The Gourmet Secrets of the Opal Coast

The closest département to Britain, Pas-de-Calais is a tasty choice for a gourmet escape. Gillian Thornton enjoys the signature flavours of the Opal Coast plus a few foodie surprises…

No French city shouts fish quite as loudly as Boulogne-sur-Mer and from my balcony window at the Monsieur Georges boutique hotel and restaurant, I have a front row view across the deep-water channel to the Capécure harbour complex. Around 150 boats are based here at France’s No 1 fishing port where more than 70 species of fish are landed and sold each day.

Enthusiasts can join a guided tour at 4.30am to watch the auction of the daily catch and discover fishy facts about refrigeration and smoking facilities, distribution centres and research laboratories. But there are other, more relaxing ways to enjoy the flavours of Pas-de-Calais Opal Coast too. I took my car on board LeShuttle, the 35-minute undersea rail service from Folkestone to Calais, and barely an hour later was starting my gastronomic short break at Boulogne’s fish market on Quai Gambetta. Browse the stalls run by commerçants (retailers) and artisans pêcheurs (family businesses) to experience the toothy leer of a monkfish, the richly patterned shells of live lobsters, and gleaming wet fish in all shapes and sizes.

Then taste the freshness at one of the town’s many seafood restaurants, such as Tony Lestienne’s Michelin-starred La Matelote, or Le Châtillon, in the heart of the Capécure complex, open weekdays from 5.30am to late afternoon. Check out the new bistronomique restaurant, La Table d’Ephélia, at Nausicaa, the French National Sea Life Centre, or browse the menus along the cobbled streets of the hilltop Old Town with its towering basilica and castle museum.

But Boulogne isn’t only about fish. Try a Boulonnais Welsh, the town’s most popular snack, adopted in the 1980s to nourish the many Brits who passed through this former ferry port. At Les Copines brasserie, I watched chef Christophe enthusiastically beating air into Cheddar cheese melted with strong beer, then poured over bread and grilled. Delicious with a crisp green salad.

Pas-de-Calais is serious cheese country and the counter of Philippe Olivier’s legendary fromagerie in Boulogne includes many local favourites among more than 200 varieties from across France. And a few miles outside Boulogne in the village of Wierre-Effroy, I watched artisan cheesemakers at Les Frères Bernard, a family business of more than 40 years’ standing that uses only local milk.

Taste delicious varieties include Pavé de Calais, Camembert du Boulonnais and Mimolette de la Côte d’Opale. Just 25 miles south of Boulogne, the stylish resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage was developed in pine forests beside the Canche estuary in the early 1900s to attract wealthy holidaymakers from Paris and London. For the ultimate in period luxury, stay at the Hôtel Westminster which celebrated its centenary in 2024. Politicians, royalty and movie stars have all slumbered here over the decades, including Sean Connery who signed up for his first James Bond film here in 1960.

For a special treat, reserve a table at the Westminster’s Michelin-starred restaurant Le Pavillon, or do as I did and enjoy the more budget-friendly bistronomique fare at La Table du West. Then sleep in one of the sumptuous beds surrounded by newly refurbed décor that oozes Art Deco style.

This iconic hotel is just moments’ walk from the grid of shopping streets that lie between Le Touquet’s leafy residential area and its vast sandy beach. Browse the produce stalls beneath the curved roof of the atmospheric Art Deco Marché Couvert on Thursday and Saturday mornings, and shop around town for edible souvenirs that travel well, although most shops close on Tuesdays. I loved the aroma of biscuits baking at La Manufacture du Touquet as I watched cookie dough being transformed behind glass into scrumptious sweet and savoury varieties, One bite and I was hopelessly addicted to Le Parmesan, bite-sized morsels of deliciousness flavoured with mature cheese and a piquant touch of Espelette pepper. And for sweet occasions, try Le Nature, an irresistible butter sablé with freshly ground almonds.

Look out too for their gift packs combining biscuits with organic luxury jams from Le Touquet-based business Tea Together, launched in 1995 by British expats Judith and Nick Gifford. Now part of Five Star Jams, this artisan business is run by son Eli.
The Hotel Westminster serves delicious Tea Together flavours such as Mandarin and Vanilla, Blueberry and Orange Blossom, and Raspberry and Rose. You can also buy Tea Together in local shops along with Confitures du Touquet-Paris-Plage.

For artisan chocolates, Le Chat Bleu is a local legend, established in 1912 by two elderly sisters and named after their blue Persian cat whose stylised face appears on the boxes.

Close by. I resisted the shop window at Chocolaterie Beussent Lachelle, but only because I was heading out to the village of Beussent, where the story began in 1985. Today the company has its own cocoa plantation in the Amazon forest and almost 30 shops, mostly across the Hauts-de-France region, but only this rural visitor centre offers a fascinating and fun demonstration of the work that goes into handmade chocolates.

Across the River Canche from Le Touquet, Étaples has a long association with fishing and although silting up of the river means that the fleet is now based in Boulogne, the maritime atmosphere is still strong. I enjoyed learning about fish and fishing at the Maréis discovery centre on the quayside -information panels are in both French and English – then watching out for seabirds and seals on a boat excursion along the estuary. Complete the experience with a fresh fish lunch at Les Pêcheurs d’Étaples near the embarkation point.

On the outskirts of Etaples, the beautiful. Commonwealth War Graves cemetery is an unmissable experience with more than 11,500 marble headstones from the Great War. Suitably moved, I then followed the Canche inland, heading for Montreuil, a small fortified town immortalised in Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. I made a welcome return to Les Hauts de Montreuil, a member of the Logis de France network with a cosy bar, shady inner courtyard and excellent restaurant, Le Patio. Montreuil is renowned for its food outlets, including four restaurants.

run by Michelin-starred chef Alexandre Gauthier. Discover the best addresses with English expats Sarah and Paddy Daly, who recently launched gastronomic walking tours aimed at Anglophone visitors. Running on Friday mornings, Opal Coast Food Tours start with coffee and sweet treats, so restrain yourself at breakfast. We visited specialist cheese shops and bakeries, sampling their produce over a convivial wine tasting before a leisurely restaurant lunch.

Thoroughly relaxed, there was just enough time for the short drive to Loison-sur-Créquoise, in the lush farmland of the nearby Vallées d’Opale, where the Delobel family have been making sparkling fruit wines since 1985 by pressing and fermenting redcurrants, raspberries and cherries. Delicious as an aperitif, their fruity fizz makes the perfect souvenir of this tasty corner of Pas-de-Calais. Sonté!

PAS-DE-CALAIS ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE

Gillian travelled by car from England to France in just 35 minutes via the Channel Tunnel with www.leshuttle.com

WHERE TO STAY

Hôtel Monsieur Georges:

www.hotelmonsieurgeorges.fr

Le Westminster:

www.hotelsbarriere.com/le-touquet-paris-plage/le-westminster

Hôtel les Hauts de Montreuil:

https://bit.ly/4nVdsTU

TOURIST INFORMATION

www.visitpasdecalais.com

www.opalcoastfoodtours.com

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