Fine Dining in Northern France

Like any other region in France, the Nord & Pas de Calais offer an abundance of local specialties. Look for the "Produit du Terroir" and you with find a treasure of cheeses, vegetables, fruit and even bread.

The Baguette is the symbol of France. Usually depicted under the arm of a mustached man in an striped jersey, wearing an alpino. The baguette still is the most common of all breads, and every village has a bakery where you can get it fresh from the oven ("fournil"). Every self-respecting bakery will offer freshly-baked baguettes, so don't be surprised to get a warm bread in the afternoon. Even supermarkets will bake their own bread, but these are no match to the baguette from an artisan bakery.

Along the baguette, their will be "le pain" (the bread) a large loaf, sometimes in the form of an over-sized baguette. Then there is "la ficelle" a smaller variety of the baguette, the name literally translates as "the string". Baguettes can be found topped with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. And finally there is the "baguette tradition", sometimes called a "Tradinord": a more rustic version of the baguette. Along these long breads are a number of more common loafs, like "le boulot", "le pain de campagne" and "le pain de mie". This last one is a slightly sweet bread, that makes a great toast. And last but not least there is "le croissant", the French will typically eat it at breakfast, and only at breakfast.

Most bakeries also sell "la pâtisserie" from which the English word "pastry" is derived. In the local lingo puff pastry is often called "une couque", a Flemish word. And a pain aux raisins is called "une Suisse". No Danes here, but Swiss instead...

The most authentic "Flemish" dish sold everywhere in the Nord is the "Potjevleesch": an aspic with chicken, rabbit and veal, sometimes finished with bacon. (which is called "poitrine", "lard" or even "speck". The French use the word "bacon" for pork loin!) Potjevleesch can be served cold or lukewarm.

Another local delicacy is "le museau", in English "head cheese". It  is not a dairy cheese, but a terrine or meat jelly made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig.

Pâté is available in lots of flavourings. The other day, my local butcher proudly offered me a wild boar pâté, made from meat a friend-hunter shot himself. "Pâté en croûte" is pâté in a crust of pie, a bit like Cornish pasty. Pâté can also be called "terrine", when cooked in a mold.

And last but not least, there is the "Boudin". These sausages come as boudin noir (black pudding, made with pork blood) and boudin blanc, a white sausage made of pork, with milk instead of the blood.

Get off the motorway, onto the Routes Departementales (the "D" roads on your Michelin map) and you will see small road signs offering "pommes de terre" (potatoes), "endives" (in English NOT endive, but chicory, also called sugar-loaf or the Flemish witlof), "pommes" = apples, "fraises" = strawberries, "cérises" = cherries, "groseilles" = redcurrant.

To buy fruit at the farm, you can be assured that it has been freshly picked. The difference with supermarket (imported) fruit, that has been in transit for several days, will blow your socks off.

This part of France is a true beer-region. No vineyards here (except a tiny one in Hondschoote), but plenty of breweries. I've listed two below, an interesting one is Brasserie Thiriez, where you can buy (bio) beer, and get a guided tour of the brewery. They also offer lodging in "Chambres d' hôtes".

The brewery is located at 5 minutes drive from Ferme Joos (see list) and at walking distance (1km) of the Wormhout Massacre Monument, where the mass murder of 80 British and French POWs by Waffen-SS soldiers from the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler during the Battle of France in May 1940 took place (Google Map).

Along the D940, the scenic route between Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, there are a number of food stands and shops that offer fresh seafood, such as fish,  mussels, lobster, crab, and oysters.

In Boulogne-sur-Mer, the fish stands near the harbour are often sold-out, so be early!

Best fish restaurant with its own fish shop, oyster bar & traiteur service is  Restaurant Perard, 67 rue de Metz  in 62520 Le Touquet.
See also review on these pages.