We all love a bargain and, since we are still taxed towards sobriety, shopping in Calais remains the best tonic to raise the British spirit.
Duty Free may have gone, and the price of cross-Channel travel may have risen, but bargain hunters have adapted; they travel less but shop more to compensate for the rise in fares, and even trade up on the quality of the wine they buy.
The reasons are compelling: there are no longer any limits (other than the customs and excise advisory guidelines) on the amount of alcohol and tobacco that can be brought back for personal use. Champagne averages £6.50 a bottle cheaper. Wine costs between £1.50 and £3 per bottle less. Beer too, especially continental brands, can be as little as 12p for a 25cl bottle. Allow for an exchange rate of more than 10 francs to £1 and you have the ideal conditions for a profitable cross-Channel trip. Good planning is required. Here's our essential guide.
British-owned wine stores
It may seem odd to buy British in France but our supermarket chains have a wider selection at much lower prices than at home.
Sainsbury's Wine Store
Centre Commercial Auchan Calais, Route de Boulogne, Coquelles, (00 33 321 82 38 48, www.sainsburys.co.uk/calais)
Payment: Credit cards and £.
Perk: You can use your reward card for extra points.
Sainsbury's has moved to a much larger outlet which carries 900 lines - 90 per cent of the UK range. Best buys: A Mano Primitivo di Puglia 1999, a voluptuous Italian red, at £3.99 (£5.99 in the UK) or the Sainsbury's Classic Selection Chablis 1999, a fruity wine at £5.45 (£7.99 in the UK).
Tesco Vin Plus SA
Cité Europe, Coquelles (00 33 321 46 02 70 www.tesco.com/vinplus)
Payment: Credit cards (must show passport) and £.
Perk: You can use your club card for extra points.
Large outlet on the lower ground floor of the immense indoor shopping centre, Cité Europe. Try the 'car service' with a pick-up point so you can shop unencumbered. Best buys: The robust Rosemount Estate Shiraz costs £5.20 (£7.30 in the UK) or the Tesco Vintage Cava, a dry, easy-to-drink fizz at just £2.51 (£6.99 in the UK).
Oddbins
Cité Europe, Coquelles (00 33 321 82 07 32, www.oddbins.com)
Payment: Credit cards and £.
Also on the lower ground floor of Cité Europe, opposite McDonald's. Best buy: La Baume Chardonnay Vin de Pays d'Oc, £3 (£5 in the UK).
Eastenders
14 rue Gustav Courbet, ZA Marcel Doret (00 33 321 34 53 33) Payment: Credit cards and £.
Dave West's unpretentious, massive warehouse with huge range of wines and beers. Best buys : 1998 Sancerre La Roserai, Fouasier £4.90. Plus an own-label beer ESP (stands for Extra Sex Please, says Dave West) at two strengths 5.2 per cent and 9.2 per cent costing 17p and 23p respectively.
Wine & Beer Co
Rue de Judée, ZA Marcel Doret (00 33 321 82 93 64, www.wineandbeer.co.uk)
Well laid-out cash-and-carry with 400 wines from 16 countries Best buy: Lindemans Bin 65 (£3.29).
French wine stores
Cave Paul Herpe
85 rue Pasteur, St Martin Boulogne (00 33 321 31 07 15) Payment: Credit cards.
Specialises in wines from the Languedoc region of France which produces good value, drinkable country wines that can be bought en vrac (on draught) in 10 litres or 20 litres cubis (plastic boxes). Prices start at 94p a litre for a simple table wine, and Vin du Pays de l'Aude at £1.10 per litre. For slightly more you can get an AOC Corbieres Baron de Montimas. Best buy: A sweet Muscat de Riversaltes AOC £4.20 a litre.
Vignobles et Saveurs de France
Avenue Pierre de Coubertin (00 33 321 19 30 01) Payment: Credit cards.
Cellar-style shop whose owner enthuses about his hand-picked selection. Best buy: 1997 Tokay Pinot Gris Vin D'Alsace Dreyer (£4), a richly flavoured Alsation wine.
Franglais Beer & Wine
CD 215, 62185 Frethun (00 33 321 85 29 39) Payment: Credit cards and £.
Try before you buy at the Bar-a-Vin. Best buy: A spicy 1997 Beaumes de Venise Ctes du Rhne Villages (£2.85).
Le Chais
40 rue de Phalsbourg (00 33 321 97 88 56)
Payment: Credit cards and £.
Oldest wine merchant in area (founded in 1865) which specialises in Bordeaux wines from 1966.
Best buy: A soft 1998 Les Vigneaux, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Merlot that just slips down at £1.34.
Epicurean shops
You can buy any product at a hypermarket (except cigarettes). For echoes of French daily life, try one of the specialist shops:
BEST FOR CHEESE
La Maison du Fromage
1 rue Andre Gerschel (00 33 321 34 44 72)
Owner Jacques Guislain is one of just 60 of the matre fromager (master of cheese) in France. Ask for a tasting (dégustation) of any cheese that takes your fancy. Cheeses like Camembert and Brie are around a third of the UK price. Why not try a cheese that is not so easy to come by: Maroilles, one of Northern France's classics, is both richly flavoured and highly pungent.
BEST FOR PORK DISHES
Charcuterie Davelu
87 Blvd Lafayette (00 33 321 34 39 64)
If you like pork, head for the Charcuterie, a pork-based deli. Just one visit will shift your perception of the pig (le cochon) in gastronomic terms forever. Now you will see it as pté, terrine, rillets, hams, dried sausages, fresh sausages, pieds de porc, andouillettes, boudins noirs and blancs.
Fred
Boulevard Jacquard Calais, nr the town hall
Try the Pain aux Noix, an outstanding bread baked with walnuts on the inside and the crust. Tickle your tastebuds in the tea room.
The market
Place D'Armes (Saturday and Wednesday mornings)
Stock up on garlic, especially the smoked variety - FF50 a kilo. Also good value are a variety of crocuses, ready for planting for spring flowering. There are also food stalls selling pots and jars of foie gras (ducks liver pté) and soupe de poissons (fish soup), both part of the daily French diet.
Hypermarkets
There are two main hypermarkets in the Calais area which offer an immense range of products - some dramatically cheaper than the equivalent UK price.
Auchan Hypermarket
Centre Commercial, Avenue Roger Salengro, Route de Boulogne, Coquelles
(00 33 321 46 92 92, www.auchan.com)
Shop here for French wines, Belgian beers and the vast array of spirits, (and any other product that tempts you), and then pop into Sainsbury's for an international range of wines.
Best buy : Beautifully integrated 1994 St Emilion Chteau Vieux Garrouilh (£5.20).
Carrefour
Cité Europe, Coquelles (00 33 321 46 75 55, www.carrefour.com)
Perk: Eurotunnel club members benefit from points on all purchases.
Dominates the entrance of Cité Europe. The staff get around on rollerskates. The wine selection is mostly French, with a large range of competitively priced champagnes. The huge beer range includes 30 x 24cl bottles of St Omer, 5 per cent abv, for just £3.50 - 12p a bottle.
Best buy : Nicolas Feuillate Brut NV Champagne for just over £10 (around £17.99 in UK)
Restaurants
There is no point in going to France with-out having a meal. Here are some suggestions.
Restaurant la Mer
30 rue de la mer (00 33 321 96 17 72)
Average tariff: From 60F.
Perk: Observer readers will receive a 5 per cent discount simply by showing the article. Tardy shoppers in search of a late lunch will be disappointed at the lack of good restaurants open between 3pm and 7pm. This is because lunchtime is strictly between 12noon and 3pm in France. One enterprising exception is Restaurant La Mer who thankfully are happy to serve good food continuously from 12 noon to 12 midnight. Various sea crustaceans dominate the menu and in particular a variety moules (mussel) dishes, all served with frites. Try moules au roquefort, cooked in onions, white wine and a lashing of a creamy roquefort blue cheese.
La Goulu
26 rue de la mer
Average tariff: From 80F.
Most restaurants in Calais specialise in fish and seafood. If you are more of a beef enthusiast, this is the bistro for you. Beef dishes tend to be served quite rare. If you like your beef extremely rare, then try the steak tartare. If you want your meat medium done, specifically ask for it to be 'bien cuit' - well cooked.
L'Histoire Ancienne
20 rue Royale (00 33 321 34 11 20)
Average tariff: 70F-160F.
Art-deco bistro that is simple yet stylish. Dishes come beautifully displayed and the menu offers meals for meat, poultry and fish eaters.
Le Thomé de Gamond
Mont d'Hubert, Cap Blanc Nez (00 33 321 82 32 03, www.capblancnez.com)
Average tariff: Menus at 78F, 98F, 130F, 150F, 170F and 205F. Vegetarians catered for. Panoramic dining on the coast towards Boulogne just 15 minutes from Calais.
Aquar'Aile
Plage de Calais, 255 rue Jean Moulin
(00 33 321 34 00 00, www.aquaraile.com)
Average tariff: From 200-300F or choose from three menus starting from 130F.
Perk: Observer readers will receive a free aperitif by simply showing this article.
Spare an afternoon to savour this gorgeous seafood restaurant located on the top floor of a block of flats .
There is a range of 250 French wines starting at a modest 60F a bottle.
Hotels
Why not extend your trip and stay overnight? Here is a range of hotels:
Formula 1
Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Hemin de Bernieulles, 62231 Coquelles (00 33 321 31 26 28)
Room tariff: 119F.
Budget hotel with auto-check-in. Entrance is by credit card through a 'hole in the wall', using the language of your choice. The rooms are clean and functional and usually comprise a double bed, a single bed and a bunk. The drawback is that the shower and toilet are communal.
Metropol
45 quai du Rhin (00 33 321 97 54 00, www.metropolhotel.com)
Tariff: From 280F for a single room, from 380F double room
Perk: Observer readers will receive a 10 per cent discount on the overall bill by showing this article.
Cosy 40-bedroom three-star hotel in the heart of Calais close to the beach, the ferries and Auchan hypermarket. Each room is equipped with a TV, telephone and en suite bathroom. Good value. Small pub style bar.
George V
36 rue Royale (00 33 321 97 68 00)
Tariff: Rooms from 400F.
Central three-star hotel with comfortable rooms and a fine restaurant.
Holiday Inn Garden Court
Boulevard des Alliés (00 33 321 34 69 69)
Tariff: 500-650F.
Unlike other three-star hotels, the Holiday Inn offers tea and coffee making facilities in the bedroom.
Hotel Cléry
Chteau d'Hesdin l'Abbé, Rue due Chteau 62360 Hesdin l'Abbé (00 33 321 83 19 83)
Tariff: From 330F.
Charming chateau hotel with just 22 rooms, and a gastronomic restaurant.
Take the A16 and RN1 in the direction of Montreuil.
Customs guidelines
Wine 90 litres
(not to exceed 60 litres of sparkling wine)
Spirits 10 litres
Port & sherry 20 litres
Beer 100 litres
Cigarettes 800
Cigars 400
Tobacco 1kg
Getting there
P&O Stena Line
(087 0600 0600, www.posl.com - save £5 for online bookings)
Day-trip fares start at £42 per car for a 12-hour off-peak ticket departing before 9.14am or after 2.30pm; £49 for a 12-hour, peak-time ticket; and £62 for flexible 24-hour ticket, which includes a free bottle of Champagne.
Eurotunnel
( 0870 535 35 35, www.eurotunnel.co.uk - save £2 for online bookings)
Day-trip fares start at £49 for a departure before 7am and return by 4pm; £29 Monday to Saturday after 3pm and return by midnight; £25 Sunday after 3pm and return by midnight.
Sea France (08705 711 711, www.seafrance.com)
Early-riser day fares (before 8.30am) start at £39 for a car and four people.
• Sharron Livingston is the author of a series of Channel Hopper's Guides www.channelhoppers.net. Observer readers can order the Channel Hopper's Guide to Calais & Boulogne for £5.99 inc UK p&p by calling CultureShop free on 0800 3168 171.
