Long live gastronomy!
The phenomenon has grown to the point where it has become unavoidable: gastronomic products! Back from Normandy, what could be better than to bring back local specialties to taste. And the region has no shortage of ideas in this area. Produced in Caen, the madeleines from the Jeannette cookie factory are a reference, as are the shortbread from the cookie factory in Lonlay-l'Abbaye in the Orne region. The salted butter caramels with Isigny cream delight the palate, as do the sugars from Rouen: a specialty made from apple juice, sugar, compote and water. If there is still a little room in your basket, the apple caramel from Dieppe will delicately enhance your desserts.
As for drinks, bottles of calvados and cider, to be consumed in moderation, will easily find a place in your shopping bag. Take advantage of your visit to a cellar or a distillery to make your purchases. The Château de Breuil in the Pays d'Auge, Calvados Expérience du père Magloire in Pont-l'Evêque, the cider factory of père Mahieu in Bricqueboscq (Manche) or the traditional cider factory of the Perche in Val-au-Perche (Orne) are some good addresses. For a more delicate aroma, opt for perry. Go to the museum dedicated to this drink, in the medieval town of Domfront. The AOP Poiré-Domfront is the best guarantee of quality.
Cheese is of course the most popular in Normandy, it would be a shame to miss out on a piece of the 4 PDO certified cheeses. In Camembert, the Durand cheese factory produces the internationally recognized local specialty. For a good livarot, go to the E.Graindorge cheese factory. On the spot, you can discover the backstage of its manufacture. The neufchâtel, molded in the shape of a heart, is produced at the Villiers cheese factory near Neufchâtel-en-Bray. And for a good Pont-l'Evêque, go to the "ferme du bourg" in Saint-Philibert-des-Champs.
Of course, for other specialties of the region such as tripe à la mode de Caen, black pudding from Mortagne-au-Perche or andouille from Vire, go to the local butchers. Finally, note that in Normandy, you will find more and more "fine" grocery stores: we have made a selection, it is in this guide!
Combining business with pleasure
The Normandy brand Heula, in reference to the local expression, offers useful products, decorative objects and even clothing flocked with its effigy. Full of humor and derision about the region, Heula offers colorful umbrellas on which one can read "In Normandy, we live in the rain", mugs whose drawings often represent Normans in oilskins and even bodysuits for babies where the famous apple juice is displayed. To be purchased directly in one of the Heula boutiques in Caen or Cherbourg or directly online!
If you are looking for beautiful, high quality candles with delicate scents to decorate and perfume your home, Trudon candles are a must. Produced in Mortagne-au-Perche in the Orne region, according to an ancestral know-how, their reputation is international.
In the Manche, according to a know-how that has also crossed the centuries, bells and other copper kitchen utensils are produced in the workshops of the Cornille-Havard foundry in Villedieu-les-Poêles. In the same village, the Mauviel company has been producing kitchen utensils, mainly in stainless steel, since 1830, using traditional methods. In Rouen, blue earthenware is used for many everyday kitchen objects: oil dispensers, sauce boats, spice boxes, cups... The Augy-Carpentier earthenware factory, recognizable by its beautiful blue front (of course) perpetuates this know-how in its workshop by offering original or personalized creations.
It may be a cliché for some, but the sailor is very much at home on the Normandy coast. And here again, craftsmanship is very popular. The sweaters and t-shirts of the Saint-James brand have recognizable stripes at a glance! It must be said that the marine world has long inspired the house whose history is closely linked to that of Mont-Saint-Michel, located not far from the workshop in the eponymous city.
Do you want an umbrella that can withstand all winds? In the heart of Calvados, the H2O company makes durable products that can withstand the winds of Normandy! In the English Channel, in the heart of the maritime prefecture, Cherbourg Umbrellas are manufactured. High quality and well made, they have a mythical name. Finally, the pretty Cherwood brand also offers, in the capital of the Cotentin, very well-made clothes.
A beautiful work
There are plenty of them: books about Normandy are a dime a dozen, and can make a great souvenir. Whether it's a book of photos taken from the sky, a historical book on the D-Day landings, for example (which should be easy to find in this 80th anniversary year), or a local novel set in Normandy, you're sure to find what you're looking for. A stroke of luck: Normandy's network of bookshops is particularly dense.
