 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello all,
We used to drive down to the Alps where we were self catering and to make things easier we used to cook some food in advance, things like Bolognese sauce, Chilli con carne, etc. So it was just cook the rice or pasta and heat up the sauce.
However thanks to Brexsh*t we can’t take food into France officially.
Anyone tried this recently?
I would have put it in freezer bags but I am worried those might be too conspicuous, wondering if there are less obvious chilling options?
Any thoughts?
K
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wrap it up and hide it inside the bricks of cocaine.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I understand that it's meat and dairy products that you can't take.
The risk is that you get stopped and searched at entry.
Not that we were stopped this year but my approach would be .. .Freeze it (in a non see through/clear container) and Label it veggie/vegan chilli , bol, curry, whatever ... if you're feeling particularly cautious have 'the' recipe to hand to show the meat/dairy free nature.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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More specifically, isn't it uncooked meat/dairy? If it's already been cooked and is now 'used' I'm not sure if the normal customs rules apply..?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@clarky999, it is all meat and dairy - cooked or uncooked. You can take processed fruit & veg, but not fresh. Whilst on our two trips so far, the French authorities have not seemed at all intersections the risk is if they should look and find anything they may go over you with a fine tooth comb. Perhaps more likely now they won’t be looking for your test certification.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We have been through the tunnel three times since last July and just have a cool bag in the back of the car with the stuff out of the fridge and a couple of ready meals, some home cooked/sometimes bought and no one has taken any interest in what is in the car.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Legally: You can't take any "products of animal origin", so if you're vegan you're fine.
Practically: Unless you're driving down in a transit van or bigger full of food you're unlikely to get stopped and nobody on the border is really going to care. Worst case you'd have to dump the food and drive on without it.
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As chocksaway points out, there are "rules", BUT, like the Attestation, no one is at all interested.
We have done multiple trips in the last year thro the tunnel with all the forms and a cool box full of our usual food. No one has asked about food or the Attestation. No one has searched the car. The only queries have been about vaccination.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Mjit,
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Worst case you'd have to dump the food and drive on without
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I'm going on this basis. In particular, I absolutely refuse to use disgusting butter substitutes in the picnic sarnies!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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And think of how much better the sarnies will taste with the relish of knowing that you'd broken the rules!
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Another thread here where all aspects of the debate were covered https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=156451
It comes down to taking food is against the rules and you have to be prepared to take the consequences if you get caught.
The fact that the chances of getting caught are negligible is irrelevant if it's you that get's caught.
If it's convenience your after can't be quicker than a bag of 3 minute pasta and a jar of Barilla Bolognaise sauce.
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You know it makes sense.
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Spicy tuna tomato pasta sauce is OK, so long as you use olive oil instead of butter. The pasta might be illegal, however, if it contains egg 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| kosciosco wrote: |
Hello all,
We used to drive down to the Alps where we were self catering and to make things easier we used to cook some food in advance, things like Bolognese sauce, Chilli con carne, etc. So it was just cook the rice or pasta and heat up the sauce.
However thanks to Brexsh*t we can’t take food into France officially.
Any thoughts?
K |
Surely, all good remainiacs should support the local economy by buying stuff over there?
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Poster: A snowHead
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We emptied our fridge and most of the freezer into the motorhome in October and again in December. Motorhomes would be the obvious no 1 target and I've not read of any motorhomes being searched on the forums.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| mitcva wrote: |
| kosciosco wrote: |
Hello all,
We used to drive down to the Alps where we were self catering and to make things easier we used to cook some food in advance, things like Bolognese sauce, Chilli con carne, etc. So it was just cook the rice or pasta and heat up the sauce.
However thanks to Brexsh*t we can’t take food into France officially.
Any thoughts?
K |
Surely, all good remainiacs should support the local economy by buying stuff over there? |
I am supporting the local bars, want to make sure time is spent frequenting them and not cooking 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've only ever had a swab on the steering wheel. Not sure they'd look unless you were quite obviously eating a ham sandwich at the wheel. I'd not even worry about it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sounds like a soft cool bag shoved into the roof box is the way to go
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Yet going flexiplus you get sandwiches that you take to the other side.
The only vehicles we saw being checked were Vans, went through with our double cab pick up and didnt give us a second look.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Hurtle wrote: |
@Mjit,
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Worst case you'd have to dump the food and drive on without
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I'm going on this basis. In particular, I absolutely refuse to use disgusting butter substitutes in the picnic sarnies! |
Umm, you know they DO sell butter, quite openly in France...?
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| robs1 wrote: |
| Yet going flexiplus you get sandwiches that you take to the other side. |
The Flexiplus terminal is after passport control so you're technically in France/they are either EU or legally exported to the EU sandwiches.
And that's assuming you class the free Flexiplus sandwiches as a form of foodstuff, let alone being of animal origin. Based on the ones we grabbed heading out the other weekend I'd class them as maybe a packing material or some type of tick cardboard.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Interesting stuff here.
It seems Snowheads are a remarkably honest bunch. Presumably no attempts to buy booze when under 18. Or see an X film when under 16. Or tried to sneak into the front section of the O2 Arena for an Elbow concert.
But those urging us to visit bars and restaurants are missing the point of Self Catering. Bars and restaurants are expensive. Going skiing is expensive enough without unnecessarily adding to the cost.
But we don't want to spend the whole time cooking in the resort. So as mitcva mentions, we do the cooking in UK, freeze the dishes, and then just have to defrost for some good home cooking after a hard day's skiing.
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I would only want to take HP Sauce and Henderson’s relish!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I got through the Swiss/France checkpoint whilst flouting an open bag of crisps and a half drunk bottle of diet coke.
they didn't have the balls to pull me over.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Jonpim wrote: |
Interesting stuff here.
It seems Snowheads are a remarkably honest bunch. Presumably no attempts to buy booze when under 18. Or see an X film when under 16. Or tried to sneak into the front section of the O2 Arena for an Elbow concert.
But those urging us to visit bars and restaurants are missing the point of Self Catering. Bars and restaurants are expensive. Going skiing is expensive enough without unnecessarily adding to the cost.
But we don't want to spend the whole time cooking in the resort. So as mitcva mentions, we do the cooking in UK, freeze the dishes, and then just have to defrost for some good home cooking after a hard day's skiing. |
Love this post, all very true. Except, who the hell's Elbow? 
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Do you know how much a decent leg of lamb is in France !!!???
I'm nipping back to the UK for a few days and I'll be dropping into my butcher to buy various joints, plus of course bacon & sausages.
If I get busted so be it.
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You know it makes sense.
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The problem with being "busted" is that you stand the chance of being added to various computer systems and then being "busted" every time that you, or your vehicle, crosses a border.....
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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We take all sorts with us and a cool box, we make no attempt to 'conceal' anything on the basis that we would plead ignorance if caught, but if its hidden it would be viewed as smuggling...
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Poster: A snowHead
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On return to the UK you make your Customs declaration when entering either the Green or Red Channel. You cannot plead ignorance once you have made your declaration and you are smuggling whether you have concealed the goods or not...
The fact that simple cases rarely go to court, and are dealt with administratively, makes thing easier for UK PLC. If someone is insistent that they are not smuggling then they can always opt to go to court to see whether the Magistrate or Judge agrees with them.
Interesting how many people seem to be willing to deliberately break the law of another country.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Hurdy, there are no green or red channels at the ferry ports. Sometimes you get asked a few questions - “where are you going and why?” Clearly one should answer honestly. Occasionally someone will be pulled aside for a thorough or not so thorough check.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We've emptied the fridge of veg, plus any ham and dairy produce on each of our trips so far via the tunnel, plus the raw dog food favoured by our pampered pooch-all in an obvious cool bag and have come to the conclusion that they really aren't that interested.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Hurdy, have you actually travelled from the UK to France in the last 18 months?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Hurdy,
Unfortunately when driving back on Eurotunnel last week, I was offered no opportunity by the UK authorities to declare my illegal Bolognese sauce. Will I need to go to court?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes I have travelled backwards and forwards regularly thank you and there are always Border Force staff to speak to in Dover and Coquelles.
You can bring bolognaise from France to the UK so you are fine HilbertSpace (until July anyway when you can't).
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| Mosha Marc wrote: |
I got through the Swiss/France checkpoint whilst flouting an open bag of crisps and a half drunk bottle of diet coke.
they didn't have the balls to pull me over. |
Beef flavour, I assume?
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| Weathercam wrote: |
Do you know how much a decent leg of lamb is in France !!!???
I'm nipping back to the UK for a few days and I'll be dropping into my butcher to buy various joints, plus of course bacon & sausages.
If I get busted so be it. |
The best legs of lamb in France are often the frozen New Zealand ones!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| NickYoung wrote: |
| Mosha Marc wrote: |
I got through the Swiss/France checkpoint whilst flouting an open bag of crisps and a half drunk bottle of diet coke.
they didn't have the balls to pull me over. |
Beef flavour, I assume? |
Les Roast Beef!
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@JamesHJ, very true but none available at the moment from Aldi & Lidl as I check on a weekly basis, and when they do have I buy two!
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