 Poster: A snowHead
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We've booked French Alps for Feb (woo). We're getting the ferry to Dieppe and are self catering for four for 9 days so will want to fill the car with various food supplies.
Do I need to give customs any serious consideration? Happy to take a risk but it's been 5 years since I've driven over the border so no idea how seriously they take it all since the lorry-driver-ham-sandwich-confiscated incident.
Many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Had no problem on several trips this year
Carrying all sorts of nutritional contraband
That is not to say you might be unlucky
Depends how guilty you look 
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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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Don’t know about pork pie but we take dog food
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Yep I totally hear you. That's the best kind of response I can expect.
My wife goes pretty hard core... like breaking bad. I'm taking frozen lasagne, oven ready bread dough, pots of chilli.
If worse comes to worse then I expect the French would do some kind of prisoner exchange like the Ukrainians and Russians so I shouldn't over think it.
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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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You’re taking bread to France!!!!
Highlight of my holiday
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@garyyb, I think legally you have to fill in a load of forms and declare it. As others have said most people get away with and if they didn't the rightwing British press would be all over it.
If the pie is from Melton Mowbray there may be added paperwork involved with the fact that it is a protected food name with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
Incidently food produce can be bought in France, though I have my doubts about Melton Mowbray pies.
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do they no longer have shops and restaurants in France?
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| Bob wrote: |
| do they no longer have shops and restaurants in France? |
judging by the hoards of people escaping the place on all manner of inflatable craft it must be like The Walking Dead meets Contagion over there.
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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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You'll be fine. They only tend to swab for explosive material and not meaty treats.
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@kettonskimum, better not take any gunpowder tea then....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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At the Eurotunnel they seem to target the motor homes / caravans rather than the “normal car”. We have taken a few things over - normally hidden way down in the boot rather than advertising we have loads of food.
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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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We went through twice in the summer with a fridge load of food and a van jam packed with stuff. Nobody gave a fig (see what I did there ?) 
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We take the tunnel. Have a food bag for the kids in the rear, usual suspects like beef jerky and always forget the rule. Usually eat my 'meaty wrap' stood outside my car during the journey. Again, not taking the mick but because I'm hungry. No one has stopped me.
I 'inadvertently' threw a packet of firelighters in the boot last trip without thinking. Hubby hit the roof when I mentioned it just before border crossing. But no issues or harm done.
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You know it makes sense.
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| garyyb wrote: |
My wife goes pretty hard core... like breaking bad. I'm taking frozen lasagne, oven ready bread dough, pots of chilli.
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I can understand bringing a few unusual seasoning and tea etc. But pre-made frozen food?
I wonder what the French people eat. Or are they starving?
Unlike the innocent ham sandwich, these are evidence of outright flaunting the law. I’m surprised people are so ready to encourage the OP on doing it.
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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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Outright flouting of the law!!!!
Oh dear!
Oh well off to the bastille with him to be force fed oeofs a la tripe!!
Still the law is the law and we must never ever break it
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Bob wrote: |
| do they no longer have shops and restaurants in France? |
None that sell any decent grub obviously, no baked beans, jammy dodgers or prawn cocktail crisps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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But I have seen some terrible food for sale in french supermarkets - I've seen marmite for sale in French supermarkets for example.
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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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| johnE wrote: |
| I've seen marmite for sale in French supermarkets for example. |
Well, it's not that strange to see a cooking pot for sale in a supermarket. 
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why would it even be an issue? shopping in different countries is fun, and probably cheaper too.
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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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| biddpyat wrote: |
| why would it even be an issue? |
Maybe you haven't heard but there was a thing called Brexit.
Mafeking has been relieved too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Perhaps the poster doesn’t want to spend their time cooking after skiing and doesn't want to eat out all the time. Makes perfect sense to me.
French ‘ready’ food is shite, canned tartiflette anyone?
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@Nadenoodlee, canned cassoulet isn't that bad. 
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@Nadenoodlee, Canned Confit of Duck is delicious 
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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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@RobinS, yes. But one cannot live on duck alone.
@Alastair Pink, i had such respect for you…  the Clin d’oeil in Morzine does a stellar Cassoulet - it cannot be beaten so with that as my benchmark I dare not try a canned Reflets version
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
French ‘ready’ food is shite, canned tartiflette anyone? |
Worse than frozen chili and frozen bread dough???
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just drive empty. Pop into a supermarket and buy your food in France. Spend one evening making food or food prep while sipping some of the local wine. I’ve heard it is good.
I’ve never understood people taking food to France. Now Yorkshire gold is different mind you.
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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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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
@Alastair Pink, i had such respect for you… the Clin d’oeil in Morzine does a stellar Cassoulet - it cannot be beaten so with that as my benchmark I dare not try a canned Reflets version |
@Nadenoodlee, obviously a restaurant made cassoulet is better, but some cassoulet en boite is quite reasonable 'ready' food imv. e.g
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You know it makes sense.
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French supermarkets always have lots of prepared couscous salads etc, and "céléri rémoulade". and masses of all kinds of cheese and cooked meats and patés. And good bread and wine. If that isn't "ready food" I don't know what is. But I always used to take deep frozen lasagne or similar - doing a drive from the UK to a French ski resorts, in one go, leaves no time for shopping en route. Ready to cook bread dough is a great standby and (heresy......) better than yesterday's baguette by a long way.
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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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If French supermarkets are good enough for French people, I dare say they're good enough for me. Certainly good enough to stop me from intentionally breaking customs rules.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| pam w wrote: |
| doing a drive from the UK to a French ski resorts, in one go, leaves no time for shopping en route. |
Exactly this. One year, weather got steadily worse as approached Tarentaise valley, and was then held at bottom of climb up to resort for three hours as a bus had jackknifed. Normal 10 hours from Calais took 17. Got into resort around 1 a.m. Obviously nothing open at that time, so was very thankful for my then customary arrival evening frozen pizza.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Resort supermarkets are usually less than great. Fresh stuff does not do well at altitude- when I lived in Morzine i’d always drive down the valley to do my main shop for that very reason.
However this was someone taking a lasagne not a boot full of groceries but that detail appeared to be lost early on.
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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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@195062, that reminds me that I must check the emergency food supply in my cave. It consists of two tins of mince and unions, a jar of pasta sauce and a pack of spaghetti and a few bottles of wine. I hope the vermin haven’t got into the spaghetti
We have no trouble with resorts shops in les arcs - just nip down to bourg st Maurice on the funicular.
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We always do an en route stop so there is plenty of time to do a hypermarket shop before driving up the mountain. I enjoy going round french supermarkets and buying fresh cheese for the fondue, local wines, french yoghurts etc We never spend hours cooking complicated dishes. We have things like salmon fillets or steak which are quick to cook. The only things I take from the uk are items like tea bags and coffee, flour and olive oil to avoid having to buy whole boxes/jars in France which will not be used up in a week.
I would certainly follow the rules in terms of what goods to take into France.
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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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I take kenco instant coffee to Austria..instant there is crap and very expensive. I've got tinned staples and jars...eg pesto, baked beans...and pasta and rice in the private cupboard in the flat for the first night.
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We are drifting into how to cook in a French apartment country now so may I add a slow cooker and a sharp knive to the stuff to the to take list ahead of frozen lasagne.
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@johnE, or...you have both in your own apartment. Never used the slow cooker..I bought it for megamum so she didn't need to bring her own
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
Perhaps the poster doesn’t want to spend their time cooking after skiing and doesn't want to eat out all the time. Makes perfect sense to me.
French ‘ready’ food is shite, canned tartiflette anyone? |
I still don't quite get why English people insist on bringing their English food with them, ready food is never an option for me, and I self cater all the time, you can still go to a supermarket in any country and just buy food that you can rattle together fairly quickly, Yes I have heard of BREXIT, isn't that where the English shot themselves in the foot, and dragged northern Ireland into a murky situation.
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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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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| I take kenco instant coffee to Austria..instant there is crap and very expensive. I've got tinned staples and jars...eg pesto, baked beans...and pasta and rice in the private cupboard in the flat for the first night. |
Lmao, I do that too, I take a little pouch of Kenco , but I need about six mugs of the stuff in the mornings, so I explain that away to my husband who thinks I'm nuts.
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@biddpyat, I've got jars I'm.my cupboard..just take a jar or a freezer bag full
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