Great food experiences await when you travel with Brittany Ferries (Image: Getty)
Seeking out local specialities is all part of the fun on summer holidays.
With Brittany Ferries, you can sail away to France and Spain to sample a whole host of foodie delights.
Routes to France include Portsmouth to Caen, St Malo, Cherbourg and Le Havre, Poole to Cherbourg and Plymouth to Roscoff. You can also sail to Spain with routes from Plymouth to Santander, and Portsmouth to both Santander and Bilbao, covering some of the continents best destinations.
Your holiday starts the moment you step on board – with award-winning service, fabulous dining, shopping and a range of accommodation choices, you’ll soon be savouring some of the most delectable dishes and drinks in Europe.
Seafood in Trouville-sur-Mer
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Trouville’s seafood market is a treasure trove for fruits de mer fans. Browse waterside stalls piled with everything from scallops to spider crabs, langoustine to lobster. It’s always oyster o’clock here so pull up a stool and enjoy with crisp white wine.
When you arrive in Le Havre from Portsmouth, Trouville is just a 60 minute roadtrip along the coast.
Apple-inspired drinks in Normandy
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Docking in Caen and then zig-zagging through Normandy’s acres of orchards, it is impossible not to feel thirsty.
This area is famous for its apple brandy (Calvados), cider, and pommeau – a blend of apple brandy and apple juice. At Le Pere Jules’ organic cider farm in Saint-Desir, sip samples with the family at their wooden bar surrounded by barrels.
Crepes in Quimper
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With its half-timbered houses, gothic-style cathedral and fine arts museum, Quimper is a handsome city to visit, and just 90 minutes from Roscoff.
Stop by Place au Beurre, a famous cobbled square lined with traditional creperies. At Creperie de la Place au Beurre, sample sweet treats with cider served Breton-style – in a teacup!
Fromage in Livarot
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What is more French than sipping vin rouge and savouring local cheese on a warm summer’s evening? Pick from the fromages made at E. Graindorge cheese dairy in Livarot and learn about the stages of production.
PDO-certified Livarot – a soft cheese with a washed rind made from milk collected in the Pays d’Auge – is one of the oldest accredited cheeses in Normandy, and it’s welll worth the hour’s drive from Caen to visit its namesake.
Oysters in Cancale
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At Port de la Houle in Cancale, Brittany, locals go ooh la la for fresh oysters. Disembark at Roscoff from Plymouth, then take the 2 hour drive through scenic views of France.
Buy them from the seafront huts or at Restaurant l’Atelier de l’Huitre, (The Oyster Workshop) where you can get six oysters for 11 Euros served simply with bread, butter, lemon and vinaigrette.
Galette biscuits in Pont-Aven
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This picturesque town on the River Aven in Brittany is where post-impressionist artist Paul Gauguin found inspiration painting its many mills – only a two hour drive from Roscoff port.
Along with artists workshops and galleries, it is famous for galettes. Traou Mad Biscuiterie produces these delicate buttery biscuits, using the same recipe for more than a century.
Rioja wine
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Sail to Santander or Bilbao with Brittany Ferries and you can soon be in the Rioja wine region.
At Bodegas Lecea in San Asensio, take a tour through the origins of Rioja with three tastings for 20 Euros.
Pintxos in Logrono
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Head to Logrono from Bilbao port and see Calle Laurel, a street designed for joyfully grazing on pintxos and sipping wine in equal measure.
At Bar Soriano, try garlic mushrooms stacked on toast topped with shrimp – they serve 7,000 of these a week. Blanco y Negro, meanwhile, is famous for its green peppers pintxos with anchovies.
La Ribera Market, Bilbao
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Built in the 1930s on the banks of the Nervion River in a distinctive art deco style, Bilbao’s indoor food market is the largest in Europe. You can sail directly to Bilbao from Portsmouth and start enjoying gastronomical delights right away.
Feast your eyes on the freshest foods in Basque Country, with sounds, colours, and aromas adding to the atmosphere. Then head for La Ribera Bilbao restaurant for pintxos and seafood with estuary views and live jazz.
Michelin-star dining in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian, from which the closest port is Bilbao, is renowned for its long-standing collection of Michelin-starred restaurants. At Kokotxa, in the beautiful old town, the market menu is a contemporary nine-course feast inspired by strong Basque traditions.
Book your escape the smart way…
Brittany Ferries offers flexibility across fare types, low deposits and you can spread payments.
Plus, sail to France for five days this summer from just £186* return for a car and 2 people with a special short break offer – that’s just £93 per person. Available on sailings throughout the summer, the perfect season to enjoy a getaway to France.
*Subject to availability, offer can be withdrawn at any time
Discover more tastes with brittany-ferries.co.uk