We all enjoy the local cuisine when we are on holiday and often visit the local supermarkets and fill our baskets to enable us to impress our friends by recreating the  menus, once we return  home. 

Hopefully safely packed away in the bottom of our suitcases, we keep our fingers crossed that the  remains of  broken packaging does not leave an unpleasant trail from your suitcase on the conveyor belt at the airport, inviting HM Revenue and Customs officers the opportunity to pounce!

But what exactly are the rules and regulations for bringing food back into the UK from an EU country.  Our best advice would be to visit www.hmrc.gov.uk  which will set out the details but in essence, despite general opinion, meat and animal products can be imported, so feel free to fill an air tight container (to contain the aroma!) with all those scrummy hams and salami’s.  And go ahead and pack your bags (not hand luggage) with all those delicious cheeses. 

Even the orange that you picked from the gardens or the lemon you are keen to have sliced to drop into your gin and tonic, once at home are allowed, but there are restrictions on other fruit and vegetables. 

And if you are keen on planting  some Bourganvilla in your garden this is allowed, along with most plants that you purchase from a garden centre.  Although you may get some strange looks if you have a palm tree protruding from your hold-all!

All the above must be for your own personal consumption and don’t forget to carefully pack that bottle of port to have with the cheese!

Finally remember that regardless of where you are travelling from, you are not allowed to bring in parts of endangered animals or plants which includes caviar, ivory, shells and skins.