I travel through Dieppe pretty frequently in an estate car - usually with a full boot. The Douanes open the boot and have a quick search about 4 times out of 5 leaving France. They have never found anything to interest them so I don’t think I’m on a suspected cheese and bacon smugglers hotlist…
1 Like
Now you mention cheese. Can I bring Cheddar in from the UK or is this in the same category as meat?
So should I tell them not to stamp my passport due to my residency?
I assume that I should show them the card…?
no dairy so no cheddar
At a price you can get excellent extra mature cheddar at Carrafour.
I think people are misconstruing the searches as customs checks. I travel regularly between Plymouth and Oustreham, also Newhaven /Dieppe, I have been stopped several times and the checks are just preboarding security checks, they sometimes stick a mirror under vehicle open the bonnet then check the vehicle for fuel canisters and then do the body scan with a metal detector.
when you get stopped for a customs check it is done after you get your
passport checked when exiting the terminal and you are then directed into the customs shed for fun and games.
4 Likes
Good point, @digitracker - you are quite right, most of my Dieppe checks were by the security team but I imagine they’d get les douaniers involved sharpish if they found anything interesting.
1 Like
checks are checks… and not to be taken lightly as far as I’m concerned… always nice to know there’s nothing untoward for any of 'em to find… 
3 Likes
@stella,…agree entirely, most of the stuff that is prohibited …meat, cheese, seeds etc, and it isn’t a long list, have more than acceptable and often better French alternatives, I love traditional pork pies and English bacon, but it not worth earning a continuing black mark just for them!
2 Likes
Bacon By the Box deliver in many parts of France, they used to source from various places in the UK but I think a lot is Irish now. Might be worth having a look at their website rather than risk a black mark!
1 Like
Is it just me (quite possible) but does bacon taste different…??
we used to head straight for the bacon-sandwiches on getting back to UK… but the last couple of times… the taste just didn’t seem to meet our expectations… disappointing, in fact
(this was before covid… so things might have changed yet again)
I’ve not found a French equivalent to that memorable flavour… but, of course, I do enjoy what’s on offer here…
I think it depends where you are In the UK Stella, some places use cheap bacon from wholesale outlets and it’s usually yuk. Good cafes use bacon from a butchers, much much better quality 
Just have to accept that that Uk style/cut of bacon just isn’t something sold here just as pork joint with skin to give proper crackling and gammon is not their thing. Just as a French national would be unable to get certain things in England.
But there are many upsides to a very few culinary downsides!
1 Like
I’m not looking for it here !!! 
We would leave France on an early tunnel, then hit the nearest uk food stop for breakfast… yep… bacon sarnies… just the thought would make my mouth water… but… as I said… we’ve been disappointed on the last 2 trips to UK…
1 Like
The places we used over the years… were well known… and the quality/taste was wonderful for so many visits… but no longer…
nah… we love using couenne (non-crackling) in garlic-beany soups etc… yummy
but, yes, as kids we would fight over the crackling… 
Actually, we regularly get a pork joint (leg or shoulder) with skin on and have wonderful crackling! Also pork belly with skin to give the wonderful Rick Stein Chinese Pork recipe (very crackling-y).
Any butcher will cut you a joint with the skin on if you ask - in our experience here so far, anyway. The butcher in our local Super-U has got used to us asking now - my partner explained why we wanted it and he was most interested, probably because he has a lot of English customers.
1 Like
Getting off topic a bit, isn’t it strange that the French seem to wrap pork fat round beef roasting joints? It gives a completely different, incorrect, taste.
1 Like
Same here, so delicious 
1 Like
I had quite a long discussion with Ferry staff about whether they have a system to alert the Douanes (in the context of commercial traffic, trucks etc).
They told me that with regard to Dover-France the Dover Port Authorities and the security checkers are supposed to inform the Douanes if they have any suspicions.
I have been pulled into the security shed at Dover a number of times… Often it seems so they can practice their explosive swabbing, no search involved. On one occasion, with a stuffed trailer and rear of vehicle, I was particularly asked to confirm it would all cascade out if opened, then waved through. It seems to me there is a quota for drivers to be directed in for searches each hour, and those intercepting do it fairly randomly.
I don’t think any small items such as cheddar or similar would ever have been noticed certainly our cold box has never been opened.