If you’re travelling to the UK from France this Christmas you might be thinking of bringing gifts of France’s famously excellent cheese, pâté, charcuterie or foie gras – but a change in British import rules is still in effect.
High-end French produce such as AOP cheeses, artisan pâtés or handmade chocolates make excellent Christmas gifts for your (non-vegan) friends and relatives.
However, a change in the UK’s food hygiene rules means that travelling with this type of gift may be more complicated this year.
In April this year, the UK banned import for personal use of meat and cheese from any EU or EEA country, in response to outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia.
Covered by the ban is anything made from the meat of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs – so that would cover most French pâtés and charcuterie.
Also banned are all dairy products – including milk and cheese, but also anything that uses milk, such as chocolate.
However, because Foot and Mouth Disease only affects cloven-footed animals, poultry products such as foie gras, gèsiers or confit de canard are not covered by the ban.
Fish or other animal products such as eggs or honey are also allowed.
What are the penalties?
Exactly how strictly this is policed at the UK border depends on how you are travelling – airlines tend to be stricter about what is allowed, especially when it comes to hand luggage. Airlines also have their own rules about what is allowed in hand luggage and have an annoying tendency to regard cheese or pâté as a liquid.
Eurostar is also warning passengers in advance of their trip about the meat and cheese restrictions, saying that items could be confiscated during bag checks at Gare du Nord – and that includes a jambon-fromage sandwich for an onboard picnic.
Although the rules do apply to people travelling by car, either via the ferry or Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, in practice, there seems to be little enforcement at the ports.
If you are stopped with illicit sausages or a cheeky brie, your items can be confiscated.
What about wine?
Since Brexit, there have been stricter limits on the amount of alcohol that can be brought into the UK from France, bringing to an end the cherished tradition of the ‘booze cruise’.
Having said that, the limits remain fairly generous – and would easily cover gifts for family and friends.
The hypermarchés in the Calais area have enormous wine sections, which are always full of Brits filling up their chariots.
The limits are
42 litres of beer
18 litres (24 standard bottles) of still wine
4 litres of spirits OR 9 litres (12 bottles) of sparkling wine, fortified wine or any alcoholic beverage less than 22% ABV
The tobacco limits are;
200 cigarettes OR
100 cigarillos OR
50 cigars OR
250g tobacco OR
200 sticks of tobacco for heating
or any proportional combination of the above
Dining and Cooking