Shops and hypermarkets

THERE are two sorts of shopping in Dieppe. You can drive out of town and buy goods in bulk at bargain prices at one of the peripheral super stores: up the Avenue Gambetta to Auchan; along the Avenue Normandie-Sussex to Intermarché and Leclerc; and through Neuville
and up the Avenue de la République to Lidl. Or you can wander around Dieppe town centre and shop more picturesquely.
Don’t exceed the customs allowance of a “reasonable” amount of alcohol for personal consumption to take home: if you do, you will be breaking the law and perhaps the springs of your car, too.
You will find a fine array of cheeses and Nicolas wines at the Maison Olivier (C5) in the Rue St Jacques. Try the crumbly and tangy local Neufchâtel cheese, often in the form of a heart, which is claimed to have been invented in 1035 (making it arguably France’s oldest cheese).

The best fruit and veg shop is Royal Fruits (E4) at the beginning of la Grande Rue ; the queues attest to the quality of its products. La Marée du Jour (D5) is an impressive fish shop on the Place Nationale and there are charcuteries (delicatessens) around town that provide
interesting concoctions to take home or for a picnic.
Creamy cakes abound in the patisseries. Buy ginseng Aux Arômes de Provence (D5) and herbs at Épices et Art (D5), both opposite the entrance to St Jacques Church. Clothes and toys There is not much sense in buying clothes or shoes in Dieppe: they will generally be dearer than in Britain and the so-called fashion boutiques sell largely similar garments, made by poorly paid workers in Asia, to those
you will find on a high street at home.
Plein Ciel (C5) in la Rue St Jacques is a great toy shop and there is a fascinating children’s bookshop, La Sirène, (D5) hidden behind St Jacques Church nearby. If you need to stitch something, visit the haberdashery Aurel Création (B5) in the Rue des Bains. And Casa (B5)
in the Rue de la Barre has bargains in household goods and kitchenware.
We have not discovered why Dieppe needs so many tattooing establishments: you don’t see many tattoos around, although of course they are often hidden on parts of the body reserved for the eyes of nearest and dearest only.