Popular cheeses like manchego and deli meats like jamón ibérico make excellent Christmas gifts for your (non-vegan) friends and relatives.
However, a change in the UK's food hygiene rules means that travelling with this type of gift may be more complicated this year.
In April this year, the UK banned import for personal use of meat and cheese from any EU or EEA country, in response to outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia.
Covered by the ban is anything made from the meat of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs - so that would cover most Spanish embutidos (cold cuts) like chorizo, jamón etc.
Also banned are all dairy products - including milk and cheese, but also anything that uses lots of cream or fresh milk.
According to the UK government website “chocolate and confectionery” are allowed, “but not those made with a lot of unprocessed dairy ingredients”. So for example if you’re going to bring in a bar of packaged chocolate, it’s probably ok, but handmade chocolates filled with fresh cream may not be. If in doubt, go for dark or vegan chocolate, without dairy.
Canned fish/seafood (conservas) or other animal products such as eggs or honey are allowed. That means turrón, traditionally made from almonds and honey, will be ok.
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What are the penalties?
Exactly how strictly this is policed at the UK border, depends on how you are travelling - airlines tend to be stricter about what is allowed, especially when it comes to hand luggage. They also have their own rules about what is allowed in hand luggage and have an annoying tendency to regard cheese or similar as a liquid.
If you’re planning on taking the train back the UK, the Eurostar is also warning passengers in advance of their trip about the meat and cheese restrictions, saying that items could be confiscated during bag checks at Gare du Nord in Paris - and that includes a bocadillo de jamón for an onboard picnic.
Although the rules do apply to people travelling by car, either via the ferry or Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, in practice, there seems to be little enforcement at the ports.
If you are stopped with illicit chorizo or a nutty Idiazabal from the Basque Country, your items can be confiscated.
READ ALSO: A bite-sized guide to Spain's most special cheeses
What about wine?
Since Brexit, there have been stricter limits on the amount of alcohol that can be brought into the UK from Spain.
Having said that, the limits remain fairly generous - and would easily cover gifts for family and friends.
The limits are:
- 42 litres of beer
- 18 litres (24 standard bottles) of still wine
- 4 litres of spirits OR 9 litres (12 bottles) of sparkling wine, fortified wine or any alcoholic beverage less than 22 percent ABV
The tobacco limits are;
- 200 cigarettes OR
- 100 cigarillos OR
- 50 cigars OR
- 250g tobacco OR
- 200 sticks of tobacco for heating
- or any proportional combination of the above
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