Lille in December?
Lille in December is this a good idea? Yes, the inner city shows itself in beautiful illumination at night. And people in Lille like to sit outside in cafés even in light rains when they got wet when seated at a table not fully covered. The beer culture reminded me of nearby Belgium with its wide range of choices including great local beers. Another phenomenon were all the people jogging in shorts this time of year left me a bit in in awe. I started to like the city.
The Halles de Wazemmes were in walking distance from this lively inner city.
Entering the Halles
The Halles de Wazemmes are spacious, the ceiling is high, there is enough space between the stalls to have a smooth walk around. The ambiance is rustic, it does not exude luxury but provides a large variety of quality produce and goods. There are enough places to sit down like in a beer garden to enjoy some food.
What to discover?
The Halles de Wazemmes have a classic range of produce including organic and gluten free selections. Classic meaning meat in all kinds and forms, cheese, fish, seafood, veggies, fruit, pastry, bread to name a “few”.
Selling meat also meant that the butchers still butchered on the spot displaying their business as a craft and not only as a fresh food counter. The cuts went far beyond what one can find in a supermarket. They included pork feet, offals, terrines as well as little meals to eat on the spot.
Local cheeses were very present. I learned that this region is producing quite a range of distinct cheeses. I was already aware of round pyramid shaped Boulettes d’Avesnes, the strongest cheese I have ever tasted, it is full of spices and garlic. I learned about the Maroilles with a orange-red washed rind and a strong smell. I saw a range of orange colored cheeses in different age categories called Mimolette. Of course there was more to see, but my eyes focused on those.
There was a lot of love in the display of fruits and vegetables. Presented in baskets they seemed to be curated to show the best the fields can offer. The large variety was similar to what I can find in my German home town, so there were no surprises as such. Cabbages in all shapes were not as dominant as I am used to during this season.
To my surprise fish and seafood were strongly present in the market hall. Lille is not a coastal town, but nor too far from the coast either. Local turf, nearby surf I would say. This was apparent in the restaurants as well which served a lot of fish dishes. At least the ones we visited.
What to eat?
We went to a butcher where we saw filled crêpes and got curious. It had home made bechamel sauce and cooked ham. Heated up at the counter and very delicious. The bechamel was full of muscat which gave a nice accent to the ham and the dough.
As dessert we had nice pastry served with a good coffee. Unfortunately I forgot the names of those little jewels.
And if you are thirsty, there is an impressive selection of beers available as well.
All in all
The Halles de Wazemmes are a great place to shop when you have the opportunity to cook in Lille. In the meantime enjoy the dishes available, you will not regret it.
A little link list
- The official website
- The version 2 of the official website – why?
- Documentary on YouTube from 2022