Importing food into the EU

I suppose if you get caught the offending items will be confiscated and you may get a fine.
I very much doubt every vehicle will be searched but it’s easy enough for border control guards to ask if you are carrying any prohibited items while they check your passport.
Then, it’s up to you to tell the truth or not……
 
Yes its all a risk.

We'll wait and see what folks report back once they have run the gauntlet.
 
Also bear in mind the French Douane ( customs) are very mobile and I have seen them pull over vehicles at the side of the road, in car parks and service / rest areas, not necessarily close to ports of entry.
 
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We don't often use the ports down south, mostly we use Harwich. If we are ever boarded, it's to look at the conversion. I wonder how it will change?
 
Some fresh milk and a lump of cheddar are my main gripes.
And maybe a couple of emergency rations.
AS posted 99% available by shopping on day 1
A good French Cantal is just as nice as Cheddar and you can get Extra Mature Cheddar in Lidl in Spain! We take Marmite because, although available, it can be quite expensive. We also got used to UHT milk a long time ago :)
 
Virtually everything we need is available over the Channel at the same cost or less (very much less in the case of the wine!) so we cannot understand why anybody should get heated about not being able to take coals to Newcastle.
The issue can relate to day/time of arrival; will the supermarkets be open to enable you to get food for evening meal and/or breakfast if you arrive relatively late?
 
It seems very difficult to buy cream in France. I wonder why?
Does anyone know of places you can buy fresh cream (and I DON'T mean creme fraiche!)
I think they call it Crème crue fermière but I've never seen it on sale.
 
It seems very difficult to buy cream in France. I wonder why?
Does anyone know of places you can buy fresh cream (and I DON'T mean creme fraiche!)
I think they call it Crème crue fermière but I've never seen it on sale.
That would be unpasteurised (crue) cream. A simple Google search reveals that it is stocked by Carrefour and Intermarché among others. You might also try searching for "crème liquide', crème épaisse', 'crème entière', and various combinations of these.
 
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That would be unpasteurised (crue) cream. A simple Google search reveals that it is stocked by Carrefour and Intermarché among others.
That may be what Google tells you, but if you look on the Carrefour website, you see a very different tale.
I've not tried Intermarche, because I can't find the place to search for groceries on their website.
 
That may be what Google tells you, but if you look on the Carrefour website, you see a very different tale.
I've not tried Intermarche, because I can't find the place to search for groceries on their website.



I think that with Intermarché you need to register for an account before you can browse their online offering. This involves selecting a store; my recollection is that Intermarché operates on a franchise system, so each store is probably free to determine its own policy regarding what items in the range it will stock.
 
What about Canned food, anybody any the wiser?
We always carry a good stock of assorted tins like curries, Ravioli etc. in fact most the current stock has been travelling in the van through France, Spain and Andorra over the past 2 years (Must check the BB dates).
 

I think that with Intermarché you need to register for an account before you can browse their online offering. This involves selecting a store; my recollection is that Intermarché operates on a franchise system, so each store is probably free to determine its own policy regarding what items in the range it will stock.
Well spotted. I'd found the other two, but not that one. I honestly don't understand how you can have semi-skimmed or half fat cream, so they must be something other than cream.
The third does appear to actually be cream, though it is not exactly what I normally buy: https://longleyfarm.com/collections/cream/products/luxury-double-cream
 
If I was a French Trucker having bought a Cornish pastie to munch on my return to the EU would I run the risk of it being seized at the border ?
 

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