Boulogne's Best

Written by Cindy-Lou Dale

A few of my girlfriends have clubbed together and regularly go on shopping expeditions to Boulogne’s organic farmers’ market. A seven a.m. Dover departure has us in Boulogne just over an hour later, giving us just sufficient time to freshen up, take in a coffee (and a patisserie) and plan our morning. LD Lines delivers us to the quay at the foot of Boulogne’s town centre in just over an hour (midweek crossings are cost effective, check www.ldlines.com for special offers) which soon has us at the market on Dalton Place, adjacent to the Church of Saint Nicolas. From local farm cheeses, to home-made honey and jams; fish soup and racks of lamb; strings of garlic, chicory, vegetables and flowers - it’s all there. On Saturday mornings especially, business is fast, the atmosphere colourful and the surrounding historical buildings positively glowing in the morning sun.

For special occasion cheeses we found France’s most revered vintage cheese merchant all but three minute walk from the farmers’ market. Philippe Olivier has a cheese boutique on the pedestrianised 43 Rue Thiers. Here his cheeses mature further in the traditional cold cellar and candlelight manner. ‘Like everything French,’ Philippe claims, ‘our cheeses are romantic. This is what the French culture is all about. Good food, a little wine then the pleasure of speaking about it afterwards.’

We’re never early enough to catch the daily fish market held near the harbour entrance at Quai Gambetta but inexpensive and quaint accommodations are available in the nearby fishing village of Equihen-Plage. Here a number of ‘Quilles en l’air’ are for hire (www.camping-equihen-plage.fr). These are upturned boats which once served as homes to poor fishing families, predating World War 2. They’ve been preserved and converted to comfortable, self catering accommodations - all with dramatic sea views. At €60 it makes fiscal sense to overnight here then venture out to the dawn fish market.

If you’d like to turn your shopping expedition into a weekend excursion there’s another accommodations alternative. Five minutes from Boulogne, in the rural hamlet of Saint-Leonard, is Le Canville - a renovated farmhouse with outbuildings converted into a series of luxury hotel apartments built around a pretty courtyard garden. All apartments are individually decorated, fully equipped and accommodate up to four people per suite. The farm is surrounded by a landscape park, has a communal lounge with a wood-burning fireplace and an indoor heated swimming pool. High season prices start at €100 per apartment, www.lecanville.com.

For a romantic weekend Le Beaucamp, a B&B fabulously contained in an elegant chateau in Wierre-Effroy, is without a doubt, the place to overnight. Le Beaucamp has very personal history for Anny Bernard who, together with her husband, Jo, own a piece of paradise close to their hearts. Anny was born and raised at Le Beaucamp but during World War II was evacuated when German occupying forces took over the property. In recent years the chateau became available and was snapped up by the Bernard’s who have restored it to its former grandness and now share their personal history with their guests. High season prices start at £100 per room, www.lebeaucamp.com.

For the ultimate dining experience, reserve a table at Michelin starred La Matelote (www.la-matelote.com). Somewhere between the sommelier introducing you to a bottle of good regional Chardonnay and the waiter presenting plate after memorable plate of the very best French cooking you’ll have experienced for some time, you will find yourself thinking you’ve just discovered France’s answer to Jamie Oliver. Chef Tony Lestienne presented my table with organic curry infused prawn cocktails, topped with oyster foam and diced vegetables with coriander. Then it was fillets of lemon sole and pea tartar with shellfish dressing, followed by medallion of monkfish, Espelette pepper, minestrone and green olive tapenade; three regional cheeses with marmalade and gingerbread; a lemon tartlet with lemon ice cream; and finally, a selection of miniature cakes and chocolates. At €56 each, including the wine, we dined like royalty.

• Twinned with Folkestone, Boulogne is classified as a ‘City of art and history’ with an interesting heritage signpost trial.

• There are numerous historical landmark stops which should, at the very least, include the Basilica of Notre Dame, a 19th-century medieval church in the Old Town, which has an impressive 100m high dome and a must-see crypt which contains Romanesque vestiges and a sacred reliquary of the Holy Blood - a masterpiece of the 14th century gold work.

• Another is the Church of Saint-Nicolas, dating back to the 13th century, beside which the twice weekly farmers’ market is held.

• You’ll also need to visit a gorgeous little tea shop on Grande Rue - L’arbre a Thé has a menu offering more than twenty exotic teas and rich cakes.

• For culinary art d’objects pop into LeClercq Cadeaux, a gorgeous kitchen shop at 91 Grande Rue where you’re guaranteed to find things you didn’t know you needed.

• Kids of all ages will love Nausicaa (Boulevard Sainte-Beuve) - Europe’s biggest sea-life centre www.nausicaa.fr, €17.40 for adults, €11.20 for children.

• Contact Boulogne tourism for a visitors pack www.tourisme-boulognesurmer.com.