Markets and culinary rendez-vous

Doing your food shopping at a market, be it over the weekend, during the holidays, or as part of daily life, offers a tasty pretext for a good walk. Even more than that, for many of us, French markets are a veritable ritual, mixing pleasure with conviviality. On holiday, it’s hard to think of a better way of appreciating local culture, regional traditions and gastronomic know-how, or the quality of the culinary craft cultivated by local producers.

Here, more than anywhere, going to market is a major component of a whole way of life. Be in no doubt, in the kingdom of taste, Normandy is queen! Its exceptional terroir, based on solid traditions, has seen the development of an amazing range of culinary produce, renowned far beyond France for its range of flavours.

Think: apples and the panoply of products derived from them; Normandy cows, their milk going not just into the region’s extraordinary choice of cheeses, but also those three dairy basics, milk, butter and crème fraîche; duck and the range of other poultry that runs around Normandy’s farmyards; the array of fruit and veg whose colours brighten up so many market stalls; seafood, oysters, mussels and other delicacies from the sea…

The county of Eure fully reflects the terroir of its mother-region. Its producers care greatly about the quality of their produce. They are proud to represent Normandy’s culinary values with the likes of: foodie hampers put together in the friendly atmosphere of fairs and local markets; picturesque festivals dedicated to apples, herrings or foie gras (well, if you’re okay with the last); open days at cider makers and Calvados apple brandy producers; culinary events and courses with producers or at restaurants; and special tasting tours…

You’re going to enjoy a culinary feast in the Eure! What a joy, wandering around on market day or for a culinary festival, outdoors or sheltered by a venerable medieval covered market, meeting cheesemongers, fishmongers, butchers, poultry farmers, greengrocers and more. Taking your time. Tasting regional produce, such as farm-made bread and other specialities. Picking up the secrets for a special recipe, or tips on how to cook a dish or advice through tastings. Enjoying tasters of street food, perhaps being tempted by a sweet treat from a farm ice-cream maker. Supporting short supply chains, buying local, filling up with fine regional, seasonal produce. Creating your own culinary experiments, mixing high-quality yet surprising products, with all the elements grown locally, such as flax seeds, quinoa, red apple juice, flax beer, sparkling strawberry drinks, ice cider or organic Normandy saffron… Getting to know local craft producers and specialist shopkeepers, unearthing products to slip into your luggage to take home. Treating yourself to a beautiful bouquet of locally grown flowers from a florist. Savouring too a well-deserved break at a café terrace on the market square, making the most of the occasion to drink in the utter charm of our Normandy towns and villages.

As you get to know its markets and meet its local producers, you’ll learn so much more about the Eure’s culinary treasures. Don’t resist going on a culinary tour, filling your basket with local products, with all the flavours and colours of Normandy.

Whether you’re looking for a large or a small market, the choice is extensive. Most towns and larger villages around the Eure organise at least one market a week. Main ones include those at Les Andelys on Saturday, Louviers on Saturday morning, Bernay on both Wednesday morning and Saturday morning, Le Neubourg on Wednesday morning, Vernon on Wednesday morning too, not forgetting the major market at Evreux on Saturday morning, one definitely not to be missed.

View our diary to find our calendar listing all the markets and other culinary rendez-vous held across the year in the Eure: weekly markets, seasonal markets, farmers’ markets, marchés du terroir, organic markets and more!