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In autumn, why not head to one of the scallop festivals taking place on the coast? Normandy is one of the best regions in France for scallops, and knows how to celebrate them in true style, with food, music and entertainment for all the family. Shell we dance?

FISH FRESH OFF THE BOAT IN CALVADOS

Look out for coquilles Saint-Jacques de Normandie in fishmongers and restaurants – this specific variety of scallop native to Normandy has been awarded the Label Rouge, a guarantee of quality. The largest scallop fishing port in the Calvados département is Port-en-Bessin, which hosts Le Goût du Large [Taste of the Open Sea] Festival, dedicated to scallops and fishing in general. The festival provides a rare chance to buy fish and seafood straight off the fishing boats on the quaysides, and is followed by a music festival called Musique sous les Embruns [Music under the Sea Spray], also in November.

Alternatively, enjoy some more maritime moments in the seaside towns of Villers-sur-Mer, Trouville-sur-Mer, Ouistreham and Grandcamp-Maisy, where visitors can learn how to cook or smoke fish and tie sea knots, or take guided tours of a variety of ships, boats, ports and lighthouses along the Normandy coast.

SUPERLATIVE SCALLOPS IN SEINE-MARITIME

Dieppe hosts its Herring and Scallop Festival every year, which attracts over 100,000 people. Seeing as Dieppe is the number one scallop fishing port in France, this is definitely the best time to pay this pretty seaside town a visit and enjoy some fresh scallop skewers!

DID YOU KNOW?

The Norman French word for scallop is godefiche and appears in Gustave Flaubert’s famous novel ‘Madame Bovary’.