The best places we found so far are in Le Crotoy, Bruges and Montreuil all around an hours drive from the ferry port. Remember decent family run French restaurants are strictly 12 to 2pm so we normally take the 7.35am which gets in around 10am continental time ferry to give plenty of time to park and get orientated before settling down for a good slow meal. Boulogne 'old town' is another obvious destination though the restaurants there are more mediocre.

Which restaurant is best? Depends on your tastes and budget. Tripadvisor has been our friend in finding little gems. Bruges in particular can be very expensive but those near the wall (literally less than 10 mins from the Grand Markt) are both better and ludicrously cheap. Remember in Belgium Flanders region use English or Dutch. Speaking or emailing in French is not always appreciated. Given that most Flemish/Dutch folk speak better English than us shouldn't make that a problem.

The best small restaurants are family run and usually close one day in the week so double check their opening hours before committing. Their websites and the Google sidepanel when you search their name give this info.

We usually get a 7pm ferry back. Gives you time to walk off the meal and do a supermarket for reprovisioning one's wine and beer cellar. The P&O red isn't great but it is drinkable and to some of us that is all that matters (hic).

​yeah, them bloody immigrants. they think they have a right to life. let's bulldoze them in to the sea for invading our country's unlike our kind attempts to bomb their houses and give them democracy. they must love and live democracy, even if they have to die whilst they sleep. huzzah huzzah!