Linked to the typically regional taste for celebration, the fine dishes of Pas-de-Calais draw their richness and variety not only from the fertile soil but also from our grandmothers’ recipes. Cooking here is unpretentious but refined, inspired by the real culinary heritage of ordinary people.

Food lovers will enjoy our locally produced fish, meat, poultry, accompanied by chicory, watercress, cauliflower or potatoes, all washed down by beer or the famous local Juniper gin.

The Channel and North Sea are full of whiting, sole, cod, and herring, seafood and shellfish. Herring, the king of our coast, is fished from September to December. As it is easy to preserve, it can provide family meals throughout the year.

Today it is an integral part of the gastronomic menus of the best chefs in the department. Saint-Omer is the market gardening area, where the delicious combination of water and earth give rise to the most beautiful vegetables, such as chicory (« chicon » is the local name), cauliflower, known as the « king of the marshes », celery and leeks.

From local dairy farms comes a wide variety of cheese: particularly noteworthy are Vieux Boulogne, Coeur d’Arras, Rollot and Belval, Sire de Créquy.

Throughout the year, there are festivals which focus on our local produce: herring, strawberry and turkey festivals, shallot fairs and many more!
Click here for the dates!