Hamilton Holiday Houses

Food and Restaurants

Eating In

If you want to make use of our foodie-friendly kitchen and eat at home there is a wide variety of local produce. The butchers in Thérouanne and St Omer have a good selection of meat and charcuterie. The farm shop in Delettes sells its own pork, home-made pâtés and sausages, poultry and free range eggs. There are four bakers in Thérouanne, all of which sell bread and patisseries, including the local speciality, tarte à la crème, a delicious custard tart which is usually baked in a wood-fired oven. There is a fish shop in St Omer but we prefer the enormous fish counter at the Auchan hypermarket near St Omer which sells everything from salmon to oysters. If you cannot get to the cheese stalls in the Saturday market in St Omer, Auchan also has a very good cheese counter which sells good cheese from all over France. The best place for fruit and vegetables is St Omer market, where the local market gardeners bring their produce, mud and all! Auchan sells all the more exotic and non-seasonal fruit and vegetables and we were pleased to see that it has now started stocking local produce.

If you want to eat at home but do not want to cook, most butchers sell a selection of ready made dishes, plats préparés, which will vary from season to season (for example venison casserole and beef carbonnade in the winter and salmon or chicken dishes in the summer). You can buy couscous, cassoulet, quiches, vol au vents, coquilles St Jacques and various gratinés (vegetables in cheese sauce) all year round. There are several specialist traiteurs in St Omer for more elaborate dishes and a stall in St Omer market which sells excellent paella and couscous, which are made on the spot in enormous pans. Auchan also has a good selection of seasonal plats préparés.

Eating Out around Delettes and St Omer

This is just a selection of the variety of places to eat within easy distance of the Farmhouse. The cuisine of Northern France is not as strongly regional as some parts of France and our local chefs are more inclined to experiment with the regional cheeses, local meat, game and seafood. As one of the largest fishing ports in France, Boulogne, is nearby, the fish and seafood are excellent.

This is only a small selection of the available restaurants. There are many other places to eat in St Omer, Montrieul Sur Mer (where there are two restaurants with Michelin stars), le Touquet and Boulogne. Our house book has many more listed with telephone numbers and visitors’ comments. Do remember that many restaurants are not open Sunday night or Mondays and most require advance bookings, especially for Sunday lunch.

Le Francois 1 at Ardres This is a relatively sophisticated restaurant dining in the historic centre of town with good regional specialities.

Le Chateau de Cocove at Recques-sur-Hem (towards Ardres and Calais) Good food in stylish surroundings and superb wine cellar which you can visit and purchase from their stock.

Chateau Tilques – St Omer Situated just outside St Omer - Smart French dining in classic French surroundings.

Saint Sebastien at Blendecques (Nr St Omer) This typical family- run restaurant is about 15 minutes from the house on the way to St. Omer. What everyone dreams about when thinking of a typical French restaurant. After eating there for 20 years we can only say it gets better all the time. Good regional cooking and delicacies, especially home made foie gras. It is mostly frequented by locals and also popular with weekenders on their way from Lille to the coast, so it is always best to book. Menus are from 16 euros to 45 euros.

Le Fournil – towards Fruges off the Le Touquet road Good dining from husband and wife team, the daughter and son in law of the family that run Saint Sebastien. Their gourmet menu comes with lots of extras and there is a good wine list. Menus are from 25 euros to 45 euros.

Le Buffet at Isbergues (next to station in an industrial town) Very stylish in a quirky sort of way! Madame’s dress sense sort of reflects the decor. A husband and wife team produce food (and service) of a very high quality. There are seasonal menus with inventive dishes and a serious wine list. Menus range from 30 to 60 euros. They also put together a gourmet menu with wine selected for every course for those who want a serous blow out. Booking is essential.

La Liegeoise at Hotel Atlantic at Wimereux This is a smart (but not over the top) gourmet restaurant in a family run hotel overlooking the beach. Fish and sea food are a speciality but all dishes are well cooked and beautifully presented. They also have a gourmet menu with the chef’s own choice of wine to go with each course. Menus from 25 to 65 euros.

Le Cygne in St Omer This is a stylish city centre restaurant with an elegant dining room with food to match. It is much used by local businessmen for lunch, which is excellent value, and has a good wine list.

La Bonne Franquette cafe /restaurant at St Omer (in the main square) This has changed from a basic friterie to a brasserie but it still serves the best French Fries in town, if not for miles around. Get there early on Saturdays as it is packed out with traders once the market has closed. Fries come with various things, from omelettes to steak. One favourite is the cold roast beef and salad (with frites naturally), while our sons love the heart attack special: fried Camembert and frites. It is cheap and cheerful and well worth a visit at lunch time. One can eat outside.

La Maison at Fléchin This is a new discovery about 20 minutes from the house. The small restaurant is in a village house is run by a by a husband and wife team. Monsieur is an enthusiastic, inventive and talented good cook who specialises in using local ingredients. The setting is delightful and it is like eating in the dining room of a private house. Unusually for Northern France, the restaurant is open on a Sunday evening. For one of the more elaborate menus expect to pay 60 euros a head including wine. Booking is essential as it is not open every day.

Café Le Sport, rue St Jean, Le Touquet This cafe is on the main shopping street in Le Touquet and serves the definitive moules frites. It is very popular with the locals and so booking is recommended.