Cross-Channel shopping part 2: the hypermarket

Since this was written, exchange rates fluctuations mean you won't save so much money, but you can still stock up on good-quality local produce and French specialities.

To the hypermarket

Auchan (Mon-Sat, 8.30am-10pm) is a 10-minute drive – take route nationale 42, follow the signs for St Omer and turn off when 'centre commerciale' is signposted.

It is staggering in its size and breadth of product ranges: TVs, toys, slippers, fishing tackle bedlinen and homewares, shoes and suitcases, pushchairs. However, compared to a Saturday-morning supermarket in the UK, it was uncrowded.

It's generally recognised as the cheapest French supermarket and it's so proud of its status that there are signs offering to pay you 10 times the difference if you find the same product cheaper within a 30km radius. Handily, the cheapest of a given product is labelled 'le moins cher' (the least expensive) which saves time if you're after a bargain.

There's a special 'heart of our region' section, with local produce that found its way into our trolley. Staff are very keen for you to try before you buy, and we were offered cheese, kippers, strawberries, wine… along the aisles. We were impressed with the cosmetics section, which had organic and up-market stuff, like Weleda.

Be prepared

● Decide what you want to buy. Have an idea of the wine you want to buy otherwise you'll be overwhelmed by choice. Champagne is always a bargain, at around half the cost in the UK. The Pas de Calais region also produces fine French beer - and the Belgian stuff is good and cheap too. Spirits are often cheaper.
● Cheese is also around half price.
● Do your research. You can check prices at Auchan Direct
● Know your limits: although there no restrictions, in theory, on bringing back goods from a fellow EU country, customs officers get a bit sniffy about booze cruisers importing their own wine lake, claiming it's for personal use.
● Clear that clutter out of the car to make room for your haul.
● Before you go, get a map of Boulogne so you don't waste time being lost. You can find a map here.
● Keep a €1 coin handy for the supermarket trolley. Begging for change in French is tricky.
● Auchan doesn't supply carrier bags so take a supply of coolbags and carriers. They do sell cardboard bottle carriers for 50 centimes each- very useful and, of course, you can reuse them.
● Check the exchange rate. At the time of writing (2007)  £1 = €1.46. As a rule of thumb, knock a third off the price in euros to give the price in pounds. 

Our bargain buys

As well as booze, if you're planning ahead for a do, you could buy quiche lorraines, apple tarts and pancakes for freezing, and charcuterie, sausages and salami. Even if you don't make significant savings on everything, it's an enjoyable way of buying it all. And you might find an unexpected bargain. My Nivea Visage DNAge was €12.90 (£8.79) in Auchan; a saving of £6.20 on its Sainsburys price of £14.99.

We stocked up on wine – sparkling, red, white and rosé - plus beer and spirits. Even the cheapest wine was very drinkable. And here's some examples of our savings: French prices are based on Auchan's; UK prices are Tesco or Sainsbury's.

Wine

● Blanquette de Limoux - the world's original sparkling wine, created by accident by some Benedictine monks 100 years before the recipe was taken to the Champagne region. was €4.65 (£3.15) - a mid-priced one in the UK costs £9.95. Saving: £6.80
● Lanson Black Label champagne €23.95, £21.78 Saving: £5.47
● Jacquart Brut Champagne, €17.95, £19.99 Saving: £7.68
● Sauvignon Blanc Fortant: €2.47; around £4.90 Saving: £3.23
● Pierre Chanau Chablis: €6.95; £7.49 Saving: £2.76
● Vin de Pays Merlot: €2.22; £3.99 Saving: £2.48
● Marques de Caceres Rioja: €7.07; £8.79 Saving: £3.98
● Cabernet Rosé d'Anjou: €4; £3.29 Saving: 57p

Beer

● Kronenbourg 1664, €2.12 per litre; £2 per litre Saving: 66p per litre
● Chimay Rouge, Belgian beer brewed by Trappist monks: €2.75 for 75cl; £4.25 Saving: £2.38
● Mort Subite Kriek, Belgian cherry beer: €2.09 for 37.5cl; £2.29 in UK Saving: 87p

Spirits and more

● Absolut vodka, 70cl: €13.99; £13.99 Saving: £4.46
● Bombay Sapphire gin, 70cl: €15.95; £14.99 Saving: £4.13
● Crème de cassis, blackcurrant liqueur for adding to white wine to make kir (or to Champagne to make kir royale): €5.23; £7.99 Saving: £4.43

And, as we worked out on the ferry back to Dover, our total savings were £50 (OK, £49.90), which more than covered our ferry fare. Bon voyage!
 

Click here for shopping tips on Boulogne's specialist shops and market...