositories are still the favourite method in France with infants (and the elderly), no swallowing and immediate effect.

Calvados and creme de Cassis. The latter makes any white wine taste good.

Van Houten cocoa powder. It's the real deal, the best thing for any chocolatey baking. SO expensive to get over here.

Anyone going to SW France needs to discover Floc de Gascogne as an aperitif

Suppositories apologies - I must have had a late night silver moment !